Newman Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2008 Honored at Feb. 9 Banquet

Three individuals, one family and business, and one team were inducted as the Class of 2008 into the Newman University Athletics Hall of Fame at a banquet on Saturday, Feb. 9. A cocktail hour and reception were followed by the banquet and awards ceremony held in the Dugan-Gorges Conference Center, inside the Dugan Library and Campus Center on the Newman campus. The Class of 2008 was also honored during halftime of the Newman men’s basketball game in Fugate Gymnasium. To view pictures from the 2008 events, click here.

The Newman Athletics Hall of Fame was created in 2007 to honor student-athletes, coaches, administrators, advocates and patrons who have made significant contributions to the university’s athletic programs. Each year, a new class will be selected for induction into the Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2008 individual inductees were:

• Laurie Champ Bell, a 1949 alumna who has provided personal and financial support for the Jet Open Golf Tournament, an annual fundraiser for Newman athletics, since its inception more than 20 years ago.
• Rick Nuckolls, a 1975 graduate and golf team member who has won many individual, pro-am and team PGA tournaments, as well as numerous golfing awards. He was instrumental in starting the current Wichita Open in 1989 and helped launch many large golf fundraisers, including the Newman Jet Open.
• Karla (Squires) Fowler, a 1982 graduate who won a regional golf championship, including contests against Big 8 teams, and was an outstanding cheerleader and softball player.

The family and business inductee was:

• The Goebel Family/Star Lumber & Supply Co., who have provided financial support of Newman athletics for many years, including donating wood for the basketball court floor in Century II that served as Newman’s home court for many years, and the fence around the Newman baseball diamond. The company also provided part-time jobs for many student-athletes.

The team inductee was:

• The 1977-78 Basketball Team, which defeated the No. 3 team in the nation to win the District Championship and advance to the National Championships. The team was coached by Dave Skinner and assisted by Paul Sanagorski. Players included: Jay Belling; Jeff Campbell; JoJo Covington; Leroy Leep; Tom Miller (deceased); Tom Motz; Ron Nagy; Mark Ondich; Bill Powers; Al Rohleder; Rusty Simpson; Andy Smith; Gary Squires; Steve Wilson, and Al Wright.

The Class of 2007 inductees to the Hall of Fame were:

• Sylvia Gorges, ASC, M.S.Ed., who served as the fifth president of Sacred Heart College (a predecessor of Newman University) and initiated intercollegiate athletics programs in 1967 (Sister Sylvia died in 2006 and will be inducted posthumously)
• John Rheem, director of development at Sacred Heart from 1966 to 1972, who was instrumental in launching intercollegiate athletics at the college
• Herm Bachrodt, the institution’s first athletic director (1967-1972) and first men’s basketball coach (1967-1969)
• Paul Sanagorski, baseball coach (1978-2000) who has the most wins in the school’s history (766) and ranks No. 11 in all-time victories among NAIA coaches
• Diane Leary, CSJ, volleyball coach (1992-1996) and athletic director (1999-2002), who played a major role in the development and expansion of women’s athletics at Newman
• The 1970-1971 Men’s Basketball Team, the first team to advance to an NAIA national tournament. The team was led by head coach Rick Rineberg and assistants Amos McCluney and Kirk Pytlinski, and included players Mike Bayer, David Brown, Paul Carney, Larry Dostert, Jack Golden, Lynn Hamm, Mike Mussalow, Elmer Peters, Jim Rheem, Barry Rudy, Willie Starks, Brad Volm and Joe White.
• Mike Bayer, an All-American men’s basketball player (1969-1973) who remains the school’s all-time leading scorer (2,117) and all-time leading rebounder (933).

To nominate inductees for the Athletics Hall of Fame contact Mo Rohleder.

To view the inaugural Hall of Fame event's brochure click here.