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Athletic Hall of Fame inductees honoredAug. 21, 2009 KALAMAZOO--The Western Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame has announced this year's inductees, which include two teams and five former student-athletes spanning four decades of excellence in WMU Bronco athletics. The 2009 inductees will be welcomed into the WMU Athletic Hall of Fame during a public ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, at the Fetzer Center on WMU's Main Campus in Kalamazoo. They also will be honored during halftime at WMU's home football game against Central Michigan University Saturday, Oct. 17. Six sports are represented in the WMU Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2009, including men's cross country, football, baseball, women's track and field, volleyball and men's tennis. This is the first time in history that an entire team--two to be exact--will be inducted into the WMU Athletic Hall of Fame. Tickets are required for admission to the public ceremony Oct. 16. They are $35 each and include dinner. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Stacy Vallier at stacy.vallier@wmich.edu or (269) 387-3062. WMU Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2009 1964-65 men's cross country teams The 1964 and 1965 men's cross country teams are the only WMU teams to date to win a national title of any kind. They also claimed the first national title for the Mid-American Conference. They had seven straight undefeated seasons in dual meets with 35 consecutive wins between 1957 and 1965. Coached by George Dales, the team went a combined 9-0 in dual meets over the 1964 and 1965 seasons. Three student-athletes--Mike Gallagher, Bruce Burston and Steve Smith--were named All-Americans after impressive NCAA Championship finishes.
Tom Nutten Nutten was a three-year starter and played every game during his freshman season at WMU. He was named to the All-MAC First Team and awarded Honorable Mention All-America by Football News. Nutten was the first player taken in the 1995 Canadian Football League Draft, and chosen in the seventh round (221st overall) by Buffalo in the NFL Draft the same year. He's played in two Super Bowls as a member of the St. Louis Rams, and is the only Bronco ever to win a Super Bowl, defeating the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. Paul Schneider Schneider ranks first all-time at WMU with a .600 career slugging percentage. He also ranks second in single-season hits (83), longest hit streak (18 games), career batting average (.391) and career on-base percentage (.461). His single-season batting average of .441 is the fourth highest in school history. Schneider twice was named to the All-MAC First Team, and also earned third team All-American and second-team all-district honors before going on to play for the Seattle Mariners minor league team in Chattanooga, Tenn. Liz (Miklosi) Shon Shon set seven school sprint records during her time at WMU. Among them were the 300-meter dash, with a time of 36.4 seconds, and the 60-meter dash, with a time of 7.2 seconds. Her times remain in the WMU record books as second and third best, respectively, in school history. Shon is a three-time AIAW National Indoor Track Championship qualifier, and placed seventh in both the 60 and 300 in two back-to-back appearances at the national meet. Amy (Kehoe) Timmers While at WMU, Timmers led the MAC with .67 service aces per game, collecting a total of 61 her senior season. She guided the team to a 28-0 record that year, boosting them to No. 15 in the national rankings. Timmers ranks fourth all-time at WMU with a .327 attack percentage and 135 service aces. She also holds the school's second and third-place records for single-season service aces, with 69 in 1983 and 66 in 1982. She is a member of the Pre-1984 WMU All-Decade Team and a two-time All-MAC First Team selection. Steve Winsor During his time at WMU, Winsor captured three individual MAC titles and one team championship. A two-time All-MAC honoree and team captain, he topped the WMU all-time wins list for four years, and currently ranks seventh all-time, with 183 career wins. His 20-match win streak at No. 1 singles his junior year culminated in a national ranking of No. 48, the highest final ranking ever for a Bronco men's tennis player. Winsor was one of only two players in the top 50 from a Midwest mid-major school, finishing fourth in the region behind three Big 10 players. He continues to dominate the sport, having been ranked as high as No. 23 nationally among players 45 years and older. Visit wmubroncos.com for more information. Media contact: Mat Kanan, (269) 387-4125, mat.kanan@wmich.edu WMU News |
