Montclair, NJ - The Montclair State University Department of Athletics unveiled its 2026 Hall of Fame Class on Thursday morning.

C.J. Conway (Football), Jeffrey Johnson (Men's Basketball), Katie Sire (Women's Basketball), and Brian McLaughlin (Swimming & Diving) will comprise the 49th class inducted, which will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame in October. 

The group increased the total number of members of the Montclair State University Hall of Fame to 244.

C.J. CONWAY (Football, 2011 - 2014)

One of the most decorated Red Hawks in the history of Montclair Football, C.J. Conway highlighted a defense that helped Montclair compile 25 victories over his four-year tenure. The Red Hawks notched a pair of eight-win campaigns during his collegiate career, capped off with a New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship in 2014. Conway played in all 40 games during his time at Montclair, bursting onto the scene during his sophomore campaign with 48 tackles, 11 pass deflections, and a pair of interceptions. He recorded his first career interception against Salve Regina and posted seven tackles and a pair of pass breakups a few weeks later against William Paterson.

Conway posted a breakout campaign in 2013, ranking sixth among all defensive backs in the NJAC with 59 tackles across 10 contests. He led the conference in passes defended with 16 that included an interception and 15 pass breakups, the second-highest single-season total in program history. He collected seven tackles in Montclair's season opener against Lebanon Valley and followed it up with a season-high eight the next week in a victory against Salve Regina. He shined on the back end of the defense for the Red Hawks throughout the year, breaking up three passes during a defensive battle against Rowan and four in a road victory over Morrisville State the following month. 

In his senior season, Conway capped off his stellar career by ranking second in the NJAC and third in all of Division III in interceptions with eight. His career performance came in November, as he intercepted four passes, including one returned for a touchdown, along with seven tackles against Cortland. He finished his tenure with 12 interceptions, sixth all-time in program history, and 33 pass breakups, second-best on the career list. Conway garnered a litany of accolades during his career, including five All-American awards, two All-Region and First Team All-NJAC selections, NJAC Defensive Player of the Year (2014), and NJAC Male Athlete of the Year (2014).

JEFFREY JOHNSON (Men's Basketball, 1977 - 1981)

A premier scorer and leader, Jeffrey Johnson was a prime focal point of Montclair's Men's Basketball program during the late 1970s and helped build the foundation for the program's strong run in the early 1980s. With no three-point line, Johnson compiled 1,227 points during his four-year career, a mark that ranks 11th in program history for total scoring. After appearing in 14 games during his freshman campaign, he surged ahead the following year as the team's leading scorer at 15.7 points per game. He shot 48 percent from the floor and also helped orchestrate the offense with a team-best 102 assists, adding 93 rebounds. On the defensive side of the ball, Johnson notched a team-best 55 steals as the Red Hawks compiled a double-digit win season.

The following season, Johnson played in all 21 games and totaled 453 points while averaging a team-leading 21.6 points per game. He shot 47 percent from the field while grabbing a team-best 151 rebounds, averaging 7.2 per game. He once again shined defensively, as he was tied for the team lead in blocks with 20 and added 34 steals. His senior campaign saw him collect 362 points across 16 games, ranking second on the team at 22.6 points per game. He shot 53 percent from the floor and registered 94 rebounds, and was part of the team that went 15-12, Montclair's most victories in 10 seasons. The Red Hawks won the NJAC Championship over Glassboro State and went on to win a NCAA Division III Tournament First Round game over Roanoke, its first-ever victory in the competition.

Johnson ranks ninth in scoring average for a single season in program history with his 21.6 points per game during the 1979-80 campaign, and his 197 field goals made during that year ranking 12th for a single season. He collected First Team All-NJAC honors following that season for his efforts. His 16.6 points per game for his 74-game career ranks ninth in program history, as he finished his career with a 49-percent shooting percentage, 411 rebounds, 58 assists, 70 steals, and 39 blocks. The Red Hawks won 42 games during his four years at Montclair, including 24 within conference play.

KATIE SIRE (Women's Basketball, 2014 - 2018)

The all-time leader in minutes played in program history, Katie Sire was a critical part of one of the most successful stretches in the history of Montclair Women's Basketball. Across 3,729 minutes and four seasons, Sire accumulated 1,758 points, 954 rebounds, 231 assists, and 239 steals while helping the Red Hawks qualify for the NCAA Division III Tournament each year. She appeared in 33 games during her freshman campaign and finished 19th in the NJAC in scoring while ranking 10th in field goal percentage, as the Red Hawks posted a sizzling 31-2 record en route to a NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance and third place finish. The 31-win mark still resides as a program record for a single season.

Sire continued to grow during her sophomore year as she led the team in scoring and rebounds while ranking in the top 15 of the NJAC in six statistical categories. She posted 11 double-double performances to help Montclair win 22 games and make it to a NCAA Tournament Second Round game. The Red Hawks followed that up with a 26-win campaign and another Second Round appearance during her junior season, as Sire once again led the team in scoring and rebounding while ranking in the top ten of the NJAC in four statistical categories. During the 2017-18 season, Montclair notched a 25-4 record and a run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, with Sire averaging a career-best 21.2 points per game.
Her four seasons with the Red Hawks brought in a collection of accolades, as Sire was named NJAC Player of the Year twice, along with two Region Player of the Year honors. She was named an All-American by three different organizations over her final two seasons. Sire sits in the top five of program history in six statistical categories, ranking second in games started and third in games played on top of being the all-time minutes leader. Montclair compiled 104 victories during her time with the Red Hawks, which ranks as one of the most successful four-year stretches in the history of the program.

BRIAN MCLAUGHLIN (Swimming & Diving, 1989 - 2026)

After 37 seasons as the Head Coach of Montclair's Swimming & Diving programs, Brian McLaughlin has been named to the Hall of Fame as one of the winningest coaches in the school's history. He inherited teams that were a combined 4-17 the year before he arrived and led a quick turnaround that saw 44 combined victories over his first four seasons at the helm. During that time, five swimmers qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships with three being named All-Americans. As a result, McLaughlin was named the Metropolitan Swimming and Diving Conference Coach of the Year in 1993. 

Montclair continued to be a contender in Swimming & Diving as the years progressed, as the women's team won its first-ever Metropolitan Conference Swimming Championship in 1995, replicating the success the following campaign. In 2014, he guided Montclair to one of its best dual meet seasons, with the men's and women's teams combining for 15 wins, punctuated by a fifth place finish from the women's team in the Metropolitan Swimming and Diving Championships, ranking second among Division III teams. Most recently, McLaughlin posted 73 combined victories over his final five seasons, including back-to-back 10-win campaigns on the women's side in 2023 and 2024. It culminated in 2024, when ROURKE PERALTA qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championship meet with a school record and NCAA "B" cut time in the 100 freestyle.

He also succeeded in turning the Women's Tennis program into a competitive team in the east region. Inheriting an 0-8 team that had not had a winning season in a decade, McLaughlin posted 106 victories and earned multiple NJAC Coach of the Year honors. He also guided Montclair to its only NJAC title, a co-championship in 1996. McLaughlin was named the NJAC Men's Swimming & Diving Coach of the Year in 2011, capturing the same mark on the women's side in back-to-back years in 2014 and 2015. He is one of five coaches in Montclair history to compile 300 or more victories, finishing his career with 398. His career win total ranks third in department history.