54th Annual LetterWinner of Distinction Celebration to Honor Chris Gedney and Four Others

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse University will honor the late Chris Gedney '93 (football), Herm Card '68 (baseball), Vera Jones '88 G '91 (basketball), Richard Slutzky '64 (wrestling) and Roland Williams '97 (football) as 2018 LetterWinners of Distinction. The distinguished group will be recognized on Thursday, Nov. 8 at Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center.

Tickets for the LetterWinner of Distinction event are $100 each and $950 for a table of 10. A reception begins at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Reservations can be made online or through the Orange Club Office (315-443-1419). The deadline is Nov. 1, 2018.

In addition to the annual LetterWinner of Distinction dinner, the honorees will be recognized during the Orange's football game against Louisville on Friday, Nov. 9, where the Syracuse community will also honor the memory of Gedney, a Liverpool, N.Y. native and 1992 All-American who passed away in March.

Chris Gedney '93 (football)
A consensus All-American at tight end, Chris Gedney had a successful career in the National Football League before returning to his alma mater in 2008 to work as a member of the Orange Club staff. In addition, he served as the analyst for Syracuse IMG Network radio football broadcasts from 2007-17.

"Chris was more than just a football player," said Syracuse Director of Athletics John Wildhack. "He was a beloved husband and father, a loyal friend, and in every sense a member of the Syracuse family. While we are still mourning his passing, it is appropriate to honor him on the field where he competed."

In 1993, Gedney was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the NFL Draft. He played four seasons in Chicago before joining the Arizona Cardinals. During his seven-year NFL career, Gedney played in 73 games and caught 83 passes for 914 yards and eight touchdowns. During his pro career, Gedney battled ulcerative colitis and had a full colectomy. After spending one year on the injured reserve list, he came back to the field, becoming the first player to return to a full contact sport after that surgery. In 2000 he was a finalist for the NFL Man of the Year Award and in 2001 he was honored with the Ed Block and Gene Autry Courage awards.

After retiring from football, Gedney returned to Syracuse to serve as associate athletics director and joined the Orange football radio broadcast team. In May 2011, Gedney was promoted to senior associate athletics director for major gifts. He was active in the community, serving on the National Down Syndrome Society Board of Directors and the Imagine Syracuse Executive Board of Directors. In addition, he was also involved with the NYS Special Olympics and the Southwest Chapter of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.

Gedney, who died at the age of 47, still holds the Syracuse records for most receiving yards by a tight end in a season (587 in 1992) and career (1,334). In 1999, he was selected to Syracuse's All-Century Football Team. He was named an Atlantic Coast Conference Football Legend in 2015. Gedney was a member of Orange teams that played in the Peach Bowl, Aloha Bowl, Hall of Fame Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl.

Herm Card '68 (baseball)
Herm Card graduated from the University with a B.A. in English in 1968 and an M.S. in English Education. Card was a freshman baseball numeral winner (1965) and a three-year varsity letterwinner. He was also a member of the Alpha Chi Rho fraternity, the Student Senate (1964-65), and was a contributor for the Daily Orange (1964-65).

After graduation he moved to the sidelines as an assistant baseball coach for the Orange from 1968 through 1972 before becoming a recruiting officer for the New York National Guard. In 1974, he put his degrees to work as an English teacher for Marcellus Central School District where he stayed until his retirement in 2006. Card served in the U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard from 1968 until his retirement as a major in 1981.

Card served on the New York State English Council board for 10 years and was a member of the policy board of the Central New York Teaching Center for a decade. In addition, he participated in multiple professional organizations at the local, state and national levels. His poetry, essays, humor and sports articles have appeared in multiple publications. Among his professional awards, Card earned the New York State Council Educator of Excellence honor, the New York State English Council Program of Excellence Creator Award, and multiple teaching award grants.

Card transitioned from baseball player to umpire, working as an official for 50 years including multiple NCAA regional tournaments, Division II and III College World Series, five Babe Ruth League World Series, and many regional, national and international tournaments. He also was a high school soccer official for 10 years. He is a member of the New York State High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame.

A skilled photographer, Card donates his time to photograph the Syracuse Challenger Baseball Program, Onondaga County's National Adoption Day programs, and local veterans groups. He also works as a New York State Senate special assistant, an adjunct professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and as a photographer for the Syracuse Chiefs.

Vera Jones '88/'91 M.A. (basketball)
A standout on the court and in the classroom, Vera Jones transitioned from student-athlete to basketball coach to professional development coach. The 1988 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Jones helped lead the Orange to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 1985 and 1988, the 1985 BIG EAST Tournament Championship and the 1988 BIG EAST regular-season title. On the sidelines, Jones coached at the University of Dayton, Indiana University and Florida Atlantic University. Today, Jones is a professional development coach through Vera's Voiceworks, an organization she founded to coach, empower, and energize individuals and organizations to overcome their fouls to achieve success. She is also an author, an award-winning television and radio broadcaster for the Big Ten Network, and a successful motivational speaker.

Through every step of her professional life, Jones has used her S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications degrees in broadcast journalism ('88 B.S.) and television, radio and film ('91 M.A.). Her resume includes more than a decade of experience as a radio personality. In 1994, she was honored as the South Carolina Broadcaster's Association "Personality of the Year" as a country radio morning show co-host. Jones has also acted with the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company and performed stand-up comedy. An accomplished author, she has written several books including "Play Through the Foul," which empowers people to fight through adversity with the power of faith, vision, unity, perseverance and purpose.

Jones completed her basketball career as one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in school history with a .353 (41-of-116) percentage from behind the arc. She scored 1,113 career points, which ranks 20th on the Orange women basketball scoring list. She was inducted into the Syracuse University Orange Plus Hall of Fame in 2002.

Jones is active in many civic organizations, including at the WEPAC Celebrity Hoops for Hope Charity Basketball game in rural Kansas that raises funds to support cancer awareness, breast cancer screenings, education, medical transport and other services in small rural towns, the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER), the Florida Association of School Administrators (FASA) and has served on the school improvement committee of the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. In the fall of 2017, Jones moderated the Syracuse University "Coming Back Together" minority sports panel and was a guest panelist at the ESPNW event for Syracuse's female student-athletes.

Richard Slutzky '64 (wrestling)
Two-time All-American and EIWA champion Richard Slutzky earned education degrees from the University in 1964 (B.S.) and 1967 (M.S.). After graduation, Slutzky embarked on a career in education that spanned 39 years in addition to serving as a private first class in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.

Slutzky began his career as a teacher and coach at Baldwin Harbor Junior High School. He returned to his alma mater in 1966 to serve as an assistant wrestling coach and as the assistant to the director of intramurals, while teaching classes in health and physical education until 1968. Slutzky spent one year in Florida working as a science teacher at E.E. Just Junior High School and as head wrestling coach at the University of Tampa before moving to Pittsburgh to become the head assistant wrestling coach for the Panthers from 1969-72. After moving around for a few years, Slutzky took his talents to Aberdeen (Md.) High School where he spent the next 31 years as an educator.

At Syracuse, Slutzky earned All-America honors in 1963 and 1964, finishing fourth and second, respectively, at the NCAA Championship meets. He won the 1964 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association title as a senior team captain. He was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, the national Liberal Arts Honors Society, and earned the top class ranking in the SU Department of Physical Education. He is enshrined in both the Maryland and National Wrestling Halls of Fame.

Since his retirement from teaching, Slutzky has served in local government. He was selected to the Harford County Council representing District E, where he continues to serve as president after a 10-year stint as vice president. Slutzky was inducted into the Harford County Educator Hall of Fame and received the 25-year volunteer service award from the Harford County Department of Parks and Recreation.

Roland Williams '97 (football)
Roland Williams uses his athletic success to assist and inspire others. The two-time Man of the Year Award winner for the Oakland Raiders played in the league for eight years in addition to dedicating his time to charitable endeavors and public speaking. He founded two organizations focused on mentoring young people. He led Youth Lifeline America from 1999 through 2011 and launched Champion Academy in 2015.

Youth Lifeline America's mission was to harnesses the powerful influence of arts, entertainment and sports to teach valuable life skills to youth across the nation. The organization worked with more than 100 celebrity athletes, entertainers and corporate brands interested in providing a high standard of free grass roots entertaining and educational initiatives for youth across America.

The Champion Academy in Williams' hometown of Rochester, N.Y., is an initiative designed to mentor and empower at-risk middle and high school students to improve as both students and citizens.

Williams, who played tight end for the Orange from 1994 through 1997, earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors in as a senior. The Orange won two BIG EAST Championships (1996 and 1997), played in three bowl games and posted a 34-14 record during his career.

A fourth-round NFL Draft selection by St. Louis in 1998, Williams played tight end for the Rams for three seasons and earned a championship ring for a victory in Super Bowl XXXIV. He then played for the Oakland Raiders in 2001 and 2002 before moving to Tampa Bay for the 2003 campaign. He returned to Oakland for the 2004 season and closed his NFL career with the Rams in 2005. Williams earned the NFL Unsung Hero Award and was a multi-year semfinalist for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for philanthropy and citizenship.

Williams, who earned his undergraduate degree in speech communications and studied public relations at the graduate level at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, worked in television and radio as an analyst for CBS, ESPN, and NBC Sports from 2007 through 2011.

Syracuse University Athletics

54th Annual LetterWinner of Distinction Celebration to Honor Chris Gedney and Four Others

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