DENTON, Tex. - More than 250 gathered this morning at the Gateway Center as the University of North Texas inducted its 2009 Hall of Fame Class and honored the 1959 football team.

Members of the '59 team that captured the Missouri Valley Conference title and played in the Sun Bowl were on hand as captain Bill Carrico addressed the crowd and the team. Former greats from that team in attendance included Abner Haynes and C. Dan Smith.

The North Texas Athletic Hall of Fame welcomed its 27^th class as Bill Dinkle (football), Jimmy Gales (men's basketball), Corina Marginas (volleyball), and Ja'Quay Wilburn were honored.

Dinkle was a running back and kicker, earning all-conference in the Lone Star in 1946. He was also named honorable mention Little All-America in 1946. One of the best running back's in his time, Dinkle helped lead the Mean Green to it's first-ever Bowl victory in the 1946 Optimist Bowl.

Gales served as the head coach of the Mean Green basketball team from 1986-93, in addition to serving as an assistant under former coach Bill Blakeley from 1975-83.

His 1987-88 team won its last nine regular-season games to win the Southland Conference regular-season championship, then won two games to capture the Southland Conference Tournament championship and represent the league in the NCAA Tournament against North Carolina. Under Gales, the North Texas 1988-89 team also won the Southland Conference regular season championship.

Perhaps the greatest volleyball player in North Texas history, Marginas was the programs's first All-American. Marginas was a four-time first-team, all-conference player from 2000-03 and was the 2003 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. That 2003 season Marginas was named by the AVCA to the All-America team as she set the school record for most kills in a single season with 651.

Wilburn was a four-year football letterman from 1997-2000 and is the only player to ever lead North Texas in rushing yards four straight seasons. He finished his career as the Mean Green's all-time leading rusher with 3,120 yards. In 2000 when Wilburn finished his career ranked third in all-purpose yards with 3,299, which still ranks in the top 10 all-time at North Texas.