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Media Credit: Ryan Rendleman David Dardis is owner of the Rainmaker shop, which is located on Makanda's boardwalk. Dardis, who has lived in Makanda for about 30 years, spends most of the day in the store, which is home to his metal sculptures, as well as odds and ends, such as various metals, glass objects and cigarette butts. Dardis incorporates a host of objects into his art, which can be anything from a fish with a light in its mouth to huge stars. When he tires from using a blow torch, Dardis said he works on the maze located behind the shop. It is has wooden walls, metal sculptures and a creek.

Bart Scott said all the screaming crowds and millions of NFL fans in Baltimore could not give him the same joy three simple words gave him in Carbondale.

Hall of fame.

Scott, a former Saluki linebacker, headlined the 2008 SIU Hall of Fame class that was inducted Friday and presented at halftime of Saturday's men's basketball game. Former wide receiver Cornell Craig, swimmer Chris Gally, softball pitcher Erin Campbell and baseball pitcher Scott Waltemate were also included in the class.

Scott has found the most post-SIU athletic success out of the five inductees. He signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2002 and went on to earn All-Pro recognition in 2006 when he recorded 135 tackles with 9.5 sacks and two interceptions.

Despite all his accomplishments in the professional ranks, he said being named to the SIU Hall of Fame has been his proudest athletic moment.

"This is, probably, sports-wise, the greatest moment of my life," Scott said. "This immortalizes you. People will walk down these hallways, and maybe I'll spark some little kid, who'll stop and read the bio, and find out who I was, what I accomplished, and realize that I went here."

The road to immortalization for Scott was a rocky path. While SIU fans have grown accustomed to watching football excellence on Saturdays, Scott's squads were not as fortunate.

In his time as a Saluki from 1998 to 2001, SIU compiled a record of 12-32 with the best season coming in 1999 when it went 5-6. It was that sort of adversity that Scott said pushed him to be a better football player and a better man.

Scott said he hopes he can inspire others to set their aspirations high and accomplish their goals.

"Right now my voice is as loud as it has ever been," Scott said. "If you want to achieve anything you have to persevere and be relentless and be willing to pay the price. If you do that, who's to say you can't achieve it?"

The biggest inspiration for Scott has always been his mother. Scott said there were times he wanted to quit football when he was young, but his mother would always push him to stay with it one more year.

Scott was unable to stay for Saturday's presentation at halftime so his mother stood in for him and he said it is what she deserved after all her years of hard work.

"She gets to experience what I do every Sunday," Scott said. "I never quit anything and it was because of her. She deserves every cheer more than I do."

Someone else who never quit was Scott's teammate Craig. Craig holds almost every single receiving record after a stellar career from 1996 to 1999. He holds the record for most receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in a career, among other milestones.

Around the same time, Erin Campbell was bringing the heat for the softball team. Campbell played from 1998 to 2001 and earned first team all-conference honors in three of those seasons.

Campbell said playing softball was a big part of her life and it still is today.

"It was a way of life down here," Campbell said. "I miss the pressure situations but I still remain in contact with all my old teammates. We were a very close group."

Two inductees at least 10 years out of their athletic careers were Gally and Waltemate.

Galley was a nine-time All-American while earning national honors in nine separate events. He also competed in the NCAA national meet in two seasons where he earned top-10 finishes both years.

Waltemate is still one of the Salukis' finest pitchers more than 30 years since he last took the mound for the maroon. Waltemate is the career leader in wins with 28 and helped the team to two College World Series appearances. He was also drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1974.

Jeff Engelhardt can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 269 or jengel@siu.edu.

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