Amid one of the best fall sports seasons in UWF history, the Argos will celebrate on Friday their 2025 Athletics Hall of Fame class that helped elevate the school's national reputation.

Led by lead donor Darrell Gooden and former UWF president Dr. Martha Sauders, it's a five-member class of renown achievers. Three former student-athletes, women's golf team members Lauren Lamm and Elin Olsson, both of whom attained All-American status, along with Peggy de Villiers, who was part of the inaugural UWF women's swimming and diving team and became one of the greatest in program history, will be inducted for their lasting achievements.

Appropriately, it will be the first UWF Hall of Fame induction ceremony in The Darrell Gooden Center, which Gooden helped make happen for the football team that now seeks its first unbeaten regular season on Saturday in the season-finale against Valdosta State.

"You think of where we started with football… it's been 10 years now (since inaugural season) and I recently saw a picture on someone's Facebook page of that first scrimmage game," said UWF Associate Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Dave Scott. "Back then we were playing down here on the intramural field, we had yellow tape going around the field, we had a couple of 5-row bleachers set up for fans and we had two portable goalposts that we rolled in to help make a field.

"I mean, that was only 10 years ago, and we've since won a national championship in football (2019), played for a national title in our second year (2017) and now we are trying to finish an undefeated season. It's just so amazing."

The induction ceremony occurs during a peak time for the entire fall sports season. The UWF women's soccer team is 16-0-2, the UWF men's soccer team is 11-1-5. Both are nationally ranked and playing in GSC tournament semifinal games. The UWF volleyball team is 23-5, nationally ranked and has a chance to clinch the GSC regular-season honor and top seed in the tournament in Friday's road game at Lee University.

The UWF swimming and diving team is 8-2 with its only losses to Florida State and Auburn.

The combined connection of all the current UWF teams helps create a special backdrop for the HOF induction.

Gooden, a UWF graduate, was part of the original UWF Football Founders, a group formed with another UWF ardent supporter, Gordon Sprague, as chairman. Together the group helped get the program off the infancy stage and into national fame with fundraising and awareness support.

Gooden and his wife, Debbie, provided a generous gift that helped open the facility in April 2018 and it was renamed in his honor in November 2018. Now, it's connected with the Sandy Sansing Sports Medical Center to give UWF a special place of care for Argos student-athletes.

"The first time I think I met Darrell is when we were starting the Football Founders," Scott said. "Darrell was part of that. He then became part of the (PenAir Field) on campus, then the Gooden Center and now is part of plans for our new stadium.

"I just cannot thank him enough. We would not be where we are now without his generosity, himself and Debbie giving to the program and taking us to a place where we are today with an undefeated football team and hopefully another national championship run.

"He is a tremendous guy, very humble and just a great UWF alum."

During her eight-year tenure (2017-25) as UWF president, Dr. Saunders led the university during the simultaneous rise of the football team, enrollment growth and overall fund-raising throughout the university. She followed Dr. Judy Bense, who spearheaded the drive to begin a UWF football team in 2016 and further elevate athletics.

"Because of her background at other universities, Dr. Saunders really knew what a strong athletic brand could mean to the institution," Scott said. "We talked about how athletics could be the front porch to a university. Dr. Saunders believed in that, she supported us and really helped us grow and sustain in very critical time.

"Dr. Bense had the vision and a belief and people came on board. And Dr. Saunders set us up to be successful. During her time period we really grew as an athletic program and our success."
The connection with Dr. Saunders and Darrell Gooden made it a natural fit to induct both for special achievement honors in the UWF Athletics Hall of Fame.

"I think people who served on the (Hall of Fame) committee felt the timing was right," Scott said. "I think people felt like we need to take the opportunity now to recognize (both Saunders and Gooden) who have been a huge part of our success.

"We intentionally picked to do the reception in the Darrell Gooden Center to highlight his involvement with our program. And with Dr. Saunders, if it wasn't for her creating some ways to making things happen, we wouldn't been able to do it."

It's the first time the UWF Hall of Fame induction has been held on a Friday night.  

"We felt like on Saturday, sometimes we're rushed because of the (football) game and most people come in for the weekend anyway," Scott said. "We have Elin coming in from Sweden and we felt like we could have the banquet, the induction and people will be relaxed, enjoy the evening on Friday and then come back the next day for the game."

The inductees will be recognized on the field during UWF's football game Saturday.

Both Olsson and Lamm were decorated golfers whose careers coincided during a couple same years in a period from 2012-2017. 

"They came along during a real rise in our women's athletic program," he said. "You look at both of those two former players and the success we're having today in women's golf is on the shoulders of those two.  

Peggy de Villiers, a South Africa native, remains No. 2 in program history with 15 CSCAA All-American honors. She is No. 5 in team history in NSISC individual titles (5), a three-time All-NSISC selection and was the 2016 NSISC Champion Swimmer of the Year. 

"I remember the swim team coming back from the national meet and Dr. Saunders having lunch with them," Scott said. "Peggy was there and they stayed connected after she graduated.
"So, it's really cool that she's in the class with Dr. Saunders."

The Hall of Fame reception will be held on Friday, Nov. 14 in the Darrell Gooden Center on campus. The cocktail reception will begin at 4 p.m. with the ceremony beginning at 5 p.m.