Keith Tucker has joined a distinguished group of athletes and coaches after being inducted into the Howard University Athletic Hall of Fame.

The former Bermuda coach was among a select group of inductees who were honoured at a banquet late last month.

Tucker coached his alma mater for 26 seasons, with his most notable achievement coming when his side remained undefeated to the 1988 NCAA championship game.

He was also a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Coach of the Year award winner.

Among the notable names to have benefited from his coaching at the university in Washington is Shaka Hislop.

The former Trinidad & Tobago goalkeeper played in England for Reading, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Portsmouth and also represented his country at the 2006 World Cup.

“Each year an athlete or team from all the sports at Howard and from the past 50 years is honoured,” Tucker told The Royal Gazette.

“A likeness of them will be placed on the Wall of Fame and it is a great honour to go on this wall and to be recognised for your performance in this manner.

“I am very proud and as a coach of future leaders, of young men and women, I get this same feeling every year at graduation time by knowing that they are ready to compete or are able to help others deal with this world we live in.

Tucker joins fellow Bermudians Stanfield Smith and Donald Simmons in the Howard Hall of Fame and he was keen to pay tribute to those former footballers who played during the civil rights struggle in the United States

“I thank them, Mr Stanfield Smith and Dr Donald Simmons, for their guidance every day,” Tucker said.

This has been a year of recognition for Tucker, who has received his second such induction.

In January, he was recognised by the District of Columbia for his years of service in helping to introduce and develop football at every level from Division 1 college down to United States co-ed recreational youth level.