World record track star Renaldo Nehemiah was inducted into the University of Maryland Alumni Hall of Fame on June 4.

Nehemiah is one of 16 Maryland alumni honored this year for "entertaining, educating, serving and defending us," in the words of the university's alumni director. Other 2005 inductees include news anchor Connie Chung, Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams, Seinfeld creator Larry David and Nobel Prize winner Raymond Davis, Jr. They join 35 other alumni in the Hall of Fame.

Nehemiah was inducted in ceremonies in the University of Maryland's new Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which takes place every five years, was one of a series of events scheduled to dedicate the multi-building Riggs Alumni Center complex near Byrd Stadium.

The 2005 inductees have forged groundbreaking paths in athletics, politics, science, education, arts, journalism, business, entertainment, broadcasting, and law enforcement.

Nehemiah, who graduated from Maryland in 1981, is known around the world for his record-setting track and field performances and his years with the Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers. In 1978, he set a world record that still stands today in the 55- meter hurdles. Between 1978 and 1982, he was the world's No. 1 high hurdler--the first to break 13 seconds in the 110-meter event, running a 12.93 in 1981.

In 1982, Nehemiah became a wide receiver for San Francisco, winning the 1986 Jim Thorpe Award for excellence in two or more sports. He was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. Nehemiah won the court case that allows all professional athletes to compete in amateur track events. Today he works in sports marketing and investment planning in the Washington, D.C area.

"The new inductees to the University of Maryland Hall of Fame, and those who have preceded them, have contributed to the world around us in extraordinary ways," said Maryland President C.D. Mote Jr. "We are enormously proud of them and the role that the University played in helping them to etch their deep marks on society. They have just reason to feel proud of themselves."

"Maryland graduates--especially our Hall of Fame alumni--are second to none, and now they have a home on campus that reflects that fact," said Danita Nias, executive director of the University of Maryland Alumni Association.

More on the inductees.