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    Mark Palmer •

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    ASU Hall of Fame to welcome Velasquez

    NCAA All-American wrestler and former UFC champ Cain Velasquez is one of seven former Arizona State athletes who will be welcomed into the Sun Devil Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2018, the school announced Tuesday.

    Cain Velasquez
    Velasquez came to Arizona State after one year at Iowa Central Community College where he won the 2002 NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Heavyweight National Championship. At ASU, Velasquez won the 2005 Pac-10 conference crown -- and was named Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year -- then went on to earn NCAA Division All-America honors by placing fifth at the 2005 NCAAs. After graduating from ASU, Velasquez launched his pro mixed martial arts career, becoming heavyweight superstar by winning 13 of 15 fights at the start of his career, all but two were KOs and eight of them were first round KOs. Velasquez won the UFC heavyweight crown in 2010, becoming the first Mexican-American to win a heavyweight title in MMA or boxing history.

    Velasquez will join fellow ASU alums Derrick Rodgers (football), Katie Burkhart (softball), Ashley Kelly (gymnastics), Jackie Johnson (track), Desiree Davila-Linden (track & field/cross country), and Francisco Sanchez (swimming) as members of the Class of 2018 Sun Devil Athletics Hall of Fame.

    Velasquez and his fellow honorees will be inducted to the Hall of Fame during ASU's football game on Saturday, Sept. 29 against Oregon State.

    The Hall of Fame Luncheon will take place on Friday, Sept. 28 at The Pera Club (1 E. Continental Dr., Tempe, AZ 85281) from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The luncheon will include a formal induction ceremony into the SDA Hall of Fame by the ASU Athletic Heritage Committee. Tickets are $50 per person or $500 for a table of 10.

    The Sun Devil Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1975 to honor Arizona State's most distinguished student-athletes in all sports. The ASU Athletics Hall of Distinction, inaugurated in 1982, recognizes outstanding contributions from coaches and administrators. Student-athletes become eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame ten years after graduation.
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