Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina today proudly announced the selection of three for induction into its Athletics Hall of Fame as a part of the Class of 2021. Football student-athlete alum Harvey Walker (1969-71; 1975-76), baseball's Paul Menhart (1988-90), and Gerald Austin (1964-69), a two-time WCU graduate and well-known football official have each been selected as the 32nd class inducted into the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame.
 
This year's Hall of Fame ceremonies will center around the final home Catamount football game of 2021 as WCU hosts mountain-rival ETSU in the Blue Ridge Border Battle on Saturday, Nov. 13. In addition to honoring this year's three inductees, WCU's 2021 Hall of Fame ceremony will also include the induction class from 2020: Beth Crisp (Women's Basketball & Softball, 1977-81), Joe C. Love (Football, 1964-69), and David Rathburn (Football, 1971-74).
 
The ceremony will take place in the Hinds University Center Grand Room on-campus in Cullowhee. More details surrounding the Hall of Fame weekend ceremonies will be released at a later date.
 
Harvey Walker (1969-71; 1975-76) remains one of the greatest athletes to have ever graced the football field at Western Carolina University as his name continues to adorn many of the single-season and career charts in the program's defensive record books. His outstanding playing career spans seven total years, interrupted by three years of military service in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War.
 
Born in Morehead City, N.C., Walker and his family moved to Baltimore, Md., where he was recruited by WCU Hall of Famers Dan Robinson and Johnny Wike as a running back from Mount Saint Joseph High School where he was all-state in both football and baseball. Converted to defensive back by head coach Bob Waters, Walker finished his WCU career second in program history with 22 interceptions, posting three or more in each of his four seasons on the gridiron, the only defender on record to solely lead the squad in interceptions for three separate seasons. He also set the benchmark with four interceptions returned for touchdowns in his career and is credited with two of the top six longest interception returns in school history.
 
Walker set a program record with nine interceptions in the 1969 season – a mark that still stands entering the 2021 season – helping the Catamounts to a 9-1 seasonal record and a No. 8 national ranking. He added two fumble recoveries and returned a punt for a touchdown in earning All-NAIA District 26 honors and also garnered the Big Play Award in the 1969 season as selected by Coach Waters. Walker and his 1969 teammates were inducted into the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
 
Upon returning to the team in 1975, Walker again paced the Catamounts in interceptions with three while also leading WCU in kickoff returns, fumble recoveries, and deflected passes. He closed his outstanding career by finishing fourth nationally in the NCAA Division II in interceptions as a senior in 1976, amassing a program single-season best 171 interception return yards while collecting AP All-America honorable mention plaudits. Walker continues to hold the fourth-longest interception return in school history, returning a pick 74 yards for a score against Appalachian State on Oct. 2, 1976. He also keyed the 1976 WCU defense which ranked second in all of NCAA Division II in pass defense, limiting foes to 62.6 yards passing per game.
 
Currently residing in eastern North Carolina, Walker has served as a commissioner and the Mayor Pro Tempore in Morehead City. He also served as a past Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Elizabeth City State University from 2013 through 2017. Walker also held positions within the Carteret County Department of Social Services, Health Department Board, Triangle Transit Authority, and been a board member for Habitat for Humanity, in addition to serving as the CEO of Coastal Carolina Industries.
 
Walker was one of the founders of the first African-American fraternities on WCU's campus – the Nu Zeta chapter of  Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc., in 1977.  Later, he established the Harvey Walker Alpha Phi Alpha Scholarship at WCU, receiving a community service award from the state organization during his time.
 
Walker has four children including three daughters – Chalae, Taylor, and Charisse – and a son, Harvey.
 
Paul Menhart (1988-90, 2003-05) was a prominent member of the Catamount baseball pitching staff for three seasons from 1988-90 who went on to be drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth round of the 1990 MLB draft. He progressed to the Majors in 1995 and pitched for three different MLB teams including Toronto, the Seattle Mariners (1996) and the San Diego Padres (1997). After retiring as a player, Menhart later returned to WCU to complete his degree and serve as an assistant coach from 2003-05, embarking on a coaching career that landed him a World Series ring in 2019.
 
Originally from St. Louis, Mo., and growing up in coastal Connecticut, Menhart earned Southern Conference All-Freshman plaudits in 1988 after posting an 8-2 record and led the league with a 3.55 ERA. He was a key performer on WCU's SoCon regular-season and tournament championship squad, earning a berth in the NCAA South Regional. The following season, Menhart keyed WCU's run to the regular-season championship and garnered Most Valuable Player honors in the SoCon Tournament in guiding WCU to its fifth-consecutive title. He struck out 10 over a five-hit victory over Appalachian State in the championship game.
 
Menhart, who was also inducted into the Robert E. Fitch High School Athletic Hall of Fame, led the Southern Conference in strikeouts in both 1989 (64) and 1990 (82). He won 19 games during three seasons on the Catamount pitching staff to rank tied for 13th in school history and continues to rank 11th in program history with 266.1 career innings pitched, 13th with 214 career strikeouts, and is tied for seventh with 12 career complete games as a Catamount.
 
Drafted as a college junior, Menhart forwent his senior year in Cullowhee to join the Toronto Blue Jays' minor league farm system. He progressed through the system over the next five seasons and made Toronto's Opening Day 25-man roster at the start of the 1995 season. His MLB debut came on April 27 against Oakland where he struck out the two batters he faced in Mark McGwire and Andy Tomberlin to help secure the win out of the bullpen. Menhart made his first major league start against Detroit in late May of that same season.
 
Perhaps his best MLB performance came with Toronto at Camden Yards in Baltimore where he went pitch-for-pitch with the Orioles' Mike Mussina, tossing a one-hit complete game in a tough, 1-0 loss. Menhart was traded to Seattle at the end of the 1995 season, pitching for the Mariners in 1996 and the San Diego Padres in 1997. He continued his professional career in the minors from 1999-2001 before retiring. Over three big league seasons, Menhart won five games over 41 career appearances with a 5.47 ERA while striking out 90.
 
Though it unofficially started while pitching in the minors, Menhart's coaching career began in Cullowhee in 2003 where he spent three seasons. He was later hired by the Washington Nationals franchise and progressed through the ranks in a variety of roles including the team's minor league pitching coordinator. In 2019, he earned the call to the big leagues as the Nationals' pitching coach, helping the team to the World Series championship.
 
Menhart and his wife, Bitsy – a 1991 graduate of WCU – met while both undergraduates in Cullowhee. The couple has three children including daughters Alison Menhart Mitchell, a 2016 Georgia graduate, and Jamie, who graduated from Valdosta State in 2019; and son Michael who pitches for the LaGrange University baseball team in LaGrange, Ga., and is on-pace to graduate in the spring of 2022.
 
Earning an honorary induction as a part of this year's induction class, Dr. Gerald Austin (1964-69) compiled quite the career as a sports official, primarily in football where he worked for 26 years in the National Football League (NFL). Beginning in 1982, Austin worked 525 career games including 23 playoff games with three conference championships and three Super Bowls – XXIV, XXXI, and XXXV. Perhaps the most famous game Austin worked was a game later known as "The Comeback" – the 1993 AFC Wild Card game between the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Oilers, which the Bills rallied to win 41-38 after trailing 35-3 in the third quarter.
 
Austin earned his start in what proved to be a lifelong profession in high school, continuing to officiate high school games while an undergraduate at WCU. Following his graduation from WCU with both a bachelor's and master's degree, he earned a doctorate from UNC Greensboro before embarking on a 30-year career in public school administration. He also continued his passion for officiating games, working as a football and basketball official in various conferences including the Atlantic Coast Conference, Metro, Sun Belt, and Southern Conference for nine years before getting the call to the NFL, working the 1977 Orange Bowl and 1978 Liberty Bowl.
 
Since retiring from on-field duty, Austin has remained a large part of game rules, acting as the supervisor of officials for Conference USA where he was instrumental in hiring Sarah Thomas, who went on to be the first female official in the NFL. Among his most recent accolades include joining ESPN broadcasts as a rules expert for Monday Night Football.
 
Austin adds the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame to a litany of honorary societies in which he's been enshrined. He has been enshrined in the Erwin High School and Western North Carolina Halls of Fame, as well as the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) Hall of Fame. In 2007, Austin was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. A member of WCU's Alumni Association Board of Directors and longtime Catamount Club member, Austin has also received the association's Academic Achievement Award and served as the keynote speaker for the 2003 WCU graduation commencement ceremony.

Originally from Asheville, Austin and his wife Sylvia reside in Summerfield, N.C. The couple has six children.
 
Founded in 1990, the Western Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame pays tribute to those superior Catamount athletes, coaches, administrators, and alum who have made major contributions to the honor and fame of WCU. Including this year's induction class, the WCU has enshrined 127 individuals, six athletics teams, 11 Patron Award recipients, and three individuals recognized for career achievements since its creation.
 
To be considered for induction into the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame, nominees must be submitted to the Hall of Fame committee where they are kept on file for five years. Nominations are accepted year-round. Each spring, the committee convenes to vote upon a list of nominees that are approved by the Hall's executive committee, which vets those nominated against the criteria put forth by the committee's constitution. The appropriate nomination forms are available online at CatamountSports.com - ONLINE / DOWNLOAD PDF.