NORFOLK, Va. -- A commitment to excellence is an obvious common denominator among the members of the 2014 MEAC Hall of Fame Class. Without it, there is no doubt that they would have not been selected to receive the highest honor that the conference can bestow on athletes, coaches and administrators.

However, humility is another trait that this year’s inductees – Howard women’s basketball athlete Andrea Gardner, Morgan State softball athlete Tanisha Kemp, South Carolina State quarterback Nate Rivers, Hampton women’s track athlete Kellie Wells and North Carolina A&T football coach Bill Hayes – share.

Despite their impressive and awe-inspiring accomplishments, they all say that being recognized as one of the greatest of the greats in MEAC history is a humbling experience.

“This is really special,’’ Gardner, a two-time MEAC Player of the Year during her career at Howard that spanned 1999-2002, said. “You wait and wait after you’ve sacrificed all the time and energy that you have devoted to your sport. Once you’re gone, it’s kind of like ‘Have they forgotten me?’ It’s nice to be appreciated.’’

The group will be enshrined at 9 a.m. during a brunch March 14 at the Sheraton Waterside Hotel in Norfolk, Va. The inaugural Hall of Fame was inducted on May 29, 1981 during a 10-year anniversary banquet in Greensboro, N.C. Since its establishment, the Hall of Fame has enshrined 123 people, including the class of 2014.

Gardner had an unforgettable career with the Lady Bison. She was the 1999-2000 MEAC Rookie of the Year and the conference player of the year in 2001 and ‘02. Gardner led the nation in rebounding in 2001 (14.2), and she ended her career with more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. She became the highest drafted player from an HBCU in WNBA history when the Utah Starzz (now the San Antonio Silver Stars) picked her in the second round.

In addition to playing in the WNBA, Gardner played internationally in 10 different countries. She says her experience in the MEAC made her well-prepared for a pro career.

“The competition is amazing,’’ she says. “People tend to overlook the MEAC. But the players are competitive and aggressive.’’

Gardner, native of Washington, D.C., wanted to stay close to home after graduating high school. The University of Maryland recruited her heavily in addition to Yale and Saint Bonaventure, but Howard had always been the frontrunner. Howard sports information director Ed Hill had been her first basketball coach when she participated in a National Youth Sports Program on campus while in grade school, and she developed an affinity for Howard.

“I decided to go with my passion and go to Howard,’’ Gardner said.

Kemp, who grew up in Sacramento, Calif., unlike Gardner, opted not to stay close to home to pursue a college athletic career. She chose Morgan State after local community activist Alan Rowe put her in touch with Ramona Bozier, who was coaching the Lady Bears volleyball and softball teams at the time.

“My mom fell in love with her,’’ Kemp said. “She was stern and motherly, and my mom gave her the A-OK.’’

Homesickness was never an issue for Kemp, who said, “Mom raised me to cut the apron strings. Still it was difficult, but it had to be done’’

Kemp was a four-time first-team All-MEAC pick and a two-time All-American. She led the NCAA in 12 individual statistical categories, and she holds 13 Morgan State season and career records. Her career marks include batting average (.444), home runs (31), hits (171), doubles (27) and runs scored (149). Her season records include batting average (.515), home runs (11), doubles (12), runs scored (47), hits (55) and slugging percentage (.988).

However, when Kemp reflects on her career, which spanned 1995-98, the individual accolades aren’t what she cherishes most. The one shining moment that sticks out in her memory is the Lady Bears’ second-place finish in the MEAC tournament after being at the bottom of the conference in previous years. She calls it her “absolute most memorable moment.’’

“That was the best team we ever had,’’ she said. “We had a good chance to win. Two more games and we could have had it. A lot of people won’t remember who came in second, only first. But that’s something I will always remember. Records are always meant to be broken. Softball is more of a team sport than an individual sport. I’m grateful that I achieved some recognition, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it with my teammates.’’

Wells is one of the top female hurdlers in the world, having won a bronze medal in the 100 meters at the London Olympics in 2012. Still she says her initial reaction when she learned that she had been selected for the MEAC Hall of Fame was disbelief.

“The MEAC is so prestigious,’’ she said. “To be among the people who are being inducted – they have done so much more than me – it’s intimidating. It’s definitely an honor to be considered somebody who’s on that level.’’

Wells, who last competed in the MEAC in 2006, is the youngest member of the 2014 MEAC Hall of Fame class. However, her accomplishments are legendary. She helped the Lady Pirates win eight MEAC indoor championships – four outdoor, two indoor and two cross country.

“Being part of such a dominant program was amazing,’’ Wells said. “People looked up to us. They knew when the Hampton girls came to run, they meant business. Being part of a dominant program and knowing my teammates had my back and I had theirs was a great feeling.’’

Wells excelled as a hurdler and sprinter for the Lady Pirates. She was first-team All-MEAC in the 60-meter hurdles during the 2005-06 indoor season, second team in the 60-meter dash and the 200 meters. Wells was first team All-MEAC in the 100 meters and third team in the 200 meters during the 2005 outdoor season. She still holds the MEAC indoor record in the 100-meter hurdles (8.08 seconds), set in 2006. She also holds school records for the 60-meter dash (7.33), 55-meter hurdles (7.60) and 60-meter hurdles (8.08).

After leaving Hampton, Wells won the 60-meters in the 2011 USA Indoor National and was ranked No. 4 in the world that year in the 100-meter hurdles. She says her success on the world stage is a direct result of having competed in the MEAC.

“I tell people all the time that just because you go to a black school, that doesn’t mean you can’t be successful,’’ she said. “People feel that way. We may not have the big name programs or the money of some of the other programs, but when I competed in the MEAC, I competed against some of the toughest people I’ve met ever. I feel like it prepared me as a competitor and in life.’’

Rivers, who also ran track for two seasons at South Carolina State and was an All-American sprinter, had the kind of size – he was 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds – and speed that were rare for option quarterbacks of that era. He had been a passing quarterback during his high school days in Wadmalaw Island, S.C. When he arrived at South Carolina State, he was one of 13 freshman quarterbacks and three upperclassmen competing for playing time in the Bulldogs’ option offense. He made the adjustment and beat out his competitors.

“It wasn’t easy,’’ Rivers says, recalling how he spent his freshman season being beat up in practice by future Pro Football Hall of Famer Harry Carson, who was a senior.

The Philadelphia Eagles, who had Ron Jaworski as their starting quarterback, picked Rivers in the fifth round of the 1979 NFL Draft and moved him to block back. The Eagles traded Rivers to the New York Giants, who had drafted Phil Simms in the first round and converted Rivers to wide receiver. Rivers played three seasons in New York, but never got an opportunity to display his quarterback skills on the pro level. He harbors no bitterness.

“We’ve come a long way in terms of African Americans playing quarterback in the NFL,’’ he said. “I was just too far ahead of the times. You get a lot of honors during our lifetime. I’ve had a lot of meaningful awards based on things I’ve done in the military. This by far outweighs anything I ever did in the military.

“To be honored by your peers means you’re one of the top people in your chosen field of endeavors. The honor itself is one of those priceless ones. You can’t put a price on it. You can’t describe with any adjective.”

Hayes was known as no-nonsense football coach. So it comes as no surprise that he never thought about someday he might be selected for the MEAC Hall of Fame.

“I never thought about the Hall of Fame,’’ he said. “I was so wound up in trying to build up programs,’’ says Hayes, who spent the past 10 years as athletic director at Florida A&M, North Carolina Central and Winston-Salem State after a 15-year stint as football coach at North Carolina A&T. “I was kind of surprised to be selected. But nobody fought any harder; nobody worked any harder; .nobody put in more hours; nobody outworked me. We gave it our all. I feel good about that.’’

The hard work and long hours paid huge dividends for Hayes during his tenure at North Carolina A&T. He led the Aggies to a 106-64 record from 1988-2002 and three MEAC championships (1991, ‘92 and ’99). The Aggies made three postseason appearances, earning berths in the 1991 Heritage Bowl and the 1992 and ’99 NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) playoffs.

“It was 15 years of nonstop effort to build a solid program,’’ Hayes said, “I’m really proud of what we were able to do.’’

Hayes, who ended his 27-year coaching career with 195 victories, more than any other college coach in the state of North Carolina, is enshrined in four other halls of fame. He says going into the MEAC Hall of Fame trumps them all.

The Aggies were 61-60-1 during the 13 seasons before Hayes arrived. They were 9-2 in his third season and back-to-back MEAC champions his fourth and fifth seasons. By the time he was done coaching at North Carolina A&T, he had been named MEAC Coach of the Year twice, mentored seven All-Conference Players of the Year and 51 All-MEAC selections.