Five former UAFS student-athletes representing four decades of athletic achievements make up the 2012 Class of the Lions Athletics Hall of Fame.
            Former volleyball player Paula Castro Abbott (2001) and former basketball players Robert "Bob" Blaylock (1954-56), Jim Jay (1960-62), Brian Kelleybrew (1979-81) and DeWayne Shepard (1980-82) will be honored during an induction banquet at 5:30 p.m. on Friday at the old UAFS Fieldhouse.
            The incoming class also will be recognized during intermission of Saturday’s Heartland Conference basketball games against Oklahoma Panhandle State at the Stubblefield Center. Tipoff will be noon for the women’s game and 2 p.m. for the men’s game.
            It will be the third Hall of Fame Class. The inaugural 2010 Class included Clair Bates, Shelby Breedlove, Jimmy Charles, Bill Crowder, Gayle Kaundart, Kim Williams and Ron Brewer, and the 2011 Class included Alisa Burras, C.A. Fawcett, Harold Raymond “Hal” Smith, Jim Wyatt and Darrell Walker.
             “The athletes chosen for this year’s class represent different eras of our institution, but all were chosen because of their commitment to success in the classroom and in competition,” UAFS athletic director Dustin Smith said. “Their athletic performances while playing for the Lions speak for themselves. How they represented the institution after their playing careers here were done is nothing short of remarkable. I am pleased to welcome five new, very deserving members into this year’s class.”
            Paula Castro Abbott
            She only played one season for the UAFS volleyball team, but in that short span, Abbott changed the course of not only Lady Lions volleyball but also the entire UAFS athletics program.
            When Abbott transferred from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College to UAFS for the 2001 season, the native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, became not only the first international player to play volleyball at UAFS but the first international player to ever play for any UAFS team.
            Through her effort and hard work on the court, where she led the team in kills, digs and service reception and earned All-Region and Honorable-Mention All-American honors, and in the classroom, where she earned Academic All-American honors, Abbott was nothing short of the model student-athlete, convincing UAFS to open its recruitment to even more international players.
            Since then, UAFS has recruited and signed international players in men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, men's and women's cross country and men’s and women’s tennis.
Abbott, who was a two-time All-Region outside hitter, led the Lady Lions to a 37-5 record and a runner-up finish in the Bi-State Conference and the NJCAA Region II Tournament. She was the first Lady Lion to earn Academic All-American and All-American honors.
            Abbott went on to play libero two seasons at NCAA Division I University of Arkansas, where she helped lead the Lady’Backs to a 54-13 overall record and a 29-3 record in the Southeastern Conference and a berth in the NCAA National Tournament. She was second on the team in digs as a junior and led the team in digs as a senior.
            While at Arkansas, Abbott earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. She went on to earn a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of California-San Diego.
            She returned to UAFS in the fall of 2010 as a chemistry instructor in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and volunteer assistant coach for the volleyball team.
            Jim Jay
            Jay very well could have been the poster boy for the consummate multi-sport collegiate athlete.
            A native of Lincoln, Ark., Jay was a six-man football star at tiny Lincoln High School, helping the Wolves to wins against much-larger Springdale and Fayetteville during his senior year.
            Jay was offered a football scholarship to the University of Arkansas, but he also wanted to play basketball. As a compromise, the coaches told him that if he made the traveling squad in basketball he could play basketball and football. He made the traveling squad, but he dropped out of school and returned to Lincoln.
            When former Fayetteville High School basketball coach Shelby Breedlove became Fort Smith Junior College men’s basketball coach, he remembered Jay from his playing days at Lincoln High School and began recruiting Jay to play for the Lions.
            Jay played two seasons for Breedlove’s Lions (1960-1962). As a sophomore, Jay helped lead the Lions to a No. 4 NJCAA national ranking. He was described in the Fort Smith Junior College NUMA Yearbook’s Hall of Fame section as “a hard worker, a team player who has done much for FSJC.”
            He was also a talented baseball player, and even though Fort Smith Junior College didn’t have a baseball team, he was still offered a professional contract with the Boston Red Sox following his sophomore season. Jay declined the offer and instead focused on finishing his education at the University of Arkansas, where he played both basketball and baseball.
            Jay was a two-year letterman in basketball and was named co-captain as a senior. He helped guide coach Glen Rose’s Razorbacks to an overall 22-25 record during his two seasons.
            He was a two-year letterman in baseball and led coach Bill “Groundhog” Ferrell’s Razorbacks with a .371 batting average as a junior. Jay helped lead the Razorbacks to an overall 21-10 record during his two seasons.
            Former St. Louis Cardinals scout Fred Hahn assured Jay of a pro contract and a spot with the team, but during his senior season, Jay suffered a shoulder injury, which severely limited his ability to throw the baseball across the field and ended his longtime dream of playing professional baseball.
            Robert “Bob” Blaylock
            Blaylock was once described as “the most outstanding baseball product developed in the area”, but he was a star on the hardwood as well for the Fort Smith Junior College Lions.
Blaylock enrolled at Fort Smith Junior College in the fall of 1954 and played basketball for two seasons (1954-56) for coach Jimmy Charles.
            Even though he stood only 6-foot-1, Blaylock was forced to play center for the Lions. Still, Blaylock, who could dunk a basketball from a standing start, led the team in rebounding and was among the Lions’ top scorers. As a sophomore, he was named Most Athletic by the student body and was elected to the Sophomore Council.
            As savvy as Blaylock was on the hardwood, he was a natural-born star on the diamond, even though Fort Smith Junior College didn’t field a baseball team at that time.
            The right-handed pitcher was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals on June 2, 1953, after graduating high school. Blaylock caught the scouts’ attention after pitching four no-hitters, two one-hitters and one two-hitter as a senior at Muldrow (Okla.) High School. He received offers from 10 Major League teams and received the maximum signing bonus of $3,000 from the Cardinals.
            Blaylock played baseball in the summer while playing basketball for Fort Smith Junior College during the fall. The summer after his sophomore year, the 21-year-old made his Major League debut with the Cardinals on July 22, 1956, as a mid-season call-up from the Rochester Red Wings, which was St. Louis’ AAA minor league affiliate in the International League.
            He finished the season with St. Louis with a 1-6 record and returned to AAA until 1959, when he was recalled to St. Louis. He went 0-1 and was sent back down to the minor leagues, where he spent the remainder of his professional baseball career.
            After retiring from baseball, Blaylock had a successful career in business as a hotel and restaurant owner.
            Brian Kelleybrew
            Kelleybrew was a promising young basketball player at tiny Lonoke High School when he caught the attention of legendary Westark basketball coach Gayle Kaundart.
            As a senior, Kelleybrew was one of the top prep players in Arkansas, earning All-State honors and a spot on the All-Star Team roster and, under the tutelage of Kaundart, he became one of the top junior college prospects in the country.
            Kelleybrew was a two-year starter and helped lead the Lions to an impressive 65-10 record. He averaged 14 points and nine rebounds per game. As a sophomore, he guided the Lions to the Bi-State Conference Championship, the NJCAA Region II Tournament Championship and the NJCAA National Championship.
            Although listed as a forward on the roster, Kelleybrew was so versatile that he could play any position because of his stellar quickness, ball-handling and perimeter shooting. His jumping ability and physical toughness also made him an extremely effective scorer and rebounder in the paint, too.
            Kelleybrew was a defensive juggernaut, too, with the ability to guard any position. The Lions never allowed more than 69 points and held opponents to 50 points or less 19 times.
            He scored 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line in the NJCAA National Championship as the Lions claimed their first national championship in any sport with a 67-50 win against Lincoln College.
            Kelleybrew was named First Team All-Conference and was a member of the All-Region II Team and the NJCAA All-Tournament Team.
            He was well-respected by his teammates, and his coaches called him the “complete package” for his athletic ability and his dedication in the classroom. After graduating from Westark, he finished his education and playing career at NCAA Division I Lamar University.
            During his two seasons with the Cardinals, Kelleybrew shot 55.9 percent from the field, which is the 10^{th -}best shooting percentage in the program’s history.
            DeWayne Shepard
            Kaundart had a knack for discovering talented players in unlikely places that often were off the beaten path patrolled by other coaches.
            Shepard was proof of that.
            Shepard played for Helena-West Helena Central High School, an eastern Arkansas Class AAAA school not often frequented by college coaches in the late 1970s. The Cougars weren’t among the state’s elite teams during Shepard’s senior season (1979-80), which limited his exposure and allowed Kaundart to sign the up-and-coming basketball star.
            For two seasons, Shepard, who was known by his coaches and teammates as “Shep”, was one of the Lions’ “go to” players. He helped lead the Lions to an impressive 65-10 overall record during his two seasons.
            Only 6-foot-5, Shepard played much bigger, exhibiting great power, quickness and leaping ability. He averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds per game and, as a sophomore, led the Lions in scoring in 15 of their 37 games. He wasn’t one dimensional either, using his long arms and quickness to block or alter shots on defense.
            As a freshman, Shepard was one of the key contributors in the Lions’ magical 1980-81 season during which they won the Bi-State Conference, the NJCAA Region II Tournament and the NJCAA National Tournament.
            Shepard scored 19 points and collected 10 rebounds as the Lions beat Lincoln College 67-50 to win their first NJCAA National Championship in school history. That double-double performance earned Shepard MVP accolades.
            A star on the basketball court, Shepard also was the consummate student-athlete. After graduating from Westark, he went on to play two seasons at Cal State-Fullerton, earning a bachelor’s degree. He later earned a master’s degree in education.