A pair of former Wildcats turned professional champions highlight this year’s Arizona Sports Hall of Fame class.
Former football quarterback Nick Foles and men’s basketball forward Channing Frye are among the Class of 2025 inductees, Arizona Athletics announced this week.
Both players excelled at Arizona before going on to win championships – Foles with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018 and Frye with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.
The class also includes four members of the Arizona swimming and diving
program and one baseball player.
Here’s who made it.
Nick Foles, 2008-11
Foles is widely considered the best quarterback to play at Arizona. The Texas native transferred to Arizona from Michigan State in 2008, redshirting his first year in Tucson.
As a sophomore in 2009, Foles took over the starting job early in the year over Matt Scott and never looked back. He led the Wildcats to an 8-5 record and a second-place finish in the Pac-10.
Foles emerged onto the national picture as a junior, guiding Arizona to an upset win over Iowa and a quick start in the Pac-10 race. Arizona reached as high as No. 9 in the rankings that season before losing its last five games. Foles threw 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior.
Foles’ senior season was one of the best in program history. He threw for over 4,300 yards, ranking fifth nationally in passing yards. The season was a disappointment for the Wildcats, but Foles ended his UA career on top by beating ASU in the Territorial Cup.
Foles went on to be drafted in the third round by the Eagles. He played for six teams over 11 seasons until retiring in 2024.
Channing Frye, 2001-05
Frye is among the the top big men to come through the Arizona men’s basketball program, as well as one of the program’s top in-state players.
The St. Mary’s High School (Phoenix) grad arrived at Arizona in 2001-02 and immediately developed into a key contributor, starting 25 games as a freshman. Frye 9.5 averaged points and 6.3 rebounds his first year and earned All-Pac-12 Freshman Team honors.
As a sophomore, Frye proved himself as one of the top scorers, blockers and rebounders in the Pac-10. He finished third in the league and in the top 30 nationally in shooting percentage. He was named Arizona’s most improved player in a vote of his teammate.
By Frye’s junior season, he was collecting double-doubles left and right. He averaged a career-best 15.9 points to go with 7.4 rebounds, earning first-team All-Pac-10 honors.
Frye put together a stellar senior season as well, averaging 15.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.3 blocks. He was the recipient of the University of Arizona’s Sapphire Award, given to the outstanding senior male student-athlete. Frye was outstanding in his final game, an Elite 8 loss to Illinois, scoring 24 points with 12 rebounds.
He went on to be drafted by the New York Knicks with the eighth overall pick. Frye played for six NBA teams over 13 seasons.
Brad Tandy, 2013-16
Tandy, a South African-born swimmer, joined Arizona’s swimming program in 2013 after beginning his career at the junior college level. Tandy won the NCAA title in the 50 free his first season with a time of 18.95. He earned All-America honors in the 50 free, 200 free relay and 200 medley relay.
In his second and final season, Tandy took home the Pac-12 title in the 50 free and went on to finish third in the event at NCAAs. Tandy earned All-America honors as a member of the 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay and the 400 free relay.
Tandy competed for South America at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he finished sixth in the 50 meter freestyle.
Ben Diggins, 1998-2000
Diggins played as both a pitcher and designated hitter with Arizona.
As a senior, he was named first team All-America selection by Baseball Weekly and a Smith Award semi-finalist, an honor given to the nation’s top player.
He went 10-4 on the mound with a 3.83 ERA and had 127 strikeouts in 112.2 innings pitched. Diggins went 18-10 during his career with an ERA of 5.22 and pitched five complete games.
As Arizona’s DH, he batted .336 and had nine home runs and 34 RBI. He was second on the team in on-base percentage.
Diggins was drafted 17th overall by the Los Angeles Angels. He appeared in the big leagues in one season (2002) with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Margo Geer, 2010-14
Geer won three NCAA sprint championships at Arizona including two in the 100 freestyle and one in the 50 freestyle.
The Springfield, Ohio native earned 27 All-American honors in four seasons with the Wildcats. She holds the school record in the 100 free (46.86) and is a part of the school-record holding relay teams in the 400 free (3:10.63), 800 free (6:57.26) and 400 medley (3:28.83). Geer’s 50-free time of 21.53 is second best in Arizona history.
Geer was the 2015 Pac-12 Woman of the Year.
Geer is now the head coach of the Alabama swimming and diving programs.
Kevin Cordes, 2011-15
Corde won four NCAA individual national championships in 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard breaststroke. The Naperville, Illinois native was twice named NCAA Swimmer of the Year.
Cordes went on to set American records in the 50-meter and 100-meter breaststroke (long course). He was a member of Team USA 2016 Olympic team. He finished fourth in the 100-meter breaststroke.
Cordes comes from a UofA family, as his father played football at Arizona and his sister played volleyball.
Samantha Pickens, 2010-14
Pickens earned two national championships and five All-American honors over the course of her Arizona career.
Pickens won national championships on one-meter in both 2013 and 2015. She also won the Pac-12 one-meter title in 2015.
Pickens served as Arizona’s interim diving coach in 2017-18. She is now the diving coach at Liberty.
An entire list of members in the UA Hall of Fame can be found at ArizonaWildcats.com.
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