The group includes Bill Ray Anders (football), Greg Bice (men’s
lacrosse), John
Bluem (men’s soccer coach), Charles W. Bolen (football
and men’s basketball), Joel
Brown (men’s track), Aaron Craft (men’s
basketball), Adam
Crompton (men’s fencing), Jenna Harris Griffin (women’s
track), Alayna
Markwordt (women’s lacrosse), Russ Nagelson (baseball), Shawn Springs (football), Logan Stieber (wrestling), Jonathan Sweet (baseball), Tom
Tupa (football)
and Dan Whitacre (wrestling).
Created
in 1977, the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame has inducted 458
student-athletes, coaches and administrators. That includes 128 football
players, 45 men’s basketball players and 30 head coaches, regardless of sport.
This
year’s inductees, whose biographies were provided by the athletic department,
will be inducted during a dinner at the Covelli Center on Sept. 9. They will
then be recognized during Ohio State’s game against Arkansas State on Sept. 10.
Billy Ray Anders
Football, 1965-67
Remarkably,
Anders never played football until he tried out for the Ohio State team in
1965. Not only did he make the team, but he was a three-year starter and a
three-year letterman (1965-66-67) for Ohio State football teams coached
by Woody Hayes.
Although
Hayes’ teams didn’t throw the football much, Anders was the most productive
receiver Hayes ever had, catching a school-record 55 passes in 1966 and also
setting the school career record with 108 receptions and 1,318 yards for his
three-year career. His single-season record stood for 19 years, or until Cris
Carter broke the record with 58 in 1985, while his career receptions and
yardage records stood until 1983 when John Frank broke both with 121 for 1,418
yards.
Anders
was a first-team All-Big Ten Conference performer and an Ohio State team
captain in 1967. He started every game between 1965-67, 27 in all.
Greg Bice
Men’s Lacrosse, 2001-04
A
four-year starter from 2001-04 as a member of the men’s lacrosse team, Bice is
one of the best defensive players to ever put on the scarlet and gray. A
two-time USILA All-American, he was named the Great Western Lacrosse League
co-Player of the Year as a senior in 2004 when he led the Buckeyes to their
second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. His play helped Ohio State to a 38-20
record from 2001-04 and back-to-back GWLL regular season titles in 2003 and
2004. Bice was a three-time first-team All-GWLL selection and
following his senior season in 2004 was chosen to play in the North/South All-Star
Game.
Following
his Ohio State career, Bice went on to play professionally for 13 seasons. He
was a four-time Major League Lacrosse All-Star and twice was the New Balance
Sportsman of the Year while playing for five different teams, including the
hometown Ohio Machine.
Today,
Bice remains involved with the game of lacrosse and helping others. He is a
color commentator for BTN’s coverage of Big Ten lacrosse and is on the advisory
board of the non-profit organization Lacrosse the Nations, which is an “international
humanitarian organization that utilizes sport and play to foster education and
the development of critical life skills for children living in impoverished
communities worldwide.” He and his wife, Emily, spent time teaching at the
orphanage in Honduras.
John Bluem
Men’s Soccer Coach, 1997-2017
Bluem
is the most accomplished men’s soccer coach in Ohio State history. In 21
seasons in Columbus, Bluem guided the Buckeyes to 206 wins and five Big
Ten championships. During his tenure, Ohio State appeared in the NCAA
Tournament 10 times and advanced to the College Cup finals in 2007.
In
27 seasons as a college head coach, his teams won 292 matches and advanced to
the NCAA tournament 14 times. The Big Ten Conference named Bluem its coach of
the year four times, giving him a total of seven conference coach of the year
accolades. He won the honor three times while at Fresno State (1991-96).
Not
only were Bluem’s teams successful on the pitch, they were equally as
productive in the classroom and community. During his tenure, four Buckeyes
were named All-Americans, two earned Senior CLASS Awards, six were Big Ten
Distinguished Scholars, 31 earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, 191 were
Academic All-Big Ten honorees and 17 were Major League Soccer draft picks.
Bluem
attend Hartwick College in New York. While there the team made three trips to
the NCAA Championships, advancing to the final four in 1974. The Hartwick Hall
of Famer (Class of 2002) was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rowdies, who won the 1975
Soccer Bowl.
Charles W. Bolen
Football, 1915-17, Men’s Basketball, 1916-18
Bolen
was a three-year letterman on three of Ohio State’s outstanding early-1900s
football teams. Ohio State went 20-1-2 between 1915-17 and won consecutive Big
Ten Conference championships in 1916 and 1917. The Buckeyes were 5-1-1 in 1915,
7-0 in 1916 and 8-0-1 in 1917 and had a 17-game winning streak at one point,
along with a 19-game unbeaten streak.
An
end on teams that featured Chic Harley, Bolen was a consensus All-American in
1917 and a first-team All-Big Ten Conference performer.
He
also played basketball for the Buckeyes and lettered for three seasons
(1916-18). He was team captain in 1917-18 and was a two-year starter. After
graduation, Bolen coached football and basketball at Ohio Northern University
and is credited with starting the school’s intramural sports program.
Joel Brown
Men’s Track and Field, 2001-04
Brown’s
speed as a Buckeye still holds as his career had a lasting impact on the Oho
State track and field program. Brown holds the program record in the 55m
hurdles (a since retired event) and the 110m hurdles. He held the 60m record
for more than a decade and currently ranks third in program history.
Brown
was a four-time Big Ten champion, winning the indoor 60m hurdles title in 2003
and outdoor 110m hurdles crowns in both 2003 and ’04. He was also part of the
4x400m relay championship team in 2001. In 2003, Brown earned first-team
All-America honors in the 60m hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships. He was
a three-time outdoor All-American – in the 110m hurdles in 2003 and ’04 and the
4x400m relay in 2001. He also captured the 2004 NCAA Mideast Regional title in
the 110m hurdles.
Following
the conclusion of his collegiate career, Brown earned sponsorships from Nike
and Adidas as he competed worldwide and in the Olympic Trials. He was the
national champion in the 60m hurdles in 2005 and finished sixth at World
Championships that same year. Brown was a member of the world record breaking
shuttle hurdle relay team in 2008 at the Penn Relays. In his Olympic Trials
appearances, he finished ninth in 2004, 12th in
2008 and 11th in 2012.
Brown
returned to Ohio State after graduation as a volunteer coach with the program.
In 2014, he earned a full-time role as an assistant coach for sprints and
hurdles and has since been promoted to track and field associate head coach.
Brown is a four-time USTFCCCA Great Lakes Assistant Coach of the Year and has
personally coached more than 25 All-Americans and 20 school records. He has
helped lead the Buckeyes to nine Big Ten team championships.
Aaron Craft
Men’s Basketball, 2011-14
Craft
is one of Ohio State men’s basketball’s all-time greats. He is the program’s
career leader in both steals (337) and assists (694) as he led the team in both
categories in each of his four seasons from 2011-14. Craft’s 337 career steals
are the most in Big Ten history and, at the time of his induction, are
15th-most in NCAA history.
The
Findlay, Ohio, native was a four-time Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection and
was twice named the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year. He was also the
NABC National Defensive Player of the Year in 2014.
Craft
played in 148 games over his four seasons, second-most in Ohio State history,
and was a part of 119 victories which is tied with classmate Lenzelle Smith Jr. for
most by a Buckeye. He scored over 1,300 points and is one of three players in
Big Ten history with 600 assists and 300 steals. Craft led the Buckeyes to Big
Ten regular season titles in 2011 and 2012 and the Big Ten Tournament title in
2013 where he was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Craft
was just as big a star off the court. He was a three-time CoSIDA first-team
Academic All-America. He was twice named the Division I Academic All-American
of the Year in men’s basketball (2013, 2014) and was a four-time Ohio State
Scholar-Athlete. In 2012, he received the Elite 89 Award Winner for highest GPA
in the 2012 NCAA Final Four. As a senior in 2014, he was Ohio State’s Big Ten
Medal of Honor winner.
Adam Crompton
Men’s Fencing, 2003-06
Crompton
captured three NCAA men’s sabre titles during his four-year Ohio State career
from 2003-06. He was the national champion as a freshman in 2003 and defended
his title in 2004, closing out his collegiate career with his third crown in
2006. Crompton was a four-time All-American, with
three first-team nods and a second team honor after finishing seventh
at the 2005 NCAA Championships.
Crompton
was part of the Buckeyes’ 2004 NCAA championship squad, with three other Top 4
team finishes, and four Midwest Collegiate Conference team championships, as
well as four conference men’s team champions and men’s sabre squad winners. He
won the conference men’s sabre crown in both 2004 and ’06. In all, Crompton
notched a 105-05 regular season record in the Scarlet and Gray.
A
native of Newark, N.J., Crompton also earned many accolades on the international
level and was ranked in the Top 10 in the U.S. Senior Division. He won gold
medals for U.S. National and Pan American squads.
Jenna Harris Griffin
Women’s Track and Field, 2004-08
Harris
Griffin earned all-conference honors each of her four years as a member of the
track & field program at Ohio State with
three first-team selections. The 2008 Big Ten Medal of Honor winner
was one of the top sprinters of her era, winning four individual Big Ten
Championships (60m in 2005 and 2007, 100m in 2005 and 2008) and one relay
championship (4x100m relay in 2008) during her collegiate career.
indoors
and outdoors, during her Ohio State career. In the classroom, her grades put
her on the Academic All-Big Ten team four times and she was also a five-time
OSU Scholar Athlete.
After
graduating from Ohio State, Harris Griffin completed a graduate certificate in
human nutrition at Iowa State. She is currently studying for her doctorate in
clinical nutrition, human nutrition and functional medicine at the University
of Western States. Harris Griffin is the founder and CEO of Generations
Nutrition & Wellness – a wellness and fitness service in Atlanta.
Alayna Markwordt
Women’s Lacrosse, 2009-12
Markwordt
is the all-time leader in goals (181) and points (314) and ranks third in
assists (133) for the Ohio State women’s lacrosse program. She is the only
Buckeye with more than 300 points and her 4.60 points per game average is among
the Top 30 in NCAA history.
The
native of Woodbine, Md., was a two-time Second Team All-American and a four-time
All-Midwest/West Region honoree. The 2009 American Lacrosse Conference Rookie
of the Year, she earned first-team All-ALC honors in 2011 and ’12 and
second team all-conference accolades in 2009 and ’10. Markwordt ended her
career on a program-record 65-game point streak, as she notched 90 points as a
senior in 2012, the third-most points in a single season in school history. She
started all 68 games over her four-year career and led Ohio State in goals,
assists and points in 2011 and in scoring in 2012. She had three games with
nine-plus points, including a school-record tying 11 against Johns Hopkins in
2009.
A
four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and three-time Academic All-Big Ten
selection, Markwordt earned her master’s degree in medical dietetics from Ohio
State and is a medical dietician in Washington, D.C. She signed a multi-year
endorsement contract with Brine after her collegiate career.
Russ Nagelson
Baseball, 1964-66
Nagelson
was a three-year letter winner on the baseball team from 1964-66. The
Cincinnati, Ohio, native played a key role in helping lead the Buckeyes to the
program’s only College World Series title in 1966. He was named to the
All-College World Series team that year and collected a pair of hits and a
team-high three RBI in the championship game victory over Oklahoma State.
Nagelson
appeared in 84 games for the Buckeyes over his three seasons. He had a career
average of .253 with 69 hits and 12 home runs. Nagelson led the team in runs
batted in each of his final two seasons with 29 in 1965 and 30 in 1966. He
finished his career with 68 total RBI.
Nagelson
was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 14th round of the 1966 draft and
went on to play in parts of four seasons in the big leagues for Cleveland and
Detroit.
Shawn Springs
Football, 1994-96
Springs
is one of the great cornerbacks in Ohio State history. In his junior season of
1996, he was one of the dominant players in college football and was named the
Big Ten Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year despite not recording an
interception all season.
Teams
simply chose not to throw at Springs, who still led the team with a then-school
record 15 pass break-ups and 39 tackles. He was a consensus All-American that
year as well and was named first-team All-Big Ten for the second
consecutive year.
Springs
was a three-year starter for the Buckeyes and played in 37 games. He totaled
152 career tackles, including 112 solo stops, and 24 pass break-ups along with
six interceptions. His 24 pass break-ups total was a school record and it still
ranks sixth in school history.
Springs
was selected in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft, the No. 3 pick overall,
by the Seattle Seahawks. Springs is the highest drafted cornerback in school
history, tied with Denzel
Ward, who was the No. 3 overall pick of the first round in the
2018 NFL Draft, by Cleveland.
Logan Stieber
Wrestling, 2012-15
Stieber is
one of the most accomplished collegiate wrestlers in the history of
the NCAA. As a Buckeye he won four NCAA Division I national
championships, four Big Ten Conference championships and the Dan
Hodge Trophy.
Stieber became
only the fourth wrestler in NCAA history and the first in the Big Ten
to win four individual national championships, winning his fourth title March
21, 2015. That same year, he led Ohio State to the first wrestling national
championship in school history.
Stieber finished
his NCAA career with a record of 119-3, boasting the highest winning
percentage (.975) in school history. Two of his NCAA titles were at 133 pounds
(2012-2013) and two were at 141 pounds (2014-2015). As a senior, he was 29-0.
Over four years as a Buckeye, 96 of his wins were bonus point victories and 50
of those were by fall. He ended his collegiate career on a 50-match win streak.
As
a high school wrestler at Monroeville, he won four Ohio High School Division
III individual titles and helped the Eagles to the team title in 2010.
Internationally, Stieber was a freestyle world champion in 2016 as well as a
World Cup and Pan American Champion in 2018.
Stieber
is currently an assistant coach with the Buckeyes.
Jonathan Sweet
Baseball, 1992-94
Sweet
was a three-year letter winner on the baseball team from 1992-94., He earned
Second Team All-America honors after batting .390 in his final season in
Columbus in 1994. The 1994 Big Ten Player of the Year captained the Buckeyes to
one of the best seasons in program history when the squad was a nation’s best
49-9 and won the Big Ten title.
As
a sophomore in 1993, Sweet appeared in 63 games and batted .341 while helping
the team to a Big Ten title and a runner-up finish at the NCAA regional. Sweet
also earned freshman All-American honors in 1992 after hitting .291 with 26
RBI.
At
the time of his induction, Sweet ranks 14th on the all-time list at Ohio State
with a .351 career batting average and eight triples. His remarkable 1994
season still stands out as one of the best individual years by any OSU hitter,
as he ranks in the Top 20 in a single season in batting average (.390), hits
(87), doubles (21), RBI (56) and runs scored (63).
Sweet
was drafted in the 19th round of the 1994 amateur draft by the Pittsburgh
Pirates. He would play six seasons of minor league ball, advancing to Triple-A
Nashville in 1998.
Tom Tupa
Football, 1984-87
Tupa was a two-way player for the
football Buckeyes while lettering four years between 1984 and 1987. He held six
Ohio State punting records at the conclusion of his career, including single
season and career average with 47.1 in 1984 and 44.7 for his career. He still
holds the two best single season marks, including 47.0 in 1987. His 9,564
career yards still rank second all-time and his 2,963 yards in 1987 rank third.
Tupa was a 1987 consensus All-American as a punter.
Tupa was 6-4-1 as Ohio State’s starting
quarterback in 1987 with his most important win coming in Earle Bruce’s last
game as coach, 23-20, at Michigan. He threw for 2,252 passing yards and still
ranks 23rd on Ohio State’s career yardage list.
Tupa had an 18-year NFL career as a
punter, playing for seven teams between 1988 and 2005. He
was first-team All-Pro in 1999, was named to the New England Patriots
All-1990s decade team and he won a Super Bowl in 2002 with Tampa Bay.
Dan Whitacre
Wrestling, 1925-27
Whitacre
competed at heavyweight for Ohio State in wrestling from 1925-27. He was
a two-time Big Ten Champion (1926, 1927) and the second Buckeye to win multiple
conference titles in Ohio State history.
A
three-time letter winner, Whitacre was a pioneer Ohio State wrestler. The team
first competed in 1921 and there were only three Ohio State wrestling teams
before he entered school.
After earning his undergraduate degree from Ohio
State, Whitacre attended and graduated from the Ohio State University Medical
School and was a Columbus physician for the rest of his life. He provided
free medical care for Ohio State wrestlers for many years. His son competed and
was a captain for the wrestling Buckeyes in the 1950s.
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