Arizona Athletics announced an eight-member 2023 Hall of Fame class Wednesday, and it includes perhaps the most famous former Wildcat football player.
Rob Gronkowski is among the ex-Cats who will be inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 3. The others are:
鈥� Preston Guilmet, baseball student-athlete, 2005-09
鈥� John Perrin, Arizona Athletics chief financial officer, 1979-2014
鈥� Beloved Promise (formerly Brigetta Barrett), track and field student-athlete, 2009-13
鈥� Dave Rubio, volleyball head coach, 1992-2023
鈥� Stephen Sambu, cross country and track and field student-athlete, 2010-13
鈥� Justine Schluntz, swimming and diving student-athlete, 2005-10
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鈥� Kirsten Smith, women's basketball student-athlete, 1982-86
Gronkowski enjoyed an All-America career at Arizona before going on to establish himself as one of the most accomplished tight ends in the history of the NFL. The 2008 first-team All-Pac-10 and third-team All-American finished his collegiate career as Arizona's record holder in a single game, season and career for receptions, yards and touchdowns by a tight end.
Guilmet, a two-time All-American, remains the baseball program's leader in games started (61) and innings pitched (416鈪�) while ranking second all time with 419 strikeouts. Guilmet was selected by Cleveland in the ninth round of the 2009 MLB Draft and made his big-league debut in 2013.
Perrin served 35 years in the athletics department, covering four decades and 20 of the school's 22 team NCAA championships while overseeing massive growth in the department's budget.

Brigetta Barrett won a silver medal in the women's high jump at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She has since changed her name to Beloved Promise and will be entering the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame this year.
Promise is a six-time NCAA national champion, eight-time All-American, Olympic silver medalist and repeated record breaker in the high jump. While at Arizona she tallied three conference championships, set the school record in the indoor and outdoor high jump, earned two CoSIDA Academic All-America selections and earned the 2013 Pac-12 Woman of the Year award.聽
Rubio finished his 31-year career at the helm of Arizona Volleyball ranked 11th among active Division I coaches with 692 career victories, 570 of which came at Arizona. Under his guidance the Wildcats made 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, advancing to eight Sweet 16s, four Elite Eights and one Final Four.
Sambu was an eight-time All-American and a two-time conference champion while at Arizona. After setting a program record in the 10K in 2011 that still stands, he earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors, kicking off a remarkable two-sport career. Sambu finished as high as second place at the NCAA Championships five times across three events.
Schluntz, one of four Wildcats to earn NCAA Woman of the Year honors, was a driving force behind the women's swimming and diving team NCAA championship in 2008. During her time in Tucson Schluntz was part of five NCAA championship-winning relay teams, including back-to-back titles in the 400-yard medley relay. She was a 16-time All-American.
Smith, the first women's basketball player at Arizona to score 1,000 career points, enters the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame after having earned a spot in the Ring of Honor this year. Over 33 years after her playing career ended, Smith still remains in the program's all-time top 10 in numerous categories.
The Star's Justin Spears and Michael Lev analyze and break down the important stories from Arizona's 38-3 win over Northern Arizona.
Contact sports reporter/columnist reporter Michael Lev at mlev@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @michaeljlev