Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame to Induct Juanita Etheridge, Bob Aston and Harry Minium

NORFOLK, Va. – Former Old Dominion multi-sport star Juanita Etheridge, long-time area businessman and philanthropist G. Robert Aston, Jr., who has been a generous donor to ODU athletics; and Harry Minium Jr., senior executive writer for athletics, will be inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame.

The ODU trio will be part of a six-person class to be inducted on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. in the Big Blue Room at Chartway Arena, Jack Ankerson, the hall of fame chairman, announced Tuesday afternoon.  

Others to be inducted into the hall of fame include Brandon Adair, the former Virginia Wesleyan University basketball standout who is now a referee in the NBA; Pat Cavanaugh, who revitalized the Norfolk Admirals ice hockey team since taking over as owner in 2019, and is a major player in the growth of area youth hockey; and the late Charles Christian, who in 14 seasons as the men’s basketball head coach at Norfolk State won 319 games and seven CIAA championships.

Minium and Adair were inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame earlier this year.

Aston helped found TowneBank in 1998 and it has grown into the largest bank headquartered in Virginia and is one of the commonwealth’s most philanthropic private institutions. TowneBank has been a generous donor to athletics programs at all levels throughout Virginia and North Carolina.

The S.B. Ballard Stadium football scoreboard/replay board was donated by Townebank and when the Ellmer Family Baseball Complex opens this spring, the Monarchs will play on TowneBank Field.

TowneBank also sponsors The Royal Rivalry cup competition between ODU and JMU. 

Aston was honored as a “Distinguished Virginian” in 2011 by the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame for his support of college and youth sports.

Aston has served on the executive board of the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation, ODU's fundraising organization, and currently serves on the Board of Visitors for Eastern Virginia Medical School, which recently merged with ODU.

“Bob is one of the kindest and most generous supporters we have at ODU,” said Jena Virga, who heads ODAF. “It’s wonderful that he’s being recognized for his generosity.”

"Bob Aston has played an integral part of the scholastic and intercollegiate athletics vibrancy of Hampton Roads sports his entire life," added Dr. Wood Selig, ODU's director of athletics.

"Bob has served as a coach, a mentor, a father figure, a confidant and a generous philanthropist for so many individuals, teams, and organizations throughout Hampton Roads and the mid-Atlantic region and contributed immensely to what makes the “757” nationally renowned as a hot bed for sports and producer of world class athletes. 

"In a quiet, humble, behind the scenes manner, he is truly a giant in the field of sports with his passion and level of commitment."

Aston’s daughter, Kim, is a former ODU women’s basketball player who does color commentary for Monarch home games on ESPN+. 

Etheridge was a basketball, field hockey and track star at Virginia Beach’s First Colonial High who began her career at JMU before transferring to ODU. She led the Monarch basketball team in scoring in 1974-75 with 19.8 points per game while also playing tennis.

She played for then Head Coach Pam Parsons in the early years of ODU women’s basketball, when the foundation was laid for the powerhouse programs coached by Marianne Stanley that a few years later won three national championships. 

Etheridge was twice named ODU’s Female Athlete of the Year and went on to a long career as a teacher, coach and mentor at Norfolk's Granby High School before recently retiring.

She was also one of the area’s most accomplished long-distance runners who in her first marathon in 1981, set the Shamrock Marathon record that stood for decade. She won 60 of her first 61 long-distance races in which she competed.

While teaching at Granby High, she had a positive influence on tens of thousands of young people. She helped begin a “double-dutch” jump roping competition which spread across the region as well as a youth golf program and another to encourage young people to clean up trash in their neighborhoods.

“Juanita is one of the best all-around athletes ever from the Hampton Roads area,” former ODU women’s basketball coach Wendy Larry said. “She did everything, from field hockey to lacrosse to golf, and did everything well.

“But her greatest contribution was the work she did in the community. She did so much to help so many young people. The work she did has had a lasting impact on so many young people.”

A Norfolk native, Minium is a 1977 ODU graduate whose ties with the University extend more than 50 years. His mother, two of his three brothers and both daughters, Amy and Ginny, all attended ODU.

Minium wrestled at ODU and was a second-team All-Eastern Region football linebacker at Norview High School, where he was also team captain. He also wrestled, ran track and played baseball for the Pilots. 

Minium was a sports writer, city hall reporter and sports columnist at The Virginian-Pilot for 39 years before being hired by ODU in 2018.

This fall will mark his 14th consecutive season covering Monarch football either for ODU or The Virginian-Pilot. No other reporter has covered ODU football as long.  Minium has won more than 30 writing awards, including four in his seven years at ODU.

Minium covers all 18 ODU athletic teams for the University’s athletics website, www.odusports.com

Founded in 2008, the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame has honored 103 former athletes, coaches and contributors to area sports. All inductees are memorialized with plaques located inside Harbor Park, the home stadium of the Norfolk Tides baseball team.  

Others affiliated with ODU previously inducted into the hall of fame in reverse order of their induction: 

Darryl Cummings (men’s and women’s tennis coach), Mimi Smith (field hockey All-American and current assistant coach), Tony Brothers (long-time NBA referee), Carol Hudson (long-time ODU sports information director), Mark West (men’s basketball star), Yogi Hightower Boothe (field hockey All-American), Debbie White (long-time sports administrator), Ticha Penicheiro (women’s basketball All-American), Gray Simons (wrestling coach), Sonny Allen (men’s basketball coach), Wayne Gomes (baseball player), Marianne Stanley (women’s basketball coach), Jan Trombly (women’s basketball player), Leo Anthony (men’s basketball star), Jack Baker (basketball and baseball player and long-time Maury High basketball coach), Bud Metheny (former athletic director and baseball coach), Paul Webb (men’s basketball head coach), Dave Twardzik (men’s basketball All-American), C.J. Woollum (men’s basketball assistant coach), Beth Anders (field hockey coach), Wendy Larry (women’s basketball coach), Jack Ankerson (long-time athletics public address announcer), Tony Mercurio (long-time radio voice for women’s basketball), Anne Donovan (women’s basketball All-American), Dr. Jim Jarrett (former director of athletics) and Nancy Lieberman (women’s basketball All-American). 

Tickets, priced at $65 each or $450 for a table of eight, are available at the ODU box office. Call 757-683-4444 for more information.