NMSU inducts four into Hall of Fame

Four former Aggie greats are the latest group inducted into the US Bank/New Mexico State University Athletics Hall of Fame.

Andrea Kabwasa (women's basketball), Wendell McKines (men's basketball), Darrell Martin (track & field) and Chris Williams (football) all returned to Las Cruces over the weekend for the induction and a presentation at halftime of the Aggies’ men’s basketball game Saturday, a 78-62 victory over University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley.

"I couldn't be happier to recognize and honor our former student-athletes with their induction into the US Bank/NM State Athletics Hall of Fame," Director of Athletics Mario Moccia said. "Being inducted into your alma mater's hall of fame is the highest honor one can be bestowed, and all four are deserving of this recognition."

Andrea Kabwasa | Women's Basketball | 1988-92
Kabwasa starred for New Mexico State under the watch of two separate head coaches, Doug Hoselton and Joe McKeown. By the time her playing career was a matter of record, the Hawthorne, California, native stood as the program's all-time leading scorer, assist generator and steal-getter.

Kabwasa was an All-Big West second team choice in 1991 and earned a spot on the All-Big West First Team as a senior in 1992. She closed her career with 1,778 points, 675 rebounds, 499 assists and 273 steals. To this day, her 17 assists against Arizona in 1991 remains a single game record for NMSU and her 224 assists in 1991-92 stand as the season record.

Following her career in an Aggie uniform, Kabwasa graduated from New Mexico State and currently resides in Los Angeles, where she is a special-education teacher.

Darrell Martin | Track & Field | 1975-78
Few Aggie track & field athletes have compiled a résumé quite as extensive as Martin, who starred through the mid-1970s, when NMSU still had a men’s track team. Martin amassed nine collegiate medals on the conference scene and departed Las Cruces as the program's record holder in four events (60-meter dash, 100-meter dash, 220-yard dash and 440-yard dash). 

A team captain on the Aggies' 1978 squad, Martin went on to participate in the 1980 Jamaican Olympic trials.

Wendell McKines | Men's Basketball | 2008-12
A staple on two NCAA Tournament teams during the Marvin Menzies coaching era, McKines was both a fan favorite and a force to be reckoned with by Aggie opponents. 

The eventual All-WAC First Team choice and WAC Tournament MVP averaged 18.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game in his farewell season, 2011-12. On the national scene, McKines ranked eighth in rebounds per game and was the land's 29th-leading scorer. Twenty of his 47 career double-doubles came in the 2011-12 campaign and helped NM State go 26-10. 

McKines finished his career with 1,521 points and 1,135 rebounds to become just the second Aggie to record 1,000 or more points and 1,000 or more rebounds in a career. His career scoring total is the ninth-highest in program history while his rebounding total ranks second, behind only Sam Lacey. 

After NMSU, McKines became an excellent player overseas. During his seven-year overseas career, McKines played in France, the Philippines, South Korea and Israel. 

Chris Williams | Football | 2005-08
Producing all manner of eye-popping numbers seemingly every time he found himself lining up against defensive backfields around the nation, Williams is the standard all current and future New Mexico State wide receivers will be measured against.

During a four-year run in the mid-2000s, Williams made a living rewriting the Aggies' record books and hung up his collegiate cleats as the program's all-time leader in receiving yardage (3,555), touchdown receptions (32) and 100+ yard receiving games (18). Williams found himself on the receiving end of four of the 10 longest pass plays in the history of the program. In addition to his receiving prowess, he served as one of the best all-purpose players in Aggie history. 

An undrafted free agent, the Rio Rancho High School graduate has enjoyed a fruitful career in the Canadian Football League (CFL). In 80 games with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Ottawa Redblacks, BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes, Williams has amassed 5,634 receiving yards and piled up 34 receiving touchdowns. 

With Hamilton, he was the CFL’s Rookie of the Year in 2011 and the Special Teams Player of the Year in 2012. And in 2016, he was with Ottawa when they won the Grey Cup, Canada’s equivalent of the Super Bowl.