BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford Athletics Department announced the members of its 2025 Athletics Hall of Fame class Tuesday morning.
 
The 2025 class, the eighth in the Hall of Fame's history, consists of the 1991 football team, James Bradberry from football, Ashley Cope from women's track and field, and Joey Davenport and Bill Lankford, both from men's basketball.
 
"I am thrilled to announce our eighth class of the Samford Athletics Hall of Fame," Samford Director of Athletics Martin Newton said. "Every year, I am amazed at the impressive accomplishments by our inductees. But even more, it touches me to see how much Samford University means to each member of our Hall of Fame. We look forward to inducting this class, which includes two of the top basketball players in school history, an NFL veteran, a track and field standout and one of the best football teams in program history."
 
The members of the 2025 Hall of Fame class will be officially inducted at a ceremony on April 26, 2025.
 
The Samford Athletics Hall of Fame opened in 2017. That first seven classes consisted of some impressive names, including Bobby Bowden, Cortland Finnegan, Jimbo Fisher, John Brady, Pat Sullivan, Jaquiski Tartt and Devlin Hodges.
 
In addition to the Hall of Fame inductees, Rickie and MaryAnn Moon were named the John C. Pittman Lifetime Achievement award winners. Rickie earned his bachelor's degree from Samford in 1977 and his master's from the school in 1997, while MaryAnn is a 1976 Samford graduate. Since graduating from the school, the Moons have been among the biggest supporters of all of Samford's 17 athletic teams.
 
A short bio on each of the 2025 induction class members is below.
 
1991 FOOTBALL TEAM
INDUCTEE CLASS OF 2025
The 1991 Samford football team set the standard for Bulldog football squads. The team set the school record for regular-season wins with 10 and for overall season wins with 12. The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 10-1 mark and entered the NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) Playoffs for the first time in school history. Playing each round on the road, Samford earned wins at New Hampshire (29-13) and James Madison (24-21) before falling to eventual national champion Youngstown State in the national semifinals. The run to the semifinals is, to date, the deepest playoff run at the Division I level in program history. The Bulldogs finished the season ranked in the top 10 of the national I-AA rankings for the first time in program history.
 
JAMES BRADBERRY
INDUCTEE CLASS OF 2025
James Bradberry was one of the top defensive players in the history of Samford football. He came to Samford in 2012 as a redshirt freshman after spending one season at Arkansas State. He was named first team All-SoCon and All-American as a senior in 2015. He was also named second team All-SoCon as a junior in 2014, and he finished his Samford career with eight interceptions. Following his Samford career, he was selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers, making him the second-highest drafted player in program history. He played four seasons with the Panthers and later played with the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2020 with the Giants and was named second team All-Pro in 2022 with the Eagles. He helped lead the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII.
 
ASHLEY COPE
INDUCTEE CLASS OF 2025
Ashley Cope was one of the most outstanding athletes in the history of the women's track and field program when she competed for the Bulldogs from 2011 to 2014. She won the SoCon title in the heptathlon (2013 and 2014), pentathlon (2014), 100-meter hurdles (2013) and pole vault (2013). She also was named the 2013 SoCon Women's Outdoor Most Outstanding Athlete. She holds the school record for the pentathlon 60-meter hurdles, and she is second in school history in the pentathlon overall with 3,653 points in 2014. In the heptathlon, she holds the school record in the 800 meters, and she ranks second in school history in the heptathlon overall, amassing 5,000 points in the 2014 season. After her playing career, Cope spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at Samford.
 
JOEY DAVENPORT
INDUCTEE CLASS OF 2025
Joey Davenport played basketball at Samford from 1992 to 1996. He Is the fourth all-time leading scorer in program history with 1,651 points. Davenport scored over 400 points in three consecutive seasons, and he averaged 16 points per game for his career. He helped lead his team to the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) West Division Championship as a senior. He is Samford's all-time leader in career free throws made (557) and is second in career free throws attempted (679), while shooting 82 percent from the line. He led the team in scoring during the 1993-94 season, scoring 447 points and averaging 19.4 points per game. During the 1994-95 season, he led the squad in assists, dishing out 86 for the season.
 
BILL LANKFORD
INDUCTEE CLASS OF 2025
Bill Lankford was a basketball standout at Samford (then Howard College) from 1954-57. He shares the school record for scoring average in a season, averaging 23.4 points per game during the 1956-57 season. The 631 total points he scored during that season rank third in school history for a single season. For his career, he ranks fifth in program history with an impressive 1,621 career points. Following his Samford career, Lankford became a highly successful high school and junior college basketball coach. His 1980 Jefferson State Community College team finished second in the National Junior College Championship Tournament in Hutchison, Kansas. He finished his coaching career with 718 wins and 402 losses. He was inducted into the Alabama Community College Conference Hall of Fame in 1990.
 
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