Langston’s Drain-Rogers And Hilliard, Jr. Inducted Into RRAC Hall Of Fame

Two of Langston University’s most admired athletic leaders, Donnita Drain-Rogers and James Hilliard, Jr., are being inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The RRAC, which began in 1998, is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NAIA.

Drain-Rogers led the Langston women’s basketball team to ten straight winning seasons and six NAIA national tournament appearances from 1995-2008. Her teams produced six All-Americans, four RRAC players of the year, three Academic All-Americans and 43 all-conference selections. Langston reached the Elite Eight of the 2007 NAIA national tournament, and the Lions were unbeaten in RRAC play at 34-0 in her last two seasons coaching the RRAC. Drain-Rogers returned to Langston as athletic director in 2015, and she was named RRAC Athletic Director of the Year in 2017.

Hilliard, Jr. coached 12 NAIA track & field individual and relay national champions during his time in the RRAC. From 2005-14, the Lions claimed eight RRAC women’s track & field titles and four men’s team championships. Hilliard’s pupils included 154 NAIA All-Americans (70 women, 84 men), 300 all-conference selections and 77 RRAC individual champions. Hilliard, Jr. is in his 32nd season leading the Langston teams.

Inductees will be immortalized through a virtual Hall of Fame on the RRAC website in perpetuity, and they will be honored through ceremonies that will occur throughout the next year on school campuses.

All RRAC Hall of Fame candidates were nominated by RRAC member institutions from the past and present. This year’s list of inductees includes a mix of student-athletes, coaches, and administrators. The complete list of 16 new inductees can be found at: redriverconference.com/article/ 2879.php

James Hilliard, Jr.