Elon University’s 40th Sports Hall of Fame class, which will be inducted at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 11, includes football player Lamar Adams, football player Whitney Bradham and men’s tennis player Robert Eskilsson.
The event, which is open to the public, will be held in Whitley Auditorium on the Elon campus.
The three inductees will also be recognized later that day during a halftime ceremony of Elon’s 7 p.m. football game between the Phoenix and Shaw at Rhodes Stadium.
A four-year starter on the defensive line for Elon, Adams amassed 273 tackles and 15.5 sacks in 42 games. In 11 contests in 1991, he totaled a team-leading 87 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one interception, two pass break-ups and three fumble recoveries. That performance lifted Adams to all-conference honors as well as honorable mention All-America distinction. Adams followed that up with a senior campaign in which he made a team-high 68 stops, 6.5 sacks, intercepted one pass and broke up three others. As a senior he was named the league’s defensive MVP while earning all-conference and first-team All-America nods. The team MVP as a sophomore in 1990, Adams earned second-team all-conference honors with 62 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 10 games. Adams began his career in the maroon and gold in 1988, recording 56 tackles in 11 games as a freshman before taking a medical red-shirt in 1989.
A 1992 graduate of Elon, Adams resides in Franklinton, N.C. where he is the owner of Hard-Mar Inc.
The late Bradham was a four-year letter-winner for Elon in the 1950s, earning all-conference honors in 1955 and 1956. Bradham did it all on the gridiron for Elon, playing as a halfback, defensive back and on special teams. In 36 career games he rushed 370 times for 1,603 yards, completed two passes for 47 yards, caught 23 balls for 375 yards, returned 25 kickoffs for 461 yards, returned 38 punts for 536 yards and picked off 14 passes. He racked up a total of 3,209 all-purpose yards, including 1,008 yards in 10 games as a senior in 1956. As a junior in 1955, Bradham led the team with 548 rushing yards. Twice he was second on the team in rushing and receiving. During Bradham’s senior season, he compiled 246 punt return yards, including a long of 62 yards. Bradham led Elon in interceptions in each of his first three seasons, picking off four, six and two passes, respectively. Upon the conclusion of his storied career, Bradham was Elon’s all-time leader in interceptions and all-purpose yards. He also ranked fourth in total offense.
Bradham’s widow Mary resides in Dunn, N.C. The couple has four children – Whit Bradham, Hugh Bradham, Mary Gage and David Bradham.
Eskilsson was a four-time letter-winner and all-conference selection on the tennis courts for Elon. He also collected All-America honors in both 1995 and 1996 and was the team MVP as a senior in 1997. In his four seasons, Eskilsson compiled a 61-27 record in singles competition while also going 72-23 in doubles play. As a freshman in 1994, he went 20-3 overall in singles and 19-3 in doubles while helping the team to a 20-4 mark and a fifth-place ranking nationally. In 1995 the team went 16-8 and finished 10th nationally while Eskilsson was 18-5 in singles and 18-4 in doubles. The 1996 season saw Eskilsson compile a 15-8 singles mark along with a 23-4 record in doubles as the team finished seventh in the national rankings. His senior year, 1997, was Elon’s first of the transition years to NCAA Division I play. Eskilsson finished his Elon career with an 8-11 singles tally and a 12-12 doubles mark.
Eskilsson and his wife Marie reside in Taby, Sweden with their son Carl. Eskilsson is currently a sales manager for Skandia Insurance Company.