CORAL SPRINGS, Florida (January 3, 2006) – The National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) will induct John Crooks, Women’s Golf Coach at Campbell University (Coach) and Leta Lindley and Michele Redman (Players) into the NGCA Hall of Fame at their upcoming Hall of Fame Induction Banquet to be held Tuesday, January 10, 2006 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Crooks becomes the 39th member of the Coaches Hall of Fame and Lindley and Redman become the 47th and 48th members respectively of the Players Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony, with master of ceremonies Kay Cockerill of The Golf Channel, will take place during the 2006 NGCA Member Convention at the Caesars Tahoe Hotel.
Now in his 15th year in charge of the women’s program at Campbell University, John Crooks is one of the top collegiate golf coaches in the country. During his tenure, Crooks has led the women’s team to eight conference titles and 11 NCAA Regional appearances. He guided the Lady Camels to three-consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference championships from 1996-98 and again in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
Crooks has been named conference coach of the year 12 times for either the men’s or women’s program in the last 15 years. He was named Atlantic Sun Women’s Golf Coach of the Year for the second-straight season in 2002 and again in 2004. His women’s teams have won 49 tournaments.
Entering the 2005-06 season, Crooks ranks second among all active Division I women’s coaches in tournament victories with 49, trailing only Dan Brooks of Duke (89). His women have won a tournament in all 14 years in which he has served as head coach. Coach Crooks has directed 98 golfers to all-conference honors during his tenure and 100 individuals to all-academic honors. In 2004-05, Crooks’ women earned an at-large berth to the NCAA East Regional and finished 11th, its best showing since 1997. The team won four tournaments, the program’s most in five years.
A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., and a Buies Creek resident, Crooks played collegiately at the University of Houston under legendary coach Dave Williams. He is a former USGA Junior Amateur Champion who competes regularly in major state and national amateur championships. He won the 2001 North and South Senior Amateur Championship by five strokes after carding a 73-72-71—216 at Pinehurst #8, #5 and #2 in consecutive rounds.
The formation of a stellar professional career began at Indiana University for Michele Redman. She distinguished herself as a player that was head and shoulders above the rest.
A member of the All Big Ten Team for four years, (1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987), Redman (individually) and her team also captured the Big Ten Championship in 1987. In 1986, she was named an Honorable Mention All-American and in 1987 was a 2nd Team All-American. In all, she won four collegiate tournaments.
Her junior career including the 1983 Ohio State Junior championship. In 1986, she was a quarterfinalist at the U.S. Women’s Amateur and finished as the second-lowest amateur at the U.S. Women’s Open.
In 1992, she qualified for the LPGA Tour, where she has captured two victories including the 1997 JAL Big Apple Classic and the 2000 First Union Betsy King Classic. Redman has had the honor of representing her country on three Solheim Cp Teams in 2000, 2002 and 2003. She is currently 22nd on the All-Time LPGA Money List.
Current Vanderbilt Coach Martha Freitag provided a glimpse into Leta Lindley – "She exemplifies so many wonderful things that young women playing college golf today should aspire to – she has a tremendous work ethic, is a true and loyal teammate, she takes pride in her university and gives back and she has achieved at the highest level."
Leta Lindley played collegiate golf at the University of Arizona, where she was a four-time NGCA All-American, three-time NGCA Al–American Scholar, set an NCAA record for lowest 54-hole score (nine-under-par) and finished third at the 1993 NCAA Championship. In addition, she was the medalist at the 1994 U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Lindley has gone on to a successful career on the LPGA Tour. In 1997, she posted a career-best finish with a second place at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship, where she lost to Chris Johnson on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. She passed the $1,000,000 career earnings mark in 2000. In 2004, she gave birth to her first child, Cole, on March 6 and then returned to the Tour in June and tied for 23rd at her first tournament back, the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
About the National Golf Coaches Association
The National Golf Coaches Association, founded in 1983, is a non-profit organization representing women’s collegiate golf coaches. The NGCA was formed to encourage the playing of college golf for women in correlation with a general objective of education and in accordance with the highest tradition of intercollegiate competition. Today, the NGCA represents over 400 coaches throughout the U.S. and is dedicated to educating, promoting and recognizing both its members and the student-athletes they represent.
Contact:
Roger M. Yaffe
roger@collegiategolf.com
Phone (800) 381-0769
