RENO, Nev. — Former Wolf Pack standouts Brock Marion, Ali McKnight Metkovich, Chris Singleton and John Ramatici make up the class that will be inducted into Nevada’s Hall of Fame in October, the University of Nevada announced Tuesday.
Marion was an all-conference defensive back who went on to a Pro Bowl NFL career, while McKnight earned All-America honors in track and field for the Wolf Pack before going on to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Linebacker John Ramatici led Nevada in tackles in 1981 and 1982, and Singleton starred on the Wolf Pack football and baseball teams in the early 1990s.
The four will be inducted into the Nevada Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 20 in the Silver and Blue Room at Lawlor Events Center. They will also be recognized at halftime of the Homecoming football game vs. San Jose State, which kicks off at 4 p.m. Pacific Time the following day at Mackay Stadium.
"This is an outstanding class of inductees," said Nevada Director of Athletics Cary Groth. "Brock Marion was one of the finest defensive backs our university has ever seen and went on to have a great professional career, and Ali McKnight Metkovich brought a new level of prominence to women's athletics during her time at Nevada. John Ramatici gave nothing but his very best on every play he ever had at Nevada and set a record-setting pace in tackles for both of his years at Nevada, while in an era of specialization, Chris Singleton found the time to not only play but excel at two highly competitive sports."
Brock Marion (Football/1989-92)
Brock Marion, who hails from Bakersfield, Calif., was a four-year starter for the Wolf Pack football team from 1989-92, spending his first three seasons at cornerback and his senior season at strong safety. A stalwart presence on Nevada’s Division I-AA powerhouse teams of the early ’90s, he compiled 303 tackles and 13 interceptions and broke up an additional 44 passes in his career, leading the Wolf Pack secondary in tackles in each of his four seasons. Nevada earned three consecutive conference titles in Marion's final three years, and he was an All-Big Sky and All-Big West performer from 1990-92. Taken in the seventh round of the 1993 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, Marion went on to spend 12 seasons in the NFL, starting for the Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection (2000, 2002, 2003) and finished his professional career with 31 interceptions.
Ali McKnight Metkovich (Track and Field/1991-95)
A graduate of McQueen High School in Reno, Ali McKnight Metkovich earned All-America honors in the heptathlon at the 1995 NCAA Championships. Her second-place finish in the event marked the highest a female Wolf Pack track and field competitor had ever placed in the national competition. She competed in both the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Trials in the heptathlon. A two-time Big West Conference Athlete of the Year in 1994 and 1995, McKnight Metkovich captured back-to-back conference titles in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 100 meter hurdles. In 1995, she led Nevada to a runner-up finish to Utah State at the conference meet, which was the highest the Wolf Pack had finished in the Big West Championships. McKnight Metkovich went on to post the second-fastest 200-meter time in the history of the heptathlon and later earned a spot on the 2000 U.S. Women's World Cup Bobsled team.
John Ramatici (Football/1980-81)
A Kodak All-American at linebacker during his two seasons at Nevada in 1980-81, John Ramatici led the Wolf Pack in tackles each year and remains among the all-time leaders in tackles at the university. In two seasons, the Petaluma, Calif., native amassed 279 career tackles, a figure which still ranks him in the all-time top 10. No Nevada player has ever amassed more tackles over a consecutive two-year period than Ramatici. Following graduation from Nevada with a degree in business, Ramatici continued to excel in athletics, competing as a top master/over 40 cyclist in West Coast criterium events.
Chris Singleton (Football & Baseball/1992-93)
Chris Singleton, from Pinole, Calif., was a three-year starter at wide receiver for the Wolf Pack in football and was a two-year starter in the outfield. Teaming with fellow Wolf Pack Hall of Fame member Bryan Reeves and Ross Ortega, Singleton was part of a fleet-footed Wolf Pack receiving corps that led Nevada to the I-AA National Championship game in 1990, a No. 1 national ranking for most of the 1991 season and a Las Vegas bowl berth in 1992. In two seasons on the diamond, the left-handed throwing and batting Singleton compiled a career batting average of more than .300, leading Nevada to an undefeated 27-0 home season in 1992. A second-round draft pick of the San Francisco Giants in 1993, Singleton broke into the Major Leagues in 1999, hitting .300 with 17 home runs and 72 RBI for the Chicago White Sox. He finished sixth in American League Rookie of the Year balloting that season. Singleton went on to play six seasons in the majors (1999-2005), appearing for the White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He is currently the color commentator for the White Sox Radio Network.
Tickets for the 2006 Hall of Fame Induction Dinner are available for $50 per person by calling 775-784-6900 ext. 236. The event will feature no-host cocktails at 6 p.m. with the dinner and program to follow at 7 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets for Nevada’s Oct. 21 Homecoming game with San Jose State at the Wolf Pack Ticket Office at Legacy Hall. Tickets and more information are also available by calling the ticket office at 775-348-PACK or by visiting www.nevadawolfpack.com.