RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Manhattan College Hall of Famers Junius Kellogg and Lisa Toscano will be inducted into the latest class of the MAAC Honor Roll, in which honorees will be enshrined in “The MAAC Experience” exhibit at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on November 1.
Each member institution of the MAAC honors one male and one female from its basketball “family” as part of the 2014-15 induction class. A dinner event will be on Saturday, November 1, 2014 at the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Court of Dreams to recognize the Honor Roll inductees. Each honoree also will be profiled in the game program for the 2015 MAAC Basketball Championships and will be featured in a video display at “The MAAC Experience.”
Junius Kellogg '53 entered Manhattan College in 1949 and was the first African-American to play basketball for the school. In 1951, Kellogg was noted for refusing a $1,000 bribe to shave points during basketball games. He contacted his coach Ken Norton who then called the authorities and touched off the largest college betting scandal in American history. Ultimately, the investigation involved 32 players from seven colleges and encompassed 86 games between 1947 and 1950. After graduating in 1953, he began playing for the Harlem Globetrotters. In 1954, he sustained a cervical spinal cord injury in an automobile accident and was paralyzed. Despite a grim prognosis, Kellogg went through several years of therapy to regain the use of his arms and hands. He was inducted into the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979 and the National Wheelchair Basketball Association's Hall of Fame in 1981.
Lisa Toscano '79 was one of Manhattan College's true pioneers of women's athletics. A four-year captain and co-founder of the women's varsity basketball team, Toscano also helped establish the women's softball program. She competed in volleyball and was one of the first female members of the crew team. A long-time trainer for Manhattan's men's and women's intercollegiate athletics programs from 1981-2003, Toscano is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Education and Human Performance. During her illustrious career, Toscano has received the NATA (National Athletic Training Association) 25 years of service award, was inducted into Manhattan College's Athletic Hall of Fame and received Manhattan College's Distinguished Service Award in the physical education department.
