Dr. Arthur E. Thomas, Thelanious "Laney" Prioleau and 1990 football team join CSU Athletic Hall of Fame

XENIA, Ohio - Dr. Arthur E. Thomas, Thelanious "Laney" Prioleau and the 1990 football team accepted induction into the Central State Athletic Hall of Fame during Friday afternoon's annual luncheon at the Country Club of the North.


In addition to this year's inductees, Central State also honored the 1965 CSU men's basketball team and Hall of Fame women's basketball player Trona Logan.


The undefeated '65 team celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the NAIA national championship season. The Marauders had a dominant team in 1965, going unbeaten in 30 games. They won national tournament games by 21, 14, 9 and 16 points before trouncing Oklahoma Baptist, 85-51, in the title game. The team, which is already a part of the CSU Athletic Hall of Fame as well as the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame, were honored with commemorative coins and shirts which chronicled the magical '65 season.


Logan, a former player and administrator at CSU, had her No. 30 jersey officially retired during the luncheon. After helping to establish the CSU women's basketball program as a perennial powerhouse in the late 80s and early 90s, Logan was elected to the CSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997. Diagnosed with ALS in 2011, Logan continues to be a spokesperson for the disease by hosting events throughout Dayton to help raise ALS awareness. CSU Hall of Fame coach Theresa Check delivered a passionate speech discussing Logan's attributes on and off the floor. Christina Logan accepted the honor on behalf of her sister to a standing ovation from the crowd.


James "Shack" Harris served as the keynote speaker for the event. After a standout career playing for legendary coach Eddie Robinson at Grambling State, Harris was drafted by the Buffalo Bills and became the first black quarterback ever to start a NFL season opener in 1969. TV personality and entrepreneur Omarosa Manigault will served as the event's mistress of ceremony. 


Thelanious "Laney" Prioleau solidified himself as one of the most versatile baseball players to ever play for Central State. Playing from 1983 to 1985, Prioleau posted a career batting average of .394 with 18 home runs, 80 runs batted in and 98 stolen bases. He also was a threat on the mound accumulating a 12-5 career record with 139 strikeouts.

 
A graduate of Mergenthaler Vocational Tech High School in Baltimore, MD, Prioleau arrived on the campus of Central State in the winter of 1983 poised to make an impact on the baseball diamond. As a freshman, Prioleau batted .319 and hit a team high 4 triples. As a pitcher, Prioleau quickly showed coaches his versatility as a dual threat by compiling team highs in wins (4), strikeouts (39), innings pitched (32) and a school record 14 strikeouts against rival Kentucky State. His 6.5 strikeout average was 5th in the nation in the 1983 statistical rankings. Following the 1983 season, Prioleau was labeled as the "mainstay" of the rotation by CSU Hall of Fame baseball coach Steve Kring.

 
Prioleau continued his improvement as a hitter as a sophomore, posting a .412 batting average which ranked in the top 30 in the nation. Prioleau led CSU in RBI (26), home runs (5), triples (4), doubles (7) and stolen bases (27). He continued his dominance on the mound, going 4-1 with team highs in strikeouts (45) and innings pitched (37). Prioleau also was the only CSU player to play all nine positions in a single game against Walsh University in May of 1984.

 
In his final season with CSU, Prioleau ranked 5th in the nation with a .452 batting average and once again led the team in RBIs (39), triples (5) and doubles (9). He also hit 10 home runs and led the nation with a school record 53 stolen bases. In 39 innings of work, Prioleau pitched to a 4-2 record, a career high 53 strikeouts and ranked 2nd in the nation in 1985 with 8.8 strikeouts per game.

 
Prioleau exemplified himself as a leader on and off the diamond. He earned the team's academic achievement award in all three years in which he wore the maroon and gold. He also served as the team captain in the '84 and '85 seasons.

 
After the 1985 season, Prioleau was drafted by the Detroit Tigers. He returned to Central State to complete his degree in 1989. Since graduating, Prioleau has established a 24-year career in the biotechnology industry. He currently resides in Baltimore, MD, with his wife of 25 years, Terry. His son, TJ, and daughter, Teniera, are also multi-sport athletes. TJ served as captain of the 2014 CSU basketball team and also ran track for the Marauders. He recently accepted the head women's basketball coaching position at CCBC-Catonsville. Teneira is currently enrolled at Wilson College (PA) and plays on the basketball team and soccer team.
 
 
 
Dr. Arthur E. Thomas has dedicated his entire adult life and career toward championing the cause of the poor, the oppressed, and the denied. He has, at great personal sacrifice, fought all forms of injustices at the local, state, and federal levels. A 1962 graduate of Central State University, Dr. Thomas has worked as an elementary and high school teacher, as well as, a football and track coach. He has also taught and directed advocacy programs. At the university level, he has served as Vice President and President at Central State University. He served on the Historically Black College and University Presidential Advisory Board of former Presidents George H.W. Bush and William J. Clinton. Dr. Thomas served for 12 consecutive years, never faltering in his advocacy for poor and denied people.

 
Dr. Thomas was selected by President Clinton to be an official U.S. representative to the first democratic elections in South Africa. During his tenure as President at Central State University, he awarded 123 full scholarships to African students from 23 African countries. Ten students were recipients from South Africa in fulfillment of a commitment to the Honorable Nelson Mandela.

 
During Dr. Thomas' presidency, Central State University had a record enrollment of more than 3,200 students; developed a four-year undergraduate International Water Resources Management Program; established a four-year fully accredited Manufacturing Engineering Program; re-established the Master's Degree in Education; an emphasized the African Studies Program; and developed  a model Linguistics Program. In addition he directed the university's internationally renowned Convocation series which also was promoted the University through a PBS television series and book, "Like It Is." In the area of student development, Dr. Thomas was instrumental strengthening the award winning Invincible Marching Marauders and the Grammy nominated University Chorus and in the success of the athletic department. During his tenure, Central State won two football national NAIA championships, eight women's national NAIA track championships, two men's national NAIA track championship, and women's basketball teams also won eight district basketball championships and participated in the national NAIA Tournament eight times. In addition to numerous athletic honorees and award winners, Central State student-athletes also included participants in national and international competition including the Olympics, highlighted by Olympic Gold Medalist Deon Hemmings'1996 performance in the 400-meter hurdles.

 
Dr. Thomas is proud of his determined efforts to provide access to a college education to the poor as well as to those who have been victimized by racist and inadequate public school systems. He received the Carter G. Woodson Award from the National Education Association as well as awards from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, The Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and the National Council of Negro Women. Dr. Thomas earned his Master's in Education from Miami University (Ohio), and his doctoral degree in Education Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.


Dr. Thomas has received honorary degrees from Shaw College, Capital University, and his Alma Mater, Central State University. Dr. Thomas recently received an outstanding Leadership Award from NAFEO (the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education) for his leadership and courage at Central State University and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Delta Zeta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. He also is a member of the CSU Alumni Hall of Fame and most recently was inducted into the 2012 National Black College Hall of Fame and received its Lifetime Achievement Award.

 
Additionally, Dr. Thomas served as the Director of the Kellogg Foundation-funded NAFEO Kellogg Leadership Fellows Program and as the Program Manager for the California State University San Bernardino Integrated Technology Transfer Network Program at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. More recently, he has served as the Senior Administrative Coordinator of the Ph.D. Program in Bioenvironmental Science, School of Computer, Mathematical, & Natural Sciences at Morgan State University. Currently, Dr. Thomas is serving as a NAFEO Presidential Fellow and working to developing programs and engaging in the resolution of problems confronting HBCUs. Dr. Thomas is also working to develop a HBCU Consortium to offer undergraduate degrees to incarcerated men and women of color during the period of their incarceration.
 
 
The 1990 Central State Football Team helped set the standard for CSU football. After establishing the program as a perennial NAIA powerhouse throughout the 1980s, Hall of Fame coach Billy Joe and the Marauders solidified their place in history by delivering the first national football title to CSU in 1990.

 
Entering the season with a high powered offense, a shutdown defense, and an electrifying special teams unit, the Marauders began the 90' campaign with blowout victories over Morgan State, St. Francis and Tennessee State. In week four, the Marauders suffered their only loss of the season in a 43-42 shootout against Northeast Missouri State.

 
According to the coaches and players, the loss sparked a new found motivation to finish the season off the right way. CSU dominated the remainder of the regular season and entered the NAIA playoffs with a 7-1 record.

 
After disposing Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, with a 48-10 win in the first round; CSU's semifinal matchup pitted them against Carson-Newman College in Johnson City, Tennessee – the team that had ended CSU's postseason runs in '87, '88 and '89. With extra incentive to beat their rivals, the Marauders cruised to a 41-14 win to advance to the national title game against Mesa State University. If there ever was a way to make winning a national title look easy, the Marauders did just that with a dominate 38-16 win over Mesa State in Junction City, Colorado, to bring a title back to Wilberforce. Senior running back Ray Hill was named the game's Offensive MVP while junior linebacker Marvin Pope earned Defensive MVP.

 
On their march toward the title, the 1990 national champion Marauders set NAIA Div. I records by scoring 594 points (54.8 ppg) and averaging 492 yards of offense. The Marauders defeated opponents by an astounding average point margin of 37.5 per game.

 
The Central State players and coaching staff went on to earn many individual honors. OL Erik "Big E" Williams, QB Henderson Mosley, DB Marvin Coleman, Hill and Pope earned All-American honors that season.

 
1990 Results
Morgan State - W (63-13)
Saint Francis - W (39-6)
Tennessee State - W (35-14)
Northeast Missouri State - L (43-42)
Knoxville - W (70-44)
Bowie State - W (56-7)
Kentucky State - W (69-14)
West Virginia State - W (64-14)
Fort Hays State - W (48-10)*
Carson-Newman - W (41-14)*
Colorado-Mesa State - W (38-16)*
*-denotes NAIA Playoffs

Click here view all pictures from the 2015 Central State Athletic Hall of Fame Luncheon.
 
 

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