Contact: Matt Hebert

LAFAYETTE - The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Ragin’ Cajuns Lettermen Club is proud to announce the 2012 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees.
 
The 2012 class features a school record setter and national champion in men’s high jump who represented the Cajuns internationally his post-collegiate days. There’s also the greatest slugger ever to step up to the plate at Lamson Park who joined an elite group in NCAA history at the conclusion of her career. And, a football player who has been a shining beacon for the University both on and off the playing field.
 
They are Jackie Causey – Track and Field; Danyele Gomez – Softball; and Charles “Peanut” Tillman – Football.
 
The Hall of Fame reception and meet-and-greet will be held Friday, October 5 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the UL Alumni Center.  The inductees will be officially inducted during halftime of the 2012 Homecoming football game against the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday, October 6.
 
Jackie Causey (track and field) was a three-year letterman in track and field for then-USL from 1968-1970.  While at USL, he was Gulf States Conference Champion in the high jump in 1969 and 1970—setting the school record in 1969 with a jump of 6’-10”.
 
Causey won the NCAA Division II Outdoor National title in 1969 with a jump of 6’-10” and was NAIA Indoor Champion in 1970 with a jump of 6‘-10”. He earned All-American honors in high jump in 1969 and 1970. 
 
In 1970 he broke the 7’ barrier at the USTFF Indoor National Championships where he won first place.  Jackie’s personal best while at USL was 7’-3/4”. 
 
His post-USL career continued at Southern California College and in international competition where he posted a personal best jump of 7’-2” high. 
 
Presently the CEO of Vernon Home Health in Leesville, La., Jackie is married to Debbie Stracner Causey and has three children—Andrew, Aimee and Rachel.  The Causey family currently resides in Leesville.
 
Danyele Gomez (softball) was a four-year softball letterman as an outfielder – playing primarily left field – for co-head coaches Stefni and Michael Lotief from 2003-2006. 
 
She was a three-time NFCA All-American, becoming only the fifth student-athlete in softball program history to be named a three-time Division I All-American (2003, 2005, 2006). Gomez was also a four-time All-Louisiana selection and a three-time All-South Region selection.  She earned the distinction of first-ever, two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, was a two-time Louisiana Player of the Year, and Sun Belt and Louisiana Freshman of the Year. 
 
As a freshman in 2003, Gomez helped guide the Ragin’ Cajuns to the school’s fourth Women’s College World Series appearance – the first WCWS berth of Lotief era – where she delivered a mammoth home run shot off of Texas’ Cat Osterman in the Cajuns’ opening game. In addition, Danyele was selected to compete for Team USA as a member of the Elite team.
 
Gomez completed her career as a Ragin’ Cajun  with a .359 batting average, 83 home runs, 588 total bases and a .946 fielding percentage.
 
Her senior season was one that just might stand the test of time in the Cajuns annals. That season (2006), she won the Sun Belt Conference’s "triple crown" with a league-leading 30 homers, 68 RBI and a .442 batting average, and set school single season records for homers, runs (77) and slugging percentage (.957). Her 30 homers made her just the third player in NCAA Division I history to reach that mark in a season, and when she turned in her uniform and hung up her cleats for the final time ranked fourth in NCAA history with 83 career home runs.
 
She received a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2007.  The Cajuns’ all-time career home run leader currently resides is Metairie, La., where she is a nurse at Tulane Medical Hospital.
 
Charles “Peanut” Tillman (football) was a four-year letterman in football from 1999-2002 playing for head coaches Jerry Baldwin and Rickey Bustle.
 
In 2002, he received All-American recognition, was named an All-Independent selection in 2000 and was a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection.  Charles ended his career as a Ragin’ Cajun with 284 tackles, 12 interceptions, seven fumble recoveries and three blocked punts. 
 
Following his stellar collegiate career, Tillman was the third pick in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears—where he still serves as the starting cornerback. 
 
As a Bear, Charles was named Sports Illustrated Rookie of the Year and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003.  He has recorded 686 tackles, 30 interceptions, 29 forced fumbles and four touchdowns and has been named to a Pro Bowl team. 
 
Tillman has received the prestigious Walter Peyton Man of the Year award four times, Brian Piccolo award twice, Ed Block Courage award and NFL Neighborhood MVP award.  He has been an ambassador of the University with his pregame introduction of “Charles Tillman, Cornerback, THE University of Louisiana”. 
 
Charles received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 3-1/2 years and is currently enrolled in graduate school at Kaplan University. 
 
Tillman currently resides in Chicago, Ill., with his wife, Jackie, and their two daughters.
 
The mission of the UL Athletics Hall of Fame is to give recognition to those athletes who have made significant contributions to the good name of the University by demonstrating exceptional ability and sportsmanship on the playing fields, commendable scholarship in the classroom, high quality leadership on campus, and who after leaving the University have established a personal reputation for character and citizenship in the community which they reside.
 
“Our goal is to remind each new generation of athletes of the tradition they must uphold and the ideals that they should strive for while they are wearing the Ragin’ Cajuns uniforms,” said Ragin’ Cajuns Lettermen Club President Tom Carroll (baseball ’71-’74).
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns Lettermen Club Alumni Chapter is comprised of men and women who lettered in athletics while they were students at SLI/USL/UL.  The Ragin’ Cajuns Lettermen Club is a constituent chapter of the University of Louisiana Alumni Association and it retains close ties to the Athletic Department.