Presented on rare occasion to a university graduate of at least 20 years, the
Hall of Fame Award of Excellence is given to an individual who has admirably demonstrated the positive virtutes cultivated during his or her time as a Salisbury University student-athlete in his or her career, bringing honor and dignity to the individual and the university. Annetta becomes only the second recipient of the Award of Excellence, joining 2011 honoree
Michael Scarborough.
Still the most prolific passer in Sea Gull football history over 30 years after his graduation, Annetta rewrote the Salisbury State record books during his time under center from 1990-93. A two-time team captain and 1993 team MVP, he established new passing yardage benchmarks for a game (437), season (2,087), and career (5,817). Annetta also maintains records for single-game passing touchdowns (5), completions (30), and attempts (56); single-season attempts (328); and career completions (480) and attempts (990).
After earning his B.S. in Chemistry & Physics in 1994, Annetta returned to SSU and completed his M.A.T. in Secondary Science Education in 1997, later receiving a Ph.D. in Science Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2003. Since then he has pioneered research on distance learning, including the impact of teaching technology on the education of rural and underserved areas. Among his many professional accolades are the 2022 Association of Science Teacher Education National Mentor of the Year award.
Annetta currently serves as Dean of the Zucker Family School of Education at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., a
position he has held since 2024.
