Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1986
Tony Fioravanti was the first pass-oriented quarterback at Murray State, and he set the standard for others to be measured by. During his career, which extended from 1960 to 1963, he established school records for game, season, and career completion percentage, one of which still stands while the other two lasted until 1985.
As a sophomore in 1961, Fioravanti set the MSU record for completion percentage in a game when he connected on 12 of his 14 attempts, covering 94 yards while spurring the Racers to a 35-28 Homecoming victory.
That season, Fioravanti completed .546 of his 141 pass attempts for 858 years and gave up only three interceptions. The following season, he led the Ohio Valley Conference with 1,055 yards, then a Murray State record.
While those performances were noteworthy, the Melrose Park, Ill., native had saved the best for his senior year. MSU traveled to Jonesboro, Ark., for a Nov. 2 game with Arkansas State. Trailing the Indians 33-26 late in the contest, Fioravanti directed a 74-yard scoring drive which was capped by a two-yard scoring pass to Tom Cox with 46 seconds left in the game. Coach Don Shelton elected to go for the two point conversion to win the game and sent Fioravanti on a roll-out which enabled him to find Bobby Chapman in the end zone, giving MSU a 34-33 victory and ensuring them a .500 season. Fiorvanti finished that game with 213 yards passing while completing 15 of 23 attemps.Â
Fiorvanti completed his career at Murray State with a .513 completion percentage record, an outstanding performance in an era of .500 passers. He also established school records in passing yardage (3,562) and touchdown passes (31), and his 1,055 yards in 1962 also was a school mark. In short, he became the standard by which all other Murray State quarterbacks would be judged.
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| Johnny Reagan & Tony Fioravanti | |
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| Class of 1986 Jim Moore, Fred Sowerby, Dick Cunningham, Cal Luther & Dick Cunningham |
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