FLORENCE, Ala. (May 18, 2026) – The 37th class of inductees for the University of North Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame has been selected and will be inducted on Saturday, October 24, as part of UNA's Homecoming celebration.
The North Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2026 includes one of the most dominant pitchers in Lion baseball history in Robert Lopez who played eight seasons of professional baseball, women's soccer All-American and Academic All-American Chloe Richards who scored 71 career goals, men's basketball standout Fred Stafford who was the MVP in the 1991 National Championship Game, and football standouts A.J. Milwee, Lamonte Thompson and Luke Wingo. Milwee quarterbacked four straight playoff teams at UNA and is now co-offensive coordinator at the University of Texas. Thompson is a four-time All-Conference running back and ranks as UNA's second all-time leading rusher, while Wingo was a four-year starting quarterback, leading three Lion teams to the playoffs and amassing over 9,500 career total yards.
Following its creation in 1990, the UNA Athletic Hall of Fame has inducted at least four members each year. This year's induction brings the total number of inductees into the UNA Athletic Hall of Fame to 179.
ROBERT LOPEZ — (Baseball 1984-85)
A native of Port Arthur, Texas, Robert Lopez was one of the most dominant pitchers in the 94-year history of the Lion baseball program and went on to play eight seasons in professional baseball following his time at UNA.
A starting pitcher for the Lions for two seasons from 1984-85, Lopez was a two-time first-team All-Gulf South Conference honoree and two-time All-South Region pick, while leading the Lions to their first Gulf South Conference baseball title in 1984 and the program's first NCAA Baseball Regional appearances in 1984 and 1985.
He closed his two-year career at UNA with a 20-8 record that included 21 complete games in 28 starts, and an additional three saves. The 21 complete-games is a UNA career record and his 11 complete games in 1984 is also a school single-season record. His 10 complete games in 1984 ranks second.
His 20 wins still rank fourth-best in school history and he is the only Lion pitcher on the 20-plus win list to only play two seasons at UNA. He had 223.2 career innings pitched and is one of just two Lion pitchers to ever pitch more than 100 innings in back-to-back seasons. His 11-1 record in 1985 is also the best season record by a UNA pitcher with at least 10 decisions. That season he finished fourth in the NCAA Division II in wins.
In his 223-plus innings pitched, he struckout 169 batters and walked just 68.
Lopez had a 2.54 ERA in 1984 and a career 2.89 ERA.
He helped lead the Lions to a 28-24-1 record as a junior with a GSC Northern Division title, GSC Tournament championship and the school's first NCAA Tournament Appearance. The Lions were 46-11-1 in his senior season with a second straight NCAA appearance. UNA earned its first-ever DII national ranking in 1984 at No. 25, and the Lions ranked No. 2 nationally for four straight weeks in 1985 from April 1-22.
Following his time at UNA, Lopez played eight seasons in professional baseball, with seven seasons in the minor leagues and one season in Independent baseball.
His professional career covered 1985-94. His seven years with the Cincinnati Reds organization began in 1985 with the Billings Mustangs of the Rookie League. He moved to the Tampa Tarpons in A League in 1986. In 1987 he split time with the AAA Nashville Sounds and the Vermont Reds. He continued play in AAA with the Sounds through 1989-91. His final professional stint was with the Beaumont Bullfrogs of the Texas-Louisiana League in 1994. He had a 50-33 overall record in the Minors with a 2.94 career ERA. He pitched in 154 games, throwing 30 complete games and 13 shutouts with one save. He threw 753.2 innings with 481 strikeouts and just 180 walks. Five of his seven Minor League seasons were in AAA.
He and his wife Mariebelle live in Nederland, Texas. They have a daughter and a grandchild.
A.J. MILWEE — (Football 2005-08, Graduate Assistant Football Coach 2009-10)
The current assistant football coach and co-offensive coordinator at the University of Texas, A.J. Milwee had a 33-5 mark as UNA's starting quarterback. The Lions had an overall 44-8 record in his four years in the program and reached the NCAA Division II Playoffs all four seasons. UNA advanced to the playoff semifinals in 2005 and 2008.
Milwee set all-time school records for career passing yards (8,436), pass completions (677), passing attempts (1,030), touchdown passes (73) and total offense yards (9,401). He earned honorable mention All-America honors as a senior and is a member of the program's all-decade team (1999-2008).
At UNA, he was a two-time finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, awarded annually to the nation's top player at the NCAA Division-II level. He finished ninth in the voting in 2007 and second nationally in 2008. He was elected team captain in 2007 and 2008, was team Offensive MVP both years and was second-team All-Gulf South Conference quarterback in 2007 and 2008. He earned three GSC Offensive Player of the Week awards in 2008. As a senior he ranked sixth nationally in Division II in pass efficiency (164.3) and eighth nationally in passing yards (3,313).
As a player, Milwee spent his redshirt freshman year as a member of the Alabama football team.
Milwee spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons on Terry Bowden's staff at UNA as a graduate assistant. While on the Lions' coaching staff, the program went a combined 20-6, made back-to-back playoff appearances and were 2009 Gulf South Conference champions.
He then spent one year on staff at East Mississippi Community College, helping the program to an NJCAA National Championship.
Milwee spent seven seasons at Akron, including his last six as the Zips' offensive coordinator. He joined the Akron staff as a quarterbacks coach in 2012, and at the time he was elevated to oversee the program's offense in 2013, he was the second-youngest coordinator in FBS at age 27. The 2017 Akron squad soared to first place in the MAC East with huge victories over Ohio and Kent State to claim the division title and a spot in the MAC Championship game for the second time in program history and first time since 2005. Akron also advanced to an FBS bowl for the second time in three years, another program first.
He then spent two seasons on the coaching staff under head coach Nick Saban at Alabama, where he worked with Offensive Coordinator Steve Sarkisian. He served as an analyst for the Crimson Tide in 2019 and 2020. Milwee was part of a staff that guided Alabama to a 13-0 record and the 2020 National Championship. The 2019 squad capped off the year with a 35-16 win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl to finish ranked No. 8 in the final AP Top 25 poll.
Milwee has been on the Texas staff since 2021 and serves as quarterback coach and co-offensive coordinator. Having worked with quarterbacks like Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, Milwee has helped lead Texas to a combined 48-20 record that includes a Big 12 Championship in 2023 with a 12-2 record, and a College Football Playoff appearance and a 13-3 record in 2024. The Longhorns were 10-3 last season.
He holds an undergraduate degree in finance from North Alabama that he earned in 2009. A native of Boaz, Ala., Milwee is married to the former Ashley Elliott and they have two sons, JJ and Jett.
CHLOE RICHARDS — (Women's Soccer 2012-15)
A four-year starter on Lion women's soccer teams from 2012-15, Chloe Richards closed her career at UNA with 71 goals, which ranks second in school history and third in Gulf South Conference history. She was a two-time All-American, selected as a first-team All-America pick by Daktronics and BennettRank in 2014 and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in 2015. She was also named the 2015 Hero Sports Division II Women's Soccer National Offensive Player of the Year. As a senior, she earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America® honors for 2015 and is one of just 11 student-athletes in school history in any sport to earn both All-American and Academic All-American honors.
Richards helped lead the Lions to a combined 50-21-6 record during her career that included a Gulf South Conference Championship in 2015 and NCAA South Regional Tournament appearances in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
Richards scored 30 goals in 2015 and led the Lions to a Gulf South Conference championship and 15-3-2 record that included a berth in the NCAA Division II South Regional. She led Division II in scoring for the second straight season, scoring 30 in 2015 to go with the 26 that she scored as a junior. She became just the fourth player in Division II history to lead the nation in scoring in back-to-back seasons. As a senior she was also selected first-team All-Gulf South Conference, GSC Player of the Year, first-team Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-South Region, D2CCA South Region Player of the Year and first-team NSCAA All-South Region and CSC Academic All-District.
She enjoyed an epic junior season that saw her earn Daktronics NCAA Division II National Player of the Year honors and lead Division II in four categories. Her awards included first-team All-Gulf South Conference, Gulf South Conference Player of the Year, first-team Daktronics All-South Region and Daktronics South Region Player of the Year, first-team NSCAA All-South Region, first-team Daktronics All-American, first-team BennettRank All-American, Daktronics National Player of the Year and Alabama Sportswriters Association State Small College Athlete of the Year. She earned five GSC Player of the Week honors and was also an Academic All-GSC selection. She led Division II in goals scored (26), total points (57), goals per match (1.36) and points per match (3.0). Richards scored four goals in a match three times in 2014 (Union, Christian Brothers, Spring Hill) and added three-goal performances against McKendree, Tennessee Wesleyan and West Alabama. She had seven total multi-goal performances and scored in 10 different matches.
As a sophomore, she played in 14 matches with 12 starts. She scored five goals and added six assists to tie for second on the team with 16 points. She had 41 total shots and 14 shots on goal, recording goals against Alabama-Huntsville, Union, Christian Brothers,Delta State and Valdosta State. She did not score a goal in the first three matches of the season and missed the next three due to injury but returned to score in the next four straight matches.
Richards had a stellar freshman season at UNA, playing in 19 matches with 14 starts. She scored 10 goals and added one assist for 21 points and finished as the team's third leading scorer. She had 50 total shots and 24 shots on goal, with one game-winning goal. She earned All-Gulf South Conference Tournament honors and was second-team NSCAA All-South Region, scoring at least one goal in eight different matches. She scored two goals against West Alabama and Delta State.
She played in 72 career matches with 65 starts. She had 417 shots, scoring 71 goals with 14 assists for 156 total points.
Richards is a 2016 UNA graduate with a degree in Exercise Science.
A native of East Looe, Cornwall, England, she played professionally for Zaragoza in 2017, a Spanish team playing in the Segunda Federacion. She is currently employed by the Henderson, Nevada Fire Department and lives in Las Vegas.
FRED STAFFORD — (Basketball 1990-91)
Fred Stafford lettered two years in basketball for the Lions and helped lead the team to an NCAA Division II National Championship title in 1991. He was selected as the Chevrolet Player of the Game by CBS Sports after scoring 24 points against Bridgeport in the National Championship Game, leading the Lions to a 79-72 win.
Stafford was also selected to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team (1990-91). That UNA team finished the season 29-4 for the most wins and best record in a season in school history. In his two seasons at UNA, the Lions had records for 20-8 and 29-4 for a combined 49-12 record.
He scored in double-figures 29 times as a Lion, including in 21 of his 33 starts in 1990-91. His career high was a 27-point performance in a Gulf South Conference road win at Valdosta State in his senior season. Stafford averaged 7.2 points as a junior in 1990 and 11.4 as a senior, scoring 579 points in two seasons. He added 238 career rebounds, 15 blocks, 82 steals and 180 assists. He shot 53.8 from the floor as a senior (134-249).
Stafford is the fourth player from that 1991 National Championship team to be inducted into the UNA Athletic Hall of Fame, joining Allen Williams, Carl Wilmer and Ricky Johnson.
A native of Rienzi, Miss, Stafford is a 1992 UNA graduate who also holds a Masters Degree from UNA as well. He served the Lions as a student assistant coach in 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Stafford was inducted into Northeast Mississippi Community College Hall of Fame in 2023. He has spent the last three decades in the coaching profession. He was part of three state championships at his alma mater of Biggersville High School in the 1990s, with two coming as the head coach for track and the other as assistant boys basketball instructor.
He collected division coach of the year awards in 2016 at Corinth High School and most recently at H.W. Byers High School. Stafford was selected to coach in the 2023 Northeast Mississippi Basketball Coaches Association (NEMBCA) All-Star Games.
Stafford's brother Maurice was inducted into the UNA Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999, making them the only sibling duo to hold UNA Hall of Fame membership.
He is the father of two sons, Devin Armstead and Kendall Stafford. His son Kendall also played basketball at UNA from 2017-19.
LAMONTE THOMPSON — (Football 2012-15)
A Florence, Ala., native and a four-time All-Gulf South Conference selection, Lamonte Thompson was a starting running back for the Lions from 2012-15 and finished his career as UNA's second all-time leading rusher with 3,524 yards on 653 carries with 33 touchdowns.
He played on UNA teams with a combined 33-13 record that won Gulf South Conference championships in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and made three straight trips to the NCAA Division II playoffs.
His 1,212 rushing yards in 2015 ranks third all-time in single season rushing. He led the Lions in rushing four straight seasons from 2012-15 and also led the team in all-purpose yards four straight years.
Thompson ranks seventh in school history in rushing touchdowns (33) and is third in career rushing attempts (653). His 101.0 rushing average in 2015 ranks fifth best in UNA history. His 13 career 100-yard rushing games rank third in school history, with his top game - a 189-yard performance against Miles in 2013.
A 2015 team captain, his 4,427 career all-purpose yards rank fourth at UNA. Thompson was UNA's Offensive MVP in 2012 and 2014 and co-Offensive MVP in 2015. He was named to UNA's Team of the Decade for 2009-18. He was first-team All-GSC in 2014 and 2015, after being a second-team selection in 2012 and 2013. He earned two GSC Offensive Player of the Week awards and was a first-team selection to the GSC Team of the Decade for the 2010s.
Thompson was a first-team All-Region pick by Daktronics/D2CCA and Don Hansen's Football Gazette in 2015 and was a second-team All-Region selection by Don Hansen and Beyond Sports Network in 2014.
A 2016 UNA graduate with a degree in Business Management, he is the owner of LT Custom Cabinets LLC in Florence.
LUKE WINGO — (Football 2012-15)
Luke Wingo was the starting quarterback for the Lions for half of the 2012 season and all of the 2013-15 seasons, helping lead UNA to a combined 33-13 record, Gulf South Conference championships in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and three straight trips to the NCAA Division II playoffs.
He is UNA's all-time leader in career total yards with 9,532, rushing for 1,158 and passing for 8,374. He ranks second in UNA history with 8,374 career passing yards, completing 598 of 932 pass attempts. His 94 career touchdowns responsible for are the most in UNA history, while he ranks second in TD passes (60), second in pass attempts (932), second in completions (598) and tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns (34).
Wingo led the Lions in passing four straight seasons and led the team in total offense in 2013, 2014 and 2015. He led UNA to a combined 33-13 record (5-5, 10-3, 9-2, 9-3) that included three straight NCAA Playoff appearances from 2013-15, as well as three straight Gulf South Conference Championships. His single season passing best was 3,202 yards in 2015 (231-of-343). His 511 passing yards and 519 total yards against Valdosta State in the 2014 NCAA Division II Playoffs are the best by a Lion in a post-season game. He also threw a UNA post-season record four touchdown passes in a playoff game against Newberry in 2015.
Wingo was first-team All-Gulf South Conference in 2015 after being a second-team pick in 2014. He was also a three-time Academic All-GSC honoree. He was a three-time GSC Player of the Week - 2014 vs. West Georgia and 2015 against Florida Tech and West Alabama. He finished sixth in the voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy as Division II Player of the Year in 2015. He was co-quarterback on the UNA Team of the Decade for 2009-18. Wingo ranked sixth nationally in Division II in passing efficiency in 2015 (162.8) after finishing ninth in the nation in 2014 (162.0). His pass completion percentage was fifth in the nation in 2014 at 67.6. As a senior, he ranked third in the nation in touchdowns per pass attempt at 9.34. He was voted as the team's Offensive MVP in 2014 and was co-Offensive MVP and a recipient of the Phil Logan Leadership Award in 2015. He was the 2016 recipient of the Gulf South Conference Commissioner's Trophy as the top male student-athlete in the league. He was first-team All-Region 2 by Daktronics/D2CCA and Don Hansen's Football Gazette as a senior and was the D2CCA Super Region 2 Offensive Player of the Year.
The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native was selected as a Permanent Team Captain in 2015.
Following his graduation from UNA in 2016 with a degree in Business Management, he also earned an MBA from North Alabama in 2018. He currently works in commercial real estate with Blackwater Real Estate. He and his wife Alexandra have a son, Patton and a daughter, Madeline.
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