Jaelon Darden heads UNT 2026 Athletics Hall of Fame Class

North Texas announced its 2026 Athletics Hall of Fame Class on Tuesday, when the school honored three former football players, basketball and soccer standouts as well as two influential former administrators.

Wide receiver Jaelon Darden, defensive end Jeremiah Chapman, offensive lineman John Lott, men’s basketball great Javion Hamlet, women’s soccer star Karla Pineda and former athletic director Rick Villarreal joined lifetime achievement award winner Ray Braswell in the class.

The group, selected by members of the Mean Green for Life Letterwinners Association, current members of the Athletics Hall of Fame and the Hall of Fame committee, will be inducted Oct. 10 in conjunction with a home football game against Charlotte.

The class encompasses a wide range of contributors to UNT athletics, both on and off the field.

Darden played for UNT from 2017-20 and was a consensus All-American in 2020, and he became the only player who finished his career at the school to be selected in the NFL draft since 2004. Chapman graduated in 2007 after a four-year career and was a three-time all-conference selection.

Lott played for UNT from 1983-86 and was twice named all-conference. The offensive lineman went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets and is best known for his post-playing career in the NFL. He was a prominent strength coach for 24 years and was twice named the league’s Strength Coach of the Year. Lott also oversaw the bench press at the NFL Scouting Combine for 17 years.

Hamlet led UNT to the 2021 NCAA Tournament and was the Conference USA Player of the Year in 2019-20 season.

Pineda was a prominent figure in an impressive run by the UNT women’s soccer team during her career that spanned from 2012-15 when the Mean Green won five conference titles and made two NCAA Tournament appearances.

Villarreal served as UNT’s athletic director from 2001-16 and played a key role in the program dramatically upgrading its facilities during his tenure, which also saw the Mean Green win 31 conference championships. UNT build DATCU Stadium as well as the North Texas Athletic Center, Lovelace Stadium, and the Waranch Tennis Complex in his time at the school.

Braswell was a UNT student athletic trainer in the 1970s and became a two-time graduate of the school. He went on to serve as the superintendent of the Denton Independent School District from 1998 until he retired in 2012.