Arizona Cardinals and Arizona State football legend Pat Tillman, 10-time Olympic swimming medalist Gary Hall Jr. and former Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Mark Grace are among six 2018 inductees into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.

Others in the 2018 class are Arizona softball coach Mike Candrea, Phoenix Xavier Prep golf coach/athletic director Sister Lynn Winsor and former Scottsdale Chaparral High School softball coach Jeff Oscarson.

The induction ceremony will be held Nov. 1 at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort.

The Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission administers the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, created in 1957. Trustees nominate and elect new members with one member (Oscarson this year) selected via public vote.

Hall of Fame candidates must meet at least one of three criteria: native of Arizona, immediately recognized as an Arizonan, at least two significant contributions to the Arizona athletic community.

The late Tillman, who died April 22, 2004 while serving in the Army in Afghanistan, was a linebacker who helped to lead ASU to a 1996 Pac-10 title and within seconds of a national title at the Rose Bowl. He was Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 1997 (an award now named for him) then played safety for the Cardinals from 1998-2001, breaking the team record for tackles with 224 in 2000.

Hall Jr. grew up in metro Phoenix, beginning his swim career at Phoenix Brophy Prep and  Phoenix Swim Club. Like his father Gary Hall Sr., Hall Jr. swam for the U.S. at multiple Olympics, winning five gold, three silver and two bronze medals at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Games. He was diagnosed with diabetes in 2000 and has become an advocate for diabetes research.

Hall Jr. was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2012. 

Grace finished his 16-year major league career with the Diamondbacks from 2001-03 and was a starter on the 2001 World Series championship team. He played with the Chicago Cubs from 1988-2000 and finished his career with a .303 batting average, .383 on-base percentage, four Gold Glove awards and three All-Star selections. 

Grace continues to work for the Diamondbacks as a TV analyst and hitting instructor.

Candrea, going into his 34th season at Arizona, is the NCAA Division I softball wins leader with 1,563. He has led the Wildcats to eight national championships and 22 Women’s College World Series appearances and is a four-time national Coach of the Year. 

Candrea coached the U.S. Olympic softball team to a gold medal in 2004 and silver in 2008. 

Winsor has coached the Xavier golf team to 35 Arizona high school large division golf titles including a national record 16 in a row and a current streak of seven straight. More than half of her golfers have earned college scholarships. Winsor has worked at Xavier since 1974 and is the school’s vice principal for activities and athletic director in addition to her coaching. 

Oscarson won five state softball titles in 22 years at Chaparral, finishing in 2003 with an overall 450-122-3 record. He played baseball at Saguaro High School, Mesa Community College and ASU (1973-74) before beginning his teaching and coaching career.

Recent Arizona Sports Hall of Fame inductees

2010: Billie Harris, Billy Mayfair, Bob Baffert, Sean Elliott, Lute Olson

2011: Randall McDaniel, Curt Schilling, Kerri Strug, Ty Murray, Arizona 1997 basketball team. 

2012: Misty Hyman, Rodney Peete, Tim Salmon, Cactus League.

2013: Karl Eller, Fat Lever, Michele Mitchell, Heather Farr.

2014: Jerry Dawson, Scott Hogsett, Buddy Jobe, Art Martori. 

2015: Danielle Ammaccapane, Charles Barkley, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Joe Gilmartin, Luis Gonzalez.

2016: Adrian Wilson, Bob Bondurant, Randy Johnson, John MacLeod, Erik Widmark, Royce Youree.

2017: Bill Bidwill, Paola Boivin, Shane Doan, Dan Majerle, Anthony Robles.

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