Hall of Fame
JEFF MOORE, TOM FAGLEY & OWEN BUSCH (Men's Basketball • 1990-94)
Dubbed "The Foundation" by ERAU Head Men's Basketball Coach Steve Ridder, Jeff Moore, Tom Fagley and Owen Busch will be inducted in the Athlete category. Moore, Fagley and Busch came to Embry-Riddle in 1990 and held the distinction of being the first recruiting class to be awarded athletic scholarships. The season before the trio arrived, ERAU men's basketball posted a 4-24 overall record. The following year, the three freshmen led the Blue and Gold to the biggest turnaround in NAIA history with a 22-8 overall record. After advancing to postseason play for the first time in program history in March 1991, the Eagles achieved their first-ever top-20 national ranking in January 1992.
In the 1992-93 season, the three foundational players led the Eagles to national prominence as they registered an upset of NCAA II No. 1 Rollins in December 1992, and advanced to the second round of the NAIA II National Championship in their first trip to the national tournament. Their legacy includes being part of the Eagles' first conference championship team in 1994, and part of the team that holds the record for most points in a single game (133 vs. Warner on Feb. 5, 1991).
Throughout their careers, Moore, Fagley and Busch combined for one third team and four honorable mention All-America honors, six All-Conference selections and led ERAU to a 97-33 record. All three are members of the Eagles' 1,000-point club and are currently listed among the program's career top-10 in scoring with Busch in fourth (1,861 pts), Moore in sixth (1,724 pts) and Fagley in 10th (1,551 pts). They combined for 5,233 points, 1,785 rebounds and 1,012 assists, and made 1,177 free throws for a 79.3 free throw percentage.
Moore, Fagley and Busch, all of whom have had their jerseys retired, have all enjoyed successful careers in life after basketball. Moore is a commercial pilot with United Airlines, Fagley is a Senior Manager at Hughes, Pittman and Gupton, and Busch is the Vice President of Commercial Sales at World Fuel Services.
"Maybe the most important contribution that Tom, Owen and Jeff made to our athletic program was the overall representation of our program. They were 'The Package: Student, Person, Player'. They were outstanding ambassadors and responsible for building the start of our great reputation for the athletic program. They were instrumental in helping develop our strong fan base of supporters…faculty, staff and students. They were instrumental in the success of the first Season Ticket Campaign by personally developing quality relationships with supporters on and off our campus. They excelled in the classroom, gave back to the community, created school spirit and visibility and did it all at a crucial time. Our athletic program was being evaluated to determine whether the University was going to invest more resources or eliminate the expense. I firmly believe their accomplishments were critical in garnering the support of our administration, enabling the growth of additional sports and our entire Athletics program."
Steve Ridder
Embry-Riddle Head Men's Basketball Coach (1989-present)
"What really bonded these three prototypical Eagles with our fledgling audiences was that they defined the complete package of student, athlete and person that we use in our recruiting to this day. In fact, their embodiment of the complete package helped us in the administration to expand our athletics program and athletics scholarships with widespread support throughout the Embry-Riddle community, even when budgets were tight. All student-athletes that have played since those early days owe a debt of gratitude to Jeff, Tom and Owen."
Dr. Steven M. Sliwa
Embry-Riddle President – 1991-98
ERAU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2013
"It has been many years since Owen, Tom and Jeff first walked the campus of Embry-Riddle. I am so grateful for the one year I had with them as teammates. They showed me (as a person and player) the level of commitment, hard work, dedication and sacrifice it takes to be successful. Not just in basketball, but in life. Because of their HUGE footprint, I truly believe, that their presence and now spirit will remain forever the FOUNDATION on which ALL Embry-Riddle athletics will stand."
Rob Padgett
Embry-Riddle Men's Basketball – 1993-97
ERAU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2009
