AASU Athletic Hall of Fame - Class of 2002

One of the most athletically gifted players for Armstrong Junior College in the early days of Geechee athletics, Ed Burns played basketball for two seasons from 1956-1958 and dominated the middle, averaging over 20 points a game and helping Armstrong basketball gain regional prominence during his career.

A local graduate of Savannah High School, the rangy six-foot-four Burns only played one season of varsity high school basketball, but his skills would quickly show on the court as coach Roy Sims brought Burns to the downtown campus to play for the Geechee junior college basketball squad.

As a freshman for the Geechees, Burns showed flashes of talent, but was in his sophomore year, however, that Burns would excel, leading the Armstrong Junior College squad to the state tournament, becoming the leading scorer and winning several big contests in 1957-58. Burns, the team's captain, scored 425 points in 21 games, for a 20.2 ppg scoring average and also won the Ashley Dearing Cup for the best free-throw percentage on the squad, hitting 65 of 95 free throws for a 68.4 percentage, making Burns the first and one of the very few centers to capture the Ashley Dearing cup in Armstrong history.

Burns had several big games for the Geechees in 1957-58, including hitting the game-winning free throws in an 84-81 road win over West Georgia College in which he scored 25 points; he hit for 21 points in a 90-65 win over South Georgia Trade (now Georgia Southwestern) and also had 21 points in the Geechee's 64-55 win over Southern Tech. Burns tallied 22 points in a 75-74 win over Georgia Military College and had his season best of 34 points in a loss at South Georgia Trade.

Following his sophomore season, Burns - a member of the Naval Reserve while in school - left the Armstrong campus to pursue a career in the insurance industry, earning several state awards for his success in that field. Now currently a restauarant manager, he is still active in the Savannah community with his charity work and is a respected businessman among his hometown.

The all-time strikeout king at Armstrong, Chuck Christopher pitched three seasons from 1985 through 1987 and became one of the Pirates' greatest pitchers in school history, setting eight Pirate mound records and finishing his career with a 27-9 record, while facing primarily NCAA Division I competition each time he took the mound.

Christopher made an immediate impact on the Pirates in 1985 as Armstrong entered Division I play in the Big South Conference. The junior from Lawrenceville, Ga., made an impressive debut at nationally-ranked Florida State, hurling a three-hitter against the Seminoles but losing, 1-0, on an unearned run. Christopher went on to set an Armstrong record by winning 12 games, en route to a 12-4 record and a 2.74 ERA. The 12 wins in one season still stands as a Pirate best, as does his 141 innings pitched during the season and his 18 games started. During the year, Christopher pitched in several big games, striking out 12 players from a CWS-bound South Carolina squad and defeating the Gamecocks, 8-2, and outdueling rival Georgia Southern, 4-3. His 6-5 win over host Campbell in the first round of the BSC tournament earned him All-Tournament honors. Christopher also earned All-BSC honors and was the Pirates' recipient of the Richard Meeks pitching award.

In 1986, Christopher started the season with wins over West Virginia, Maryland and Duke, but injuries limited him to a 4-3 record with a 3.75 ERA - still the best earned-run average on the squad among starters, but he earned a medical redshirt and was able to continue pitching for the Pirates the next season. In 1987, Christopher regained his place as the mainstay of the Pirates' staff, leading Armstrong in wins and setting another school record with 11 consecutive victories en route to an 11-3 season with a 4.18 ERA. Christopher's big game reputation grew during his final season as he outdueled Georgia Southern again, winning 4-3, and defeated Winthrop in the opening round of the BSC Tournament. The Pirates finished with another Big South Conference division championship that year and were one game away from advancing to the NCAA Division I baseball championships.

In his Pirate career, Christopher ranks second all-time in victories and his 244 strikeouts over three seasons is still the most all-time by an Armstrong hurler. He graduated from Armstrong with a bachelor's degree in 1988 and currently resides in Atlanta.

One of the finest women's basketball players to put on a Lady Pirate uniform, Norma Faison played for Armstrong from 1983 to 1986, becoming just the third player to score 1,000 points in a career. She helped the Lady Pirates to two NAIA District playoffs and earned All-Conference and All-Region honors during her career, as well as ranking highly in several statistical categories for Armstrong. An excellent athlete, Faison also competed for three years on the Lady Pirate softball team during her days in Savannah.

A high school standout at Lyons HS in Lyons, Ga., Faison came to the Armstrong campus as a freshman in 1983-84 and started all 27 games that season for head coach B.J. Ford, averaging 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. Faison notched a season-high 26 points against Shorter and collected a team-best eight steals against Tift in a freshman campaign that saw the Lady Pirates reach the NAIA District 25 playoffs for the second straight year.

As a sophomore, Faison continued to improve, quickly becoming the go-to scorer on the Lady Pirates' 1984-85 squad, the winningest women's basketball team in school history. Faison averaged a team-best 16.5 points per game and collected 87 steals, a school record that would stand until the mid-90s. She also led Armstrong in free throw percentage and ranked 11th nationally, hitting 85 of her 105 free throws for a school-best 81 percent, a record that still stands today, as does her 10-steal effort against Tift. Faison earned All-GIAC Conference and All-NAIA District 25 honors for Armstrong, as well as leading the Lady Pirates to their first NAIA Playoff victory.

In her junior season, Faison had her best offensive year, averaging 19.2 points per game, including a career-best 33 points in the season opening win over Rollins. Against Shorter on February 2, 1986, Faison hit for 20 points, including her 1,000th career point, just the third Lady Pirate to reach the thousand point scoring plateau.

Faison finished her Armstrong career as the Lady Pirates' career leader in steals and still ranks in the top 10 in eight different categories.

After leaving Armstrong, Faison married Wilfred Chambliss and has two children, Wil and Gabrielle and currently resides with her family in her hometown of Lyons.

A two-time Academic All-American in cross country as well as a two-time All-Peach Belt Conference performer in tennis, Gabi Hauck is best known for putting Armstrong Atlantic State on the national map by becoming the first Pirate runner to qualify for the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships in 1994.

The Karlsruhe, Germany, native came to Armstrong initially to play women's tennis and excelled, capturing the flight #4 singles and flight #2 doubles Peach Belt Conference championships in 1993, then defended her flight #2 doubles championship in 1994, earning All-Conference honors in the process and helping the Lady Pirates to their first two of many successive Peach Belt titles.

While she was competing for the women's tennis team, however, Hauck decided to run in the fall with the Armstrong Atlantic State cross country squad to help get in shape for the tennis season.

It was readily apparent that Hauck was the best runner on the squad, and Hauck proceeded to compete for the Pirates, earning All-Peach Belt Conference honors in both 1993 and 1994, setting the stage for a memorable end to her Armstrong career.

Hauck captured every meet she ran in during the 1994 regular season, then rebounded from a disappointing conference meet to finish fourth overall in the NCAA II Southeast Regional in Spartanburg, S.C., with a time of 19:20.35. The top two individual finishers from teams other than the champion advanced to the national championships, so Hauck's ticket was punched for Kearney, Neb., becoming Armstrong's first national champion qualifier in school history.

More than just an outstanding athlete, Hauck excelled in the classroom, earning NCAA Division II Cross Country Coaches' Academic All-America honors in both 1993 and 1994 and was honored in 1994 with the President's Cup, awarded yearly to the top scholar-athlete at Armstrong.

Also the first two-time All-Region honoree for Armstrong, Hauck was also twice honored with GTE Academic All-District III honors during her cross country career and carried a 3.89 GPA at AASU.

Hauck remained in the Savannah area after completing her athletic career and, after receiving her Armstrong degree in liberal arts and economics, entered the coaching ranks. She currently coaches the men's and women's cross country teams at the Savannah College of Art and Design.