Reinikainen, Stainback Inducted Into Athletic Hall Of Fame
PEMBROKE – Timo Reinikainen, the first
NCAA all-American in the history of the men’s soccer program,
and Jay Stainback, a four-time all-American wrestler in the mid
1980s, became the 72nd and 73rd members of the Athletic Hall of
Fame on Friday evening. Both were officially inducted into the
distinguished listing of former athletes, coaches and
administrators at a special ceremony.
A two-time all-region selection by the National Soccer Coaches
Association of America, as well as a two-time all-Peach Belt
Conference honoree, Reinikainen earned all-American status in 1992
– the first of just four NCAA all-Americans in the history of
the program in Pembroke. A starting midfielder, Reinikainen led the
Black and Gold to a cumulative 20-13-0 record in two seasons while
also scoring nine career goals and 11 assists. Despite suffering a
knee injury in his senior season, he continued his dedication to
the men’s soccer team though continuous support as an
assistant coach along with his permanent effort in practice and on
the field.
Reinikanen and his wife currently reside in Vantaa, Finland, where
is an operations manager at Helsinki-Service Oy. His day-to-day
operations include international and domestic postal shipments
along with developing customer relationships using his knowledge of
English and Finnish.
One of 22 members of UNCP’s 100 Wins Club, Stainback was
decorated with all-American honors following all four seasons of
competition in the Black and Gold, including three laurels in the
190-pound weight class. Having booked 117 wins during his career in
Pembroke, Stainback earned NAIA all-district laurels following each
of his four seasons, while also capturing the region championship
as a sophomore in 1984-85. A two –time academic scholar as
well, he was an integral part of a dominating UNCP squad that
captured NAIA district championships in both 1985 and 1986.
Stainback and his wife, Juliet, currently reside in Raleigh where
he is a teacher concentrating his efforts on children with special
needs at Millbrook High School. The couple are the proud parents of
two boys, Michael Angelo and Kyle.
