Former Arizona basketball standouts Al Fleming and Ernie McCray have long been inducted into the schoolβs Sports Hall of Fame, but it wasnβt until Friday that UA found a way to also place them in its menβs basketball Ring of Honor.
Doing so required a deep dive into their career statistics, where UA determined both ended their college careers leading in three major statistical categories, which is one of the criteria to make the Ring of Honor.
UA went back decades to track free-throw attempts, which were not regularly compiled in McCrayβs playing days, and found McCray took a then-record 537 while playing for the Wildcats between 1957-60. The school also added a category for double-doubles, in which Fleming was found to have collected the most in UA history with 53 over a career that spanned from 1972-76.
The Ring of Honor allows for those who finished as UA career leaders in three or more major categories, provided those career records last for a minimum of five years.
Fleming qualified based on leading in rebounds (heβs still first at 1,190), field-goal percentage (heβs now fifth at 58.3) and double-doubles. McCray qualified based on leading at the time in points (1,349), rebounds (824, now eighth) and free-throw attempts.
Other ways to qualify for the Ring of Honor include being a first-team all-American, a national βplayer of distinction,β a Pac-10/12 player/freshman/defender of the year or playing 10 or more years in a major American professional league.
Fleming, who passed away in 2003, was inducted into the UA Sports Hall of Fame in 1978. Among his notable achievements was shooting 66.7% from the floor in 1973-74, a single-season record at the time. He also set the then-McKale Center single-game scoring record with 41 against Detroit in 1975-76.
McCray, whose 46 points against Cal State Los Angeles in 1959-60 remains UAβs single-game scoring record, was named to the UA Sports Hall of Fame in 1988. He set 12 school records during his senior season and became the first African-American menβs basketball player to graduate from the University of Arizona.
Arizona now will have 28 players in its Ring of Honor when McCray and Fleming will be virtually inducted on Feb. 27, with an in-person event likely in the future.
Former UA forward Zeke Nnaji has qualified to be the 29th based on his Pac-12 Freshman of the Year award last season, but an induction date has not been announced for Nnaji.
The full Ring of Honor list for men's basketball:
Bob Elliott, C, 1974-77
Steve Kerr, G, 1984-88
Sean Elliott, G/F, 1986-89
Jud Buechler, F, 1987-90
Sean Rooks, C, 1989-92
Chris Mills, F/G, 1991-93
Khalid Reeves, G, 1991-94
Damon Stoudamire, G, 1992-95
Miles Simon, G, 1995-98
Jason Terry, G, 1996-99
Mike Bibby, G, 1997-98
Michael Wright, F, 1999-2001
Richard Jefferson, F, 1999-2001
Jason Gardner. G, 2000-03
Luke Walton, F, 2000-03
Salim Stoudamire, G, 2002-05
Gilbert Arenas, G, 2000-01
Channing Frye, C, 2002-05
Chase Budinger, F, 2007-09
Derrick Williams, F, 2010-11
Andre Iguodala, F, 2003-04
Aaron Gordon, F, 2014
Nick Johnson, G, 2012-14
Stanley Johnson, G, 2015
Jerryd Bayless, G, 2008
Deandre Ayton, F, 2018
Al Fleming, 1972-76
Ernie McCray, 1956-60
