Football | 12/9/2024 10:29:42 AM

NORFOLK, Va., Dec. 9, 2024 – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced today the five members of the 2025 Hall of Fame Class. The inductees will be officially enshrined during the week of 2025 MEAC Basketball Tournament.  

"Congratulations to the five inductees of the MEAC's 2025 Hall of Fame class," Commissioner Sonja Stills said. "Induction into the MEAC Hall of Fame is the ultimate recognition of a player or coaches’ incredible career, representing excellence, hard work, and dedication to their respective sport. Inductees are not only exceptional competitors but exemplify the values and history that make our conference great.”

The MEAC Hall of Fame highlights former student-athletes, coaches, university and conference administrators, and notable contributors who have enriched the conference's legacy since its inception in 1970. Enshrinees are selected by an eight-person committee of administrators and member institution representatives. 

The inaugural Hall of Fame class was inducted on May 29, 1981, during a 10th anniversary banquet in Greensboro, N.C. Since its establishment, the MEAC Hall of Fame has enshrined 173 people, including the Class of 2024. 

Additional details regarding the induction ceremony will be announced at a later date.
 
The 2025 MEAC Hall of Fame Inductees
Patricia Cage-Bibbs, Hampton/N.C. A&T State: Cage-Bibbs coached at Hampton University from 1997 to 2004 and helped establish the Lady Pirates as a powerhouse in the MEAC. The Lady Pirates went 127-83 in seven seasons under Cage-Bibbs including a 95-31 mark in conference play.

During her tenure as head coach, Cage-Bibbs' teams won four MEAC regular season championship titles (‘98, ‘99, ‘03 & ‘04) and three MEAC Tournament titles (‘00, ‘03 & ‘04). She was named the MEAC Coach of the Year during her first year at Hampton (1997-98) after leading the Lady Pirates to a regular season co-championship title.

Cage-Bibbs coached at North Carolina A&T State from 2005-2012 where she won three regular season MEAC Championships and one conference tournament title. She was named the MEAC Coach of the Year in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. While coaching the Aggies, Cage-Bibbs collected a 130-88 record and 84-32 conference mark.
 
Oliver “Buddy” Pough, South Carolina State: Pough left a legacy at S.C. State retired in 2023, completing his career as the winningest coach in school history. Pough amassed a 151-93 record and 115-44 MEAC mark while leading the Bulldogs to two Black College National Football titles and eight total MEAC titles.

Pough earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from S.C. State where he was an All-MEAC offensive lineman. Following his playing career, Pough joined the coaching ranks and earned MEAC Coach of the Year honors four times during his 21-year career. Pough’s teams captured eight MEAC titles, three outright (2021, 2008 and 2009) and five shared (2004, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2019).

The Bulldogs made four trips to the FCS playoffs (2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013) and helped Pough capture the Celebration Bowl Championship in 2021 knocking off top-ranked Jackson State to win his fifth HBCU National Crown, third as a coach.

Out of the 19 MEAC Championship titles, the most by any school, Pough contributed to 17 of them, serving as either a player or a coach.
 
Rashida Suber, Coppin State: Suber played for the Lady Eagles women’s basketball team at Coppin State University from 2004 to 2008. She helped Coppin State finish 64-6 in MEAC play with undefeated conference records in her sophomore and junior seasons, including 41-straight wins.

Suber led the Eagles to three NCAA Tournament appearances (2004-05, 2005-06, 2007-08) and a WNIT appearance (2006-07) where they defeated Saint Joseph’s in the first round.

Suber was the 2007 MEAC Player of the Year, a three-time first-team All-MEAC honoree and named to the 2005 All-Rookie Team. Additionally, she was named the 2006 MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player and garnered a selection to the 2006 and 2008 All-Tournament Teams.

Suber scored a school-record of 1,865 points and ranks first in the CSU record books in field goals, three-pointers and steals, and seventh in assists. She currently ranks 11^th in the MEAC in all-time scoring, eighth in field goals made (728), fourth in three-pointers (245), sixth in single season field goals made (252) and fourth in single season three-point field goals made (245).

She led the Lady Eagles in steals for three consecutive seasons (2006-2008), scoring in back-to-back seasons (2005-2006 and 2006-2007), and three-point percentage (2007).

Following her collegiate career, Suber played professionally overseas from 2008-2010 in Turkey and Puerto Rico. Suber was inducted into the Coppin State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020.
 
Tarik Cohen, North Carolina A&T State: Cohen was a member of the North Carolina A&T State Aggies from 2013-16 where he was a star running back on the football team.

He holds the MEAC record for career rushing yards (5,619) and total carries (868). Cohen collected 59 career touchdowns and 56 rushing TDs. Cohen led the Aggies to two MEAC Conference Titles in 2014 and 2015, and helped the team earn an at-large bid to the 2016 NCAA Division I-FCS Playoffs.

Cohen highlighted his senior season with a record-setting career-best 295 rushing yards, and offensive MVP recognition, at the 2015 Celebration Bowl.

Cohen was named the MEAC Rookie of the Year in 2013 and earned MEAC Offensive Player of the Year three consecutive seasons (2014, 2015, 2016). Additionally, he was a four-time All-MEAC honoree, a three-time Stats/FCS Third-Team All-American and BOXTOROW All-American.

Cohen was named the 2015 SBN/Williams Offensive Player of the Year, a 2015 FCS Fabulous Fifty All-American, a 2016 AFCA FCS Coaches Second-Team All-American, a two-time SBN All-American (2014, 2015), a 2016 Walter Camp FCS All-American and was the 2016 Deacon Jones Trophy recipient.

Cohen was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. During his rookie season (2018), he was selected to the Pro Bowl Team and was named a NFL First-Team All-Pro selection.
 
Harvey Reed, Howard: Reed was a standout running back for the Bison football team from 1984-87 and significantly contributed to Howard’s 1987 MEAC Championship title. He was drafted in the eighth round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears as the 217^th pick.

Throughout his career, Reed recorded 4,142 rushing yards, on 635 carries, with 38 touchdowns. He averaged 6.5 yards per carry and 103.6 yards per game.
Reed ranks in the top five in the MEAC records, twice, in average yards per season and sits ninth in single game rushing yards with 260 against Newberry (1987).

During the 1987 season Reed recorded 20 touchdowns, second best in the MEAC, with 1,512 rushing yards in just 10 games. Reed was the second-leading scorer in Division 1-AA (FCS) that season earning Division 1-AA All-American honors while also collecting MEAC Player of the Year accolades. He was inducted into the Howard University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.
 
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 54th year of intercollegiate competition with the 2024-25 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University. For more information about the MEAC, visit www.MEACSports.com.