In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Vanderbilt University experienced a new Golden Age in its Men�s Basketball program, under the leadership of Coaches C.M. Newton and Eddie Fogler. From 1988-1993, the Vanderbilt Men�s hoops team compiled an overall record of 140-85, making the NCAA Tournament three times - including two Sweet 16 berths - and the NIT four times - winning the NIT Championship in 1990. In 1993, helped by huge upset victories over 9th-ranked Louisville, top-ranked Kentucky, and 8th-ranked Arkansas, the team finished at 26-5, including a 14-2 conference mark, good enough for the SEC regular season Championship, a top-5 ranking, a sweet-16 appearance in the NCAAs and a Coach of the Year Award for Fogler.

The star on that year�s squad was Billy McCaffery, a sweet-shooting playmaker who had transferred the previous year from Duke, after playing for the 1991 NCAA Champions. McCaffery led the team in scoring, assists, and three-point shooting on the way to All-American, and SEC co-Player of the Year status. His supporting cast that year was made up of tough, hard-nosed players who battled for every loose ball, selflessly sacrificed their own stats for the good of the team, and were good enough to alternately draw defenders away from McCaffery, and take control of the game when opposing defenses concentrated on him alone. The fundamentals, teamwork, and scrappiness exhibited by these men make them the ideal Vanderbilt Men�s Basketball players to join McCaffery as charter indutees of the Memorial Gym Rats Hall of Fame for the decade of the 1990s.

- Academic All-SEC, 1991, 92, 93
- Roy Skinner Award, 1993
- Civitan Sportsmanship Award, 1993
- All-SEC Second Team, 92-93
- All-SEC Third Team, 90-91
- 13th Total Scoring, 1389 points
- 9th 3-pointers made, 134
- 3rd Total Assists, 435
- 6th Assists per game, 3.37
- Leading Assist Man, 90-91, 91-92
- 4th Total Steals, 192
- 5th Steals per game, 1.49
- Leading Steals Man, 91-92, 92-93

- Academic All-American of the Year, 1993 - 1st Team Academic All-American, 1993
- 2nd Team Academic All-American, 1992
- Academic All-SEC, 1991, 92, 93
- Roy Skinner Award, 1993
- All-SEC Second Team, 92-93
- 28th Total Scoring, 1086 points
- 9th Field Goal Percentage, 51.3%
- 7th SS Field Goal Percentage, 59.4% 92-93<
- 10th 3-Point Percentage, 39.1%
- Leading Rebounder, 90-91, 92-93
- 9th Total Assists, 284
- 8th Assists per game, 3.05
- Leading Steals Man, 90-91
- 6th Total Blocks, 56
- 4th Blocks per game, 0.60
- Leading Shot Blocker, 91-92, 92-93

Overall, Elder was the better shooter. Elder is number nine all-time in Vanderbilt field goal percentage, at .513. Furthermore, he is also number nine all-time in 3-point field goal percentage at .391. This is pretty staggering considering the three-point threats that have played in the black and gold since the advent of the three-point shot in 1986.

Elder was not only about scoring however, as he weighs in at number three all-time at VU in blocks, with 56, for an average of .60 blocks per game. This paints a picture of Bruce Elder as an inside scoring threat (FG%) an outside scoring threat (3ptFG%), and a major force to be reckoned with on defense.

But wait! What category could be more important in a Gym Rat than assists? A Gym Rat makes those around him better, and how better to accomplish this (and what better symbol is there of Vanderbilt basketball) than hitting your teammate with the perfect pass that leads to a field goal? Bruce Elder is the number eight all-time leader in Vanderbilt history with 284 assists, for 3.05 assists per game. Anglin was just a little bit better, coming in at number six all-time, with 435 assists, for an average of 3.37 per game.

Nothing shows a hoopster�s grit more clearly than assists and steals, with steals barely inching above assists on the list of "Those little things players do to win ballgames." Whereas assists lead directly to points, steals take away scoring chances, and thus, points from the other team. Assists are dependent upon a made shot by a teammate, while a steal is made on one�s own. In the Vanderbilt record book you will find Elder at number nine all-time in steals, with 107, for an average of 1.15 per game. A few spots up from him sits Anglin, at number five all-time with 129, for an average of 1.49 steals per game.

To top off the on-court achievements of these two players, they both also managed to excel in the classroom during their time at Vanderbilt. Anglin was named to the Academic All-SEC team is last three years as a Commodore, an achievement few can claim. Elder matched that and took it one step further. After being named second team Academic All-American in 1992, he was named first team Academic All-American in 1993. And if that wasn't enough, he was then named the Male Academic All-American of the Year for all sports - a unique achievment for a Vanderbilt Commodore.

Teams flourish most when there is one or more player willing and able to do those things of which most others want no part. This is precisely where Anglin and Elder set themselves apart from other ordinary role-players, as they not only willingly took this burden on their shoulders, but also excelled while doing so. From 1990 to 1993, Bruce Elder wore the black and gold in 93 games. From 1989 to 1993, Kevin Anglin toiled, doing the dirty work that had to be done, for 129 games. These players took a step back, allowing others to bask in the spotlight, while they formed the gel that held everything together. No players before them have better exemplified the composition and make-up of a Memorial Gym Rat. For these reasons, and the others stated above, Kevin Anglin and Bruce Elder are two of your charter inductees into the Memorial Gym Rat Hall of Fame, for the decade of the 1990s.