Nevada Hall of Fame inductees announced

Sonny Allen, who guided the Nevada Wolf Pack to its first-ever NCAA appearance, heads the list of 2005 Hall of Fame inductees.

Joining Allen are Michael "Fly" Gray, a member of the Wolf Pack basketball team that went to the NIT in 1978-79; former baseball standout Jim Stassi, who hit 15 homers and drove in 100 runs during the 1981 and 1982 seasons; and Shahriar Pourdanesh, an All-American tackle, who played from 1990 to 1992.

The quartet will be honored at a dinner on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. at Lawlor Events Center. They also will be introduced Oct. 8 at the homecoming game against Idaho, which start at 1:05 p.m.

"This is an excellent class for the Wolf Pack Hall of Fame," Nevada athletic director Cary Groth said. "It's a class that clearly represents the tradition and history of our athletic program."

Following stints at Old Dominion and SMU, Allen took the Pack to the NCAA Tournament in 1984 and 1985, earning Big Sky Coach of the Year honors both seasons. In seven years at Nevada, Allen compiled a 114-89 record. He later coached the Sacramento Monarchs of the WNBA.

Gray teamed with the late Johnny High to form one of the best backcourts in Wolf Pack history. He averaged 24 points a game and his last-second basket beat Oregon State and moved the Pack into the second round of the NIT.

Pourdanesh, who moved from Iran in 1979, was the Canadian Football League's Lineman of the Year in 1994 when he played for the Baltimore Stallions. He played in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders.

Stassi was a 17th-round draft pick of the San Francisco Giants. He reached the Triple-A level in 1985 and finished his career in the Italian Pro Baseball League.