MAAC Honor Roll Inductees - Fairfield
MAAC Sports
On March 2, the MAAC will recognize 20 significant men's and women's basketball players at the first annual Honor Roll Dinner at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Two former student-athletes from each institution will be enshrined in The MAAC Experience, the league's exhibit at the Hall of Fame. Bios for each honoree will be featured on MAACSports.com as we count down to the private event, as well as the start of the 2012 MAAC Basketball Championships.
Joe DeSantis - Fairfield University (1975-79)
Joe DeSantis is the second all-time leading scorer at Fairfield, netting 1,916 points during his collegiate career. He holds the Stags' record for free throw percentage (.849) and ranks second for career points and career assists (622). DeSantis also set the Stags' single season free throw percentage record of .892 during the 1976-77 season. He was an AP All-American Honorable Mention in 1979, First Team All-New England in 1978-79 and UPJ First Team All-New England in 1979. In 1978, DeSantis helped lead the Stags to an overall record of 22-5, a victory over the then #14 nationally-ranked The College of Holy Cross and a berth in the National Invitational Tournament. He was selected in the second round of the 1979 NBA Draft by the Washington Bullets. DeSantis played professionally in the Italian Basketball Federation and the Continental Basketball Association. In addition, he served as an assistant coach for his alma mater for seven years (1981-88), during which the Stags won the MAAC title twice and qualified for the 1986 and 1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. DeSantis is now in his third season with the Stags Radio Network.
Gail Strumpf-Cheney - Fairfield University (1997-2001)
Gail Strumpf became the all-time leading scorer with 1,873 points during the Stags' run to an at-large bid to the 2001 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship her senior year. It was the third at-large bid in MAAC history and the first since 1989. In her freshman year, the Stags returned to the NCAA Championship following a seven-year hiatus after winning the 1997 MAAC Championship. In 2000, Strumpf led the Stags to capture the MAAC regular season title and a berth in the Women's National Invitational Tournament. She is currently on top of the Fairfield career list for most free throws made (455), while ranking second in both rebounds (1,106) and field goals made (709), and third in blocks (244). Strumpf also recorded 184 assists and 149 steals during her four years with the Fairfield program. She continues to hold the single season records for points, netting 642 during her junior campaign. Strumpf was chosen as the 1998 MAAC Rookie of the Year and the 2000 MAAC Player of the Year. She was also a three-time member of the All-MAAC First Team (1999-2001) and the MAAC All-Tournament Team (1998, 2000 and 2001).