TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Northeastern State University Director of Athletics Tony Duckworth recently announced the 2016 NSU Athletics Hall of Fame inductees.
 
The NSU Athletics Department will enshrine its 31st Athletics Hall of Fame class on February 13 at the Tahlequah Community Center, adjacent to the NSU Event Center. Scheduled for induction are: Rikole "Rikki" (Hall) Tinkler, Josh King, Sergio Salinas and Kenneth Willis. Allan Trimble will be honored as the second NSU Athletics' Spirit of Excellence Award recipient.
 
"The 2016 class demonstrates the diversity and strength of NSU Athletics throughout previous decades," Duckworth said. "I am privileged to play a part in the induction of these outstanding individuals. My sincerest congratulations to the inductees."
 
Reservations are required for the 11 a.m. banquet at a cost of $20 per person. This includes admission to the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, as well as to the NSU vs. Northwest Missouri State basketball doubleheader beginning at 1:30 p.m. Deadline for reservations is noon on February 8. Please call 918-444-3901 for reservations or additional information.
 
RIKKI (HALL) TINKLER            WOMEN'S BASKETBALL                 2005
Rikki (Hall) Tinkler is a 2005 NSU graduate who participated in basketball for the then-Lady Reds. She was a two-year letterwinner for head coach Randy Gipson after transferring from Cowley County Community College. During her NSU career where she played forward, Tinkler was instrumental in helping lead the team to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, including the school's first-ever Sweet 16 appearance. Tinkler shares the school record for most rebounds in a game with 23, established against Tarleton State. She was the Lone Star Conference North Division Player of the Year her senior season, while also earning First Team All-LSC North honors. She also landed on the South Central Region All-Tournament team. Tinkler now lives in Norman, Oklahoma, where she is raising her family.
 
JOSH KING                                    BASEBALL                                         2001
Josh King graduated from Northeastern State in 2001. He was a four-year starter and letterman as a pitcher for the Redmen and head coach Kevin Riggs. He recorded 32 victories during his career, both of which were NSU and Lone Star Conference records when he graduated. His 1.76 earned run average in his senior campaign in 2001 was also a Lone Star Conference record that wasn't broken until 2008. King was selected to the All-LSC First Team as a sophomore and senior and was an Honorable Mention choice as a junior. King now serves as an assistant district attorney in Cherokee County.
 
SERGIO SALINAS                         MEN'S SOCCER                                 2007
Sergio Salinas graduated from Northeastern State in 2007. He had a brilliant two-year career in soccer at NSU and left the program with several school records. In his senior season (2004), he scored 23 goals and had 59 points, while logging eight game-winning goals. All three are still NSU bests. He is also tied with two others for the top spot in NSU history by scoring a goal in five consecutive games, a feat he did both seasons as a Redmen. Salinas, the Southwest Soccer Conference's Offensive Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004, was also selected to the SSC All-Tournament Team in 2004 and was twice All-Conference. He holds the distinction of being the only NSU student-athlete to ever appear in Sports Illustrated "Faces in the Crowd" when he scored 19 goals and had nine assists over a 12-game NSU winning streak. He now lives in Owasso, Oklahoma.
 
KEN WILLIS                                  MEN'S BASKETBALL                        1965
Ken Willis graduated from Northeastern State in 1965. He was a standout for the Redmen basketball team for two seasons, 1962-63 and 1963-64, where he earned All-Oklahoma Collegiate Conference honors as a senior. He transferred to Northeastern State from Oklahoma Military Academy in Claremore where he was a junior college All-American. Willis was the 6th Region Coach of the Year in the 1970's at Butler High School in Louisville, Kentucky. After his highly-successful stint in the high school ranks, he returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach and instructor. He was hired as head coach for the NSU women's basketball program in the mid-1980s where he led the Lady Reds to the 1987 District IX playoffs and earned Coach of the Year honors. He retired from NSU after several years in the Health and Kinesiology Department at NSU and lives in Tahlequah with his wife, Jan.
 
ALLAN TRIMBLE                         FOOTBALL                                        1986
Allan Trimble earned two degrees from Northeastern State, a bachelor's in 1986 and a master's in 1988. He was a four-year letterman for the Redmen and earned distinction as Honorable Mention All-Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference and Honorable Mention All-District IX as a lineman. Following graduation from NSU, Trimble embarked on what is arguably one of the most highly successful high school football coaching stints in the United States. As head coach at Jenks High School since 1996, Trimble has won 13 state championships in football, including the last four Oklahoma Class 6A titles. He has numerous local and national Coach of the Year accolades on his resume and he was honored by Northeastern State with a Citation of Merit as NSU's Young Alumnus.
 
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