FLORENCE -- The 31st class of inductees for the University of North Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame has been selected and includes former student-athletes from the Lions' football, women's basketball and baseball teams.
 

The UNA Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2020 includes football All-American and Rimington Award winner Lance Ancar, baseball All-American and 2006 NCAA stolen base champion James Barksdale, two-time NCAA women's basketball free throw shooting champion Amber Rutherford Joseph and one of the most versatile player's in UNA football history, Troy Nelson, who started at receiver, running back, in the defensive secondary and returned kicks for the Lions.
 

The group will be formally inducted into the UNA Athletic Hall of Fame in a ceremony at 9 a.m. on Saturday, October 31 as part of UNA's 2020 Homecoming celebration.
 

Following its creation in 1990, the UNA Athletic Hall of Fame inducted four members each year through 2005. From 2006-2014 that number was expanded to six. Beginning in 2015 the induction class returned to four honorees per year.
 

This year's induction brings the total number of inductees into the UNA Athletic Hall of Fame to 142.

 

LANCE ANCAR (Football 2002-05)

The current Assistant Football Strength and Conditioning Coach at Ole Miss, Ancar was a four-year letterman and three-year starter on the UNA offensive line from 2002-05 and was a two-time All-American who closed his career by winning the Rimington Trophy as the top center in NCAA Division II football as a senior in 2005.
 

A native of Harvey, Louisiana, Ancar was a three-time All-Gulf South Conference center who helped lead UNA to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2003 and 2005. UNA had a combined 33-16 record in his three years at the school, including a 29-9 record from 2003-05.
 

As a sophomore in 2003, he was also an honorable mention All-America pick by the Football Gazette, while also earning All-GSC and second-team All-South Region honors.
 

The following year, Ancar was selected third-team All-American by the Football Gazette, third-team by Dopke.com and honorable mention by  D2Football.com as a junior in 2004. He was first-team All-Gulf South Conference and first-team All-South Region by both Football Gazette and Daktronics.
 

As a senior, he was named first-team All-American by the American Footballl Coaches Association, CollegeSportsReport.com and the Football Gazette, was a second-team All-American pick by Daktronics, and D2Football.com and a third-team pick by the Associated Press. He was first-team All-Gulf South Conference and first-team Al-Southeast Region by both Daktronics and the Football Gazette, in addition to winning the Rimington Trophy.
 

Following his collegiate career, Ancar played five seasons in the Arena Football League as a fullback/linebacker with the Alabama Vipers (2008-10), where he helped claim the Arena Cup his first season with the team. He also played with the Georgia Force (2011-12).
 

He was named to the UNA Team of the Decade for 1999-08 and was named to the Gulf South Conference Team of the Decade for the 2000s.
 

A 2009 UNA graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree, Ancar worked as an assistant coach at Florence High School in 2009, was running backs and tight ends coach at Minnesota State-Moorhead in 2010 while serving as assistant strength and conditioning coach, and was an assistant coach and strength and conditioning coach from 2011-12 at St. Francis (Ga.) High School.
 

Ancar then spent four seasons (2013-16) as a strength and conditioning coach at the University of Alabama.  While with the Crimson Tide, he assisted with the football program as it made three straight appearances in the College Football Playoff — winning the national championship in 2015 — and served as the head strength and conditioning coach for the baseball and men's tennis programs. In his role, Ancar worked with Alabama's swimming and diving and rowing teams as well.
 

He then worked three seasons as the University of South Alabama's director of strength and conditioning for football before joining the Ole Miss athletic department in 2020.  
 

A native of Harvey, La., Ancar is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and United States Weightlifting Association (USAW).
 

He and his wife Lauren have three children, son Luka and daughters Emme Cate and Olivia.

 

JAMES BARKSDALE (Baseball 2004-06)

A three-year letterman and starting outfielder for UNA baseball teams from 2004-06, Barksdale is still the Lions' all-time career hits leader, despite leaving the program to pursue a professional baseball career after his junior season.
 

The Florence, Ala., native was a first-team All-GSC selection in 2005 and 2006, a first-team All-South Region pick in 2006 and a second-team ABCA All-American selection as a senior. He added two GSC Player of the Week awards and was the league's East Division Player of the Year in 2006.
 

As a senior, he hit .436 with 67 runs scored and 38 runs batted in, while also leading the NCAA Division II in stolen bases with 59 in 69 attempts for a 1.02 average per game.
 

Barksdale also earned Academic All-GSC in honors 2006 and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team.
 

He holds UNA records for at bats in a season with 241 in 2006 and most hits in a season with 105 in 2006. His five hits in a game against Henderson State in 2006 tied a school record.
 

Barksdale holds the UNA record for most career hits (261) and is second in career stolen bases with 109 in 128 attempts. He ranks second at UNA in most career at bats (666), third in career total bases (352) and fourth in career runs scored (164).
 

He finished with a .392 career batting average (261 of 666) as the Lions had a combined 121-59-1 record during his three seasons at UNA.
 

He was named UNA co-Male Athlete of the Year for 2005-06 and was named to the first-team of the GSC All-Decade Team for 2001-10.
 

He was drafted in the 15th round of the 2006 MLB Draft  (440th overall pick) by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and played with them from 2006-08. He played with the Williamsport Crosscutters (2006), the State College Spikes (2007) and the Lynchburg Hillcats (2008).
 

A 2010 graduate of UNA with a Bachelor's of Business Administration, he went on to graduate from the New York College of Podiatric Medicine. He is currently a Dr. of Podiatry at Southern Tennessee Orthopedic and Spine Center in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., where he and his wife Stacy reside.  

TROY NELSON (Football 1988-91)

A four-year starter on UNA football teams from 1988-91, Nelson was one of the most exciting and explosive players in school history and earned all-conference honors as both a receiver and return specialist.
 

A Starkville, Miss., native, Nelson was a starting receiver and kick returner in 1988 and started at running back later that season. He led the team in receiving with 39 catches for 441 yards and two TDs, while also setting a school record with 721 yards on kickoff returns. That total included an 89-yard return for a touchdown against Mississippi College.
 

As a sophomore in 1989, Nelson moved to the defensive side as a starting cornerback where he made 18 tackles, had nine pass break-ups, two interceptions and caused a fumble. He was also responsible for the creation of the GSC Special Teams Player of the Week award. At that point the GSC only presented Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors, but Nelson's performance against Delta State resulted in the league's first-ever special teams honor. In all he touched the ball six times and returned it for 206 yards. He had three kickoff returns for 48 yards, two punt returns for 83 yards and a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown. He exceeded those marks later the same season with a 227-yard performance against Tennessee-Martin. That total included a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He finished 11th in the NCAA Division II in kickoff return average (25.6) and was the only player ranked in the top five in the GSC in both kickoff and punt returns, earning second-team All-GSC honors as a return specialist. He also led UNA in scoring with eight touchdowns.
 

As a junior he moved back to receiver but missed the first three games due to a broken hand. He finished the year with 20 catches for 447 yards and averaged 22.4 yards per catch. He had six receiving touchdowns. He scored three touchdowns in games against West Alabama and West Georgia. Against West Alabama he had TD catches of 60 and 34 yards and a 95-yard kickoff return for a score. He finished the game with 112 receiving yards on three catches. He had touchdown receptions of 46 and 43 yards against West Georgia and added a 60-yard punt return TD to be named GSC Offensive Player of the Week. He closed the season with 105 receiving yards on six catches in an NCAA playoff game against Jacksonville State and scored two touchdowns.
 

As a senior, he again led the team in scoring with six touchdowns, led the team in receiving with 26 catches for 424 yards and led the team in kickoff and punt returns with a combined 548 yards. He earned first-team All-GSC honors as a receiver and was selected as the permanent team captain and was the team's most valuable player.
 

He finished his career as UNA's all-time, all-purpose yardage leader with 4,056 yards. Some 29 years after his career ended, he still ranks fifth best in school history. In all, Nelson had 189 yards rushing, 1,312 receiving, 1,959 on kickoff returns and 596 on punt returns. He had 85 career catches for 1,312 yards and 14 touchdowns and was the team's top kickoff returner four straight years and top punt returner three of his four years.
 

Nelson is a 28-year employee with the City of Florence Gas Department. He and his wife Delia have three children, sons Jonathan and Ivan and daughter Winter.

AMBER RUTHERFORD (JOSEPH) (Women's Basketball 2006-09)

A Hatton, Ala., native, Rutherford is one of just 18 student-athletes in the history of the UNA athletic program to be selected all-conference four consecutive years. She was a four-time All-Gulf South Conference pick, being named second-team All-GSC in 2006 and first-team All-GSC in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
 

She was the GSC East Division Player of the Year in 2007, earned seven GSC Player of the Week honors and led the NCAA Division II in free throw percentage in both 2007 and 2008. She shot 93.7 percent in 2007 and 93.6 percent in 2008. After leading the nation in free throw percentage as a sophomore and junior, she finished fifth in 2009 at 91.7.
 

Rutherford was UNA's leading scorer in four straight seasons with 318 in 2005-06 (11.8), 394 in 2006-07 (15.2), 425 in 2007-08 (15.2) and 72 in 2008-09 (16.9). She also led the team in rebounding in 2006-07 with 214 for an 8.2 average and in 2008-09 with 190 for a 6.8 average. She had team's top field goal percentage four straight years at 48.2 as a freshman, 53.5 as a sophomore, 53.7 as a junior and 58.3 as a senior and was the top free throw shooter at UNA all four years as well at 88.9, 93.7, 93.6 and 91.7.
 

She finished fifth in the nation in field goal percentage in 2009 at 58.3, making 165 of 283 attempts.
 

As for individual games, Rutherford scored 39 points against Harding in 2007-08 and had 33 against West Alabama in 2008-09.
 

She ranks fourth in UNA career scoring history with 1,609 points and ranks second in career rebounding with 749 in 109 games.
 

She shares the school record for best free throw percentage in a game at 100.0 (minimum 10 attempts) and made the most at 16, going 16-for-16 against West Georgia on Feb. 20, 2007. She also went 12-for-12 against Ouachita Baptist in 2008 and 11-for-11 against Lincoln Memorial.
 

She holds the school record for best free throw percentage in a season at 93.7 in 2006-07 (134-of-143) and best career free throw percentage (91.9). She made a school record 54 straight free throws from 2008-09.
 

Rutherford is a 2009 UNA graduate. She is married to Brad Joseph and they reside in Paragould, Ark., with their daughter Olivia.