Duquesne Athletics 2026 HOF Class Inducted

As has been annual tradition, Duquesne held its 2025-26 Merle E. Gilliand Athletics Hall of Fame event Friday night at the Power Center Ballroom recognizing athletes, teams and builders alike.

In some cases more than two decades passed since teammates saw each other. Now babies were being held in a building which did not exist at that point.

Registration gave way to approximately 45 minutes of mingling and munching before the ceremony started.

VP of Athletics Dave Harper first took to the microphone to welcome everybody before making way for University President Ken Gormley. Harper made a point to highlight the relationship each has to explain Duquesne’s forward trajectory from an athletics perspective.

Gormley acknowledged come July 1 David Dausey will become president and the former will be the third ever president to transition to chancellor.

Donald Ziegler, Joe & Kathy Guyaux

Gormley stayed on stage to induct Ziegler, a personal moment for him as his first job towards becoming a lawyer was serving as a clerk for the newly inducted former baseball player.

Ziegler is a Pittsburgh native who long after his baseball days were over supported Duquesne Athletics, perhaps to the chagrin of some officials.

In 1978, he was among the first group inducted into Duquesne’s Century Club of Distinguished Alumni, reflecting his longstanding commitment to the University and its student-athletes. In 1978, Judge Ziegler was nominated by former President Jimmy Carter to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and served as Chief Judge from 1994 to 2001.

Ziegler also gave back through being a mentor and professor to law students and new lawyers. He was inducted posthumously having passed away in 2019, supporting his Dukes the entire time.

His wife Claudia and son Scott accepted the award. During Scott’s speech, it was impossible not to notice the clear sense of pride Claudia had hearing her son share stories and provide some humor along the way.

Harper then took to the microphone once again to introduce the Guyaux family. Harper detailed how he first met Joe and how their relationship grew from there.

In his brief speech Joe explained how he met his wife despite not being Catholic nor graduating from Duquesne. Both brought family to celebrate with them who hung on every word with a smile.

The Guyaux’s are very supportive of Duquesne athletics and community to the continued student-athlete development while also contributing to the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse renovation.

This support is clearly appreciated. At the venue both are responsible for the Joe and Kathy Guyaux Player Development Center and the Guyaux Men’s and Women’s Basketball Locker Rooms, leaving a lasting legacy within the athletic department.

Abby Stauffer, Emma Brinton, 2017-18 & 2018-19 Swimming & Diving Teams

A year ago Duquesne Swimming Coach Dave Sheets had an organized list at the ready. Despite seeing Scott Darwin and Christina Sherrard-Neilson get inducted he was both hungry and hopeful for more.

Now in his 25th season as coach, Sheets quite possibly holds the record for longest time at the podium with two individuals and two teams being recognized.

Being tasked with introducing everyone, Sheets began with Stauffer and her journey to her senior year where she was determined and in her last race in the Atlantic 10 Championship helped ensure the first conference title in program history.

In her speech, a humble Stauffer mentioned that many of her teammates could be in her spot as well.

“It was so great to see everyone, all of our teammates came back to reunite and reminisce about everything,” she stated after. “It was so fun and just remembering the special moments has been really cool. The speech was so sweet and proves how much (Sheets) cares about us, our character and who we are as people, teammates and helping us crossover to becoming full-time adults. That is really the best of it.”

As for Brinton, Sheets focused on her quest for making Olympics trials and the hard work that it took to get there. Brinton sacrificed two consecutive summers, at times swimming and lifting alone before ultimately achieving her goal. Her efforts meant a lot to the entire program and since then, Haley Scholer was able to do the same.

Brinton’s brother Matt is currently an assistant coach on staff, making everything full circle.

“Getting to see every member of the team, everyone is in different area of the country really at this point,” offered Brinton. “Getting together to reminisce has been really awesome.”

Each joked after the honor that both have had the chance to work together in Shadyside, Stauffer as a nurse, Brinton as a physician’s assistant. In the office, naturally co-workers have asked who was the better swimmer.

Sheets had an unenviable task of presenting the two championship teams. He talked about his final talk with his team prior to the final 400 free event. Duquesne led by seven points over the 15-time conference champion Richmond and his recall drew laughs from all of the swammers being honored.

It was as if the team was being taken back to Geneva, Ohio’s Spire Institute where Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ would play over the speaker at the end of each championship. Moments after that played, that team would hold hands jumping from the bulkhead in celebration.

He also detailed how his assistant coaches and the addition of the diving program leveled the playing field. Diving would get its first points in the 2019 championship.

After the event, Sheets stood between the two ladies a pair that to him set the standard of what Duquesne Swimming is.

“Both of these ladies, they mean the world to me,” Sheets beamed. “Just thinking back to their careers and who they are as people makes this night even more special. Right here, this is the standard. This is what we expect every year from the people that are in our program. To aspire to be hall of famers. It doesn’t have to be a conference champion, it is about who you are as a person. For me, every single one of these kids are hall of famers, but who they are as people creates the hall of fame moment for all of us.”

2003 Football

The 2003 Duquesne Football Team rounded out the night, celebrating the team which bounced back from a setback the year prior against Albany to become I-AA mid-major national champions.

Head coach Greg Gattuso came back to offer his thoughts and then brought up longtime staffer John Rosato, now a three-time hall of famer. Unexpectedly Gattuso kissed Rosato and surveyed the room determining all but two on the roster got the tour from the latter.

Anyone who glanced across the room saw Gattuso either hugging a player, taking a picture or even holding a player’s baby, truly displaying what family means to him.

“When you’re a coach and you get the opportunity to see your players and so many are in their mid-40’s now it’s been a joy for me to be around them tonight,” Gattuso said of the evening. “We built this football program on relationships and being a great teammate and all of them still get together and spend time together and that makes me very proud. I just love them and it was a great night.”

That mindset of family struck a chord with offensive lineman Rob Bowser, who simply could not stop smiling seeing his teammates who have became far more than that even more than two decades later.

“I haven’t seen some of these people in 20 years,” summarized Bowser. “It’s great that the team especially coming from the year before which we had that last game loss to Albany which hurt just to come back and win the national championship the next year. The way that sports are going now with NIL and things like that you don’t really get the camaraderie that we had that year so it was great to go through the whole year.

“Every guy I see it’s ‘remember that play’ or ‘remember we ran into each other?’ Even seeing Coach Gattuso it’s ‘how’ve you been?’ It will never change, I will always have respect for him and the coaching staff and the players.”

Defensive coordinator Joe Bernard actually followed Gattuso to Albany and now is coaching high school. This was his first time back in Pittsburgh in potentially a decade and a half.

“I’ve been in contact with a lot of these guys and some of them I hadn’t seen in a long time, so it was great to reconnect, see their families and children,” he reflected. “(The) whole building (we are in) this wasn’t here. very impressive what they’ve done here. Athletic and academic part. I was in awe to be quite honest.”

This honor was one many in and around the program felt was long overdue. The six home wins remain tied for a team best with opponents outscored 210-70 in that stretch.

In total 23 players received All-MAAC first or All-MAAC second team recognition.

“It was very special,” long-time broadcaster Alex Panormios determined. “It’s been a long time over the years a lot of traveling, going with the team. All of the coaches have been special, great to work with. It is like a family here. Greg gave me a big hug, seeing all of these names from the past come flooding back. You wonder after 20-plus years how many names pop back in your head and they all pop back. Special team.”