MISHAWAKA –  Former Bethel College basketball star Rico Swanson has been named a 2016 inductee for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame.

The NAIA Hall of Fame induction remains the highest honor presented by the Association since its foundation in 1952. Swanson is the first Bethel student-athlete to be voted into the NAIA Hall of Fame, and joins Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Lightfoot as the only other member of the Bethel family to be given the honor.

Swanson will be presented with his award during an induction ceremony March 9, 2016 at the Men’s Basketball Division II Banquet of Champions in Point Lookout, Missouri.

In addition to entering into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2016, Swanson is also entering the Bethel Athletics Hall of Fame on October 4, 2015 in a ceremony held in Championship Lobby in the Weikamp Athletic Center on Bethel’s campus. Swanson’s #11 jersey was retired upon his graduation and hangs in Championship Lobby, along with four other members of the men’s basketball program.

Throughout the storied history of the Bethel men’s basketball program, Swanson remains the most decorated student-athlete to ever don the Pilots jersey. A member of three NAIA DII Men’s Basketball National Championship teams, Swanson was named the NAIA National Player of the Year in both 1997 and 1998. Swanson played a pivotal role during the Pilots’ runs to the national title games and was named National Tournament Most Valuable Player in 1997 and 1998. Almost two decades later, Swanson still holds four NAIA DII Men’s Basketball Tournament records, including most career steals (56), most career field goals (117), most games played (17) and tournament scoring average (18.6 points per game).

During his basketball career at Bethel, Swanson was a two-time NAIA All-American (’97, ’98), a three-time NCCAA All-American (’95, ’97, ’98) , the 1998 Pete Maravich Award winner (NCCAA National Player of the Year award), two-time Mid-Central Collegiate Conference (MCC – now Crossroads League) Player of the Year (’97, ’98) and was a three-time All-MCC First Team selection (’95, ’96, ’97). In addition, he holds two individual men’s basketball records and landed in the top 10 in many categories, including first in career steals (469), first, second and third in steals in a season (132 in ’96-’97; 127 in ’95-’96; 105 in ’96-’97), second in career assists (770), third and ninth in assists in a season (253 in ’97-’98; 220 in ’96-’97), sixth in career points (2,084), seventh in single season three-point field goal percentage (42.3 percent in ’96-’97), eighth in career three-point field goal percentage (36.6 percent) and ninth in career three-point field goals made (127).

Lightfoot commented on Swanson’s induction on behalf of the Bethel basketball community.

“We are so excited that Rico Swanson has been selected to the NAIA hall of fame. Rico’s team success and individual accomplishments are elite. He is one of the very best players to play at the NAIA level in its history. This is a well deserving honor for him, our Bethel family and our entire community.”

Over the course of his outstanding four year career with the Pilots, Swanson compiled a record 144 career wins and just 12 losses, making him the winningest player in Bethel men’s basketball history.

Swanson played his high school basketball at South Bend Riley before his outstanding collegiate career at Bethel.