USAO announces Alumni Hall of Fame and Young Alumni Award winners

In anticipation of the upcoming Homecoming Weekend festivities Nov. 5-7, the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma has announced this year’s inductees into the Alumni Hall of Fame as well as the recipient of the Young Alumni Award.

Mike Ross, USAO athletic director, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during the annual awards brunch Nov. 6, alongside Dr. Toby Hamilton. Jarred Turner will receive the Young Alumni Award.

A 2002 alumnus of the institution, Ross spent 18 years working with the Drover baseball team, becoming the winningest coach in the program’s history, before assuming the role of athletic director in 2021. Hamilton graduated from the Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts in 1973, earned a Ph.D in occupational therapy, and went on spend more than three decades teaching at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Turner graduated from USAO in 2005 and is currently a history teacher at Central Junior High in Moore, Okla.

This year’s homecoming theme, “Green and Golden Years,” celebrates the 20th anniversary of USAO’ men’s basketball team winning the NAIA National Championship in a fun, hybrid event will allow both in-person and online participation.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the weekend will feature predominantly outdoor events to limit any potential coronavirus transmission. For indoor events such as the awards brunch, masks and physical distancing of at least three feet are recommended, regardless of vaccination status, per CDC guidelines.

To view the full schedule of events and to register, visit usao.edu/homecoming.