General 8/25/2023 2:00:00 PM Cameron Brennan

Eastern New Mexico Athletics is honored to announce the 2023 inductees to the Hall of Honors. Six members were chosen based on their efforts as student-athletes, coaches, and supporters of Eastern.

“Thank you again to our wonderful committee who performed the research, debate, and votes to come up with such a fantastic group of people to add into our Hall of Honors” said Director of Athletics, Dr. Paul Weir. “This is always an exciting experience for all of us to reward these individuals and honor their contributions to the entire Greyhound community.”

The following is a list of those chosen by this year’s committee:

Dana Altman – Men’s Basketball
Dana Altman is one of the top NCAA Men’s Basketball coaches in the nation, being one of three active coaches to have 25 consecutive winning seasons. With a long list of accolades and acknowledgments, Altman is entering his 14^th season with the University of Oregon Ducks with a head coaching career spanning three decades. Altman came to ENMU after graduating from Southeast Junior College and played for the Greyhounds for two seasons for the 1978-79 and 1979-80 season. Altman has blossomed on the sidelines, amassing a record of 731-383 as a head coach. Altman is the all-time winningest coach at Oregon and Creighton University. In 2013, Altman claimed the National “Jim Phelan” Coach of the Year honor and is a three-time recipient of Pac-12 Coach of the Year, leading the Ducks to a final four appearance in 2017. Altman was elected to the Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018.

Kamal Cass – Football
Kamal Cass is arguably the greatest running back to put on an ENMU jersey. Spending his four-year career at ENMU (2014-2017), Cass thrived under current head coach Kelley Lee holding seven career program records including rushing yards (4,301 yds), all-purpose yards (5,322 yds), touchdowns scored (53 TDs), and total points scored (318 points). A three-time All-American selection, Cass was named LSC Offensive Back of the Year in 2016 and 2017, along with being the LSC leading rusher for three straight seasons (2015-1,514 yds, 2016-1,191 yds, and 2017-1,443 yds). Cass garnered three All-LSC First Team honors and currently is 6th on the LSC all-time career rushing leader board. A Clovis, N.M. native, Cass was named ENMU Student-Athlete of the Year twice and led the LSC in scoring in 2015 with 138 points. Currently, Cass is continuing his professional football career in Germany as part of the Straubing Spiders in the German Football League.

Kristen Cruickshak – Softball
Kristen Cruickshak was dynamic in both the batter’s box and the pitching circle. Spending all four years with the Greyhounds, Cruickshak has their name scattered throughout the ENMU record books. Finishing with a career .362 batting average and 183 hits, Cruickshak is third in program history for both homeruns (29) and runs batted in (138). In the circle, Cruickshak is the all-time program leader in complete games and is second for wins with 41. The pitcher and infielder garnered second team all-region accolades their junior season, along with a Lone Star Conference first-team all-conference selection.

Albert Flinn – Rodeo
Albert Flinn has been associated with the ENMU Rodeo program since 1964 and is currently serving as the head coach for the Greyhound Rodeo program. Flinn was a notable bareback riding and bull riding member of the Greyhounds Rodeo program, competing in three National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) finals. During his time competing, Flinn helped the team win the 1965 NIRA Southwest Regional Championship, along with a NIRA reserve championship in 1968. After earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Eastern, Flinn returned to the rodeo program in 2008 to become the 8^th head coach in program history. As the leader of the program, Flinn has guided more than 25 national qualifiers with six individual national champions, and one reserve all-around championship.

Mike Howard – Football/Support
Mike Howard has made an impact for ENMU on both the sidelines as a coach and as a faculty/staff member. Howard began their journey at Eastern New Mexico as the Greyhounds offensive coordinator in 1997, serving in the position for 15 seasons. After their time with the football program, Howard joined the financial aid office in 2012 and eventually retire in 2019 with over 20 years of dedication to the institution. Howard was a recipient of the spirit of Eastern award in 2007 and spent several years teaching classes for the Health and Physical Education Department.

Cecil “Cedog” Jackson – Football
A dual sport athlete at Eastern New Mexico, Cecil Jackson thrived on both the football field and the track as a Greyhound. The linebacker made an immediate impact on the Hounds defense, helping the team reach the NAIA National Play-off game as a freshman and picking up regional honors. After leading the team in sacks and tackles during their sophomore and junior season, Jackson delivered their best season in their senior year. Jackson led the 1987 team to become one of the top defenses in the nation, while the Hounds finished 9-2 (Most wins in a season in the NCAA era). Jackson finished as the team’s leader in sacks and tackles in the 1987 season, with the Hounds ranking as high as 3^rd in the nation. The linebacker collected All-Conference honors, All-American accolades, and was recognized a one of the top-15 outside linebackers in the country. Following graduation from ENMU, receiving a degree in sociology and communications, Jackson signed a free agent contract with the Washington Redskins playing on the practice squad. Jackson currently is a safety manager and head of environmental safety & compliance at Lynchburg City schools.

The group will be honored during Homecoming weekend, with recognition at halftime of the ENMU home football game against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Oct. 21^st. For more information, please stay up to date on goeasternathletics.com