VOTE FOR THE BILL COCKLEY RAIDER IMPACT AWARD

Coach Mac recognizes Bill Cockley at the 2023 Spring Game

The Bill Cockley Raider Impact Award Winner was created to honor one of the great Red Raiders from the 1950s. Bill was a SU Hall of Fame two way lineman who paved the way for one of the nations top offenses and one of the top defenses. Bill was a leader on the field and off, teaching and coaching after he graduated Shippensburg and having an impact on numerous young people and the community in which he lived. Our nominees reflect these ideals and have had a great impact on Ship athletes, students, communities and society. The award will be presented at the team breakfast April 12th at the Spring Game & Reunion.

NOMINEES

Bob Rollins - A highly respected football coach and business professor at Shippensburg beginning in the late 1960s. Rollins coached under five head football coaches during his time at Ship.  Over a 35+ year career at Ship, he had a positive influence on countless athletes and students and has had an impact on the University and the Shippensburg community at-large.

Jim Monos - Inducted into the SU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991 as one of the great Ship quarterbacks. Monos was the first QB to complete over 100 passes in a season. He went on to have a stellar  coaching career at Shippensburg and was the OC on the 1981 PSAC Championship team. He then went on to coach at Bloomsburg and at Lebanon Valley College where he was inducted into the LVC Athletic Hall of Fame as a coach.

Ray Ellis - A team captain standout Red Raider Ray was a two way starter as a fullback and linebacker on the great Vinton Rambo teams of the early 1950s. Those teams led the nation in rushing  and defense with Ray rarely coming off the field. Upon graduation he served in the Navy and was eventually stationed in Vietnam. During his time in Vietnam he taught locals english and had a profound impact on locals. He was killed in an ambush on his boat  in the Delta. He received the Silver Star for Valor. Each year, the Ray Ellis Award Fighting Heart Award is presented to a standout and upstanding SU football player.

Al Seagraves - A 1975 graduate, Seagraves was team captain and led the team in tackles his senior year as a linebacker. He was selected as an All-American, All-ECAC, All Conference, and was the first recipient of the Ray ellis Fighting Heart Award. One of the standout players in Ship history, Seagraves coached at Shippensburg in the late 1970s and then went on to coach at Army, the University of Central Florida, The Citadel and Elon University. He was inducted into the SU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.

Ricky Diggs - A standout half-back for the Red Raiders in the mid 70’s, Ricky Diggs was the first running back in Ship history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. In 1974 he was named  team captain and was selected All-PSAC First Team honors. Ricky then went on to coach football at Morgan State University and the University of South Carolina. In 2009, he was inducted into the SU Athletic Hall of Fame.

Gene Epley —Coach Epley put the Red Raiders on the map, turning around a football program that was struggling, Epley returned Shippensburg to its winning ways in the early 70s. Coaching  numerous All-PSAC and All-American players, Epley was a highly respected leader. He was responsible for starting athletic fund raising at Ship by establishing the Century Club - which eventually evolved into today’s Raider Club. Following his years at Ship,  Epley went on to coach at the University of Virginia, West Point, William and Mary, and Marietta College.