PUEBLO, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - Oct. 22,
2012) - The CSU-Pueblo Athletics Hall of Fame will
induct its Class of 2012 on Friday, Nov. 2 in the annual Hall
of Fame Induction Ceremony, being held in the Ochiatto University
Center Ballroom on the CSU-Pueblo campus.
Tickets for the induction ceremony are $35 each and includes
dinner. The ceremony will be emceed by "The Voice of the
ThunderWolves," Jim Brooks. The final day to make
reservations is Tuesday, Oct. 30.
The Class of 2012 includes six outstanding athletes, an
outstanding coach, a special contributor, and an outstanding team -
the 1956, 1957 and 1960 NJCAA National Tournament basketball
teams.
The outstanding athletes include former national champion track
athletes Jeff Martinez and Yvonne Taylor, former All-Conference
quarterback and current Northwestern University offensive
coordinator, Mick McCall, 1960s basketball standout, Sam Batey,
All-American golfer and current Desert Hawk Golf Course (Pueblo
West) pro, Mike Zaremba, and former national champion wrestler,
Chris Currier.
Former baseball coach Tom Muhic was selected as an outstanding
coach inductee while longtime faculty athletic representative and
former assistant football coach, Jack Seilheimer, was inducted as a
special contributor.
The inductees will also be honored on Nov. 3 at the CSU-Pueblo
"Hall of Fame" football game between the ThunderWolves and New
Mexico Highlands.
To reserve your spot, call the CSU-Pueblo Ticket Office at (719)
549-2050.
Inductee
Sketches
Sam Batey, Men's Basketball (1961-65): One
of the first star players of Harry Simmons' basketball
squads once the University became a four-year institution in 1963,
Batey nearly scored 1,000 total points during his final two seasons
(1964 and 1965). Combined with his estimated junior college
era statistics (1961-63), which unfortunately do not exist, His
career point total hovers around 2,000, which would put him among
the greats in the storied history of CSU-Pueblo basketball.
He was a part of the 1965 NAIA District VII championship squad, won
in just the second year of the basketball program's membership in
the NAIA.
Chris Currier, Wrestling (1994-99): The 1999
149-pound national champion, he became the program's second NCAA
Division II national champion. In 1998, Currier, a three-time
All-American, was heading for the tech fall win in the national
title match before an untimely injury ended his bid. A
two-time RMAC champion, he was one of just two ThunderWolf
wrestlers named to the RMAC All-Century Wrestling Team in 2009.
Jeff Martinez, Track & Field (1989-92): The
most decorated track and field athlete in CSU-Pueblo history,
Martinez won three national championships in the high jump (1990
indoor title, 1990 and 1991 outdoor titles) and was a four-time
All-American (1989, 1990 and 1991 outdoor All-American, 1991 indoor
All-American). He joins his father, John Martinez (Class of
2009) in the CSU-Pueblo Athletics Hall of Fame, as part of a duo
that is believed to be the only father/son combo to have won
national collegiate track championships.
Mick McCall, Football (1975-78): CSU-Pueblo's
career leader in total offense (4,429 yards), McCall was the first
quarterback to preside over sustained success in the program's
history. He led the team to a then-record 8-win season during
his senior season in 1978, and was 24-15 as a four-year starter
(the only four-year starting quarterback in program history).
After graduation, McCall was signed by the Detroit Lions and is now
the offensive coordinator at Northwestern University.
Yvonne Taylor, Track & Field (1981-82): The
first (and only) female national track and field champion in
program history, she won the 1982 NAIA long jump championship with
a leap of 19 feet, 2-1/4 inches, a record that still stands 30
years later. The 1982 All-American also won an RMAC
Championship in the 200-meter in 1982. Additionally, in
1982, she led the team to a 15th-place national finish, the team's
highest in school history.
Mike Zaremba, Golf (1973-76): A 1975
All-American, he helped lead his teams to the 1973 Great Plains
Athletic Conference Championship and three NCAA College Division
Top 20 finishes, including a finish of 7th in 1973. He
enjoyed tremendous post-graduate success, qualifying for a spot in
the 2004 U.S. Senior Open and the 2005, 2006 and 2010 PGA Senior
Championship. He was also a very successful coach with the
ThunderWolves from 1988-96, leading the team to five conference
championships.
Tom Muhic, Baseball Coach (1968-70, 1972): The
first highly successful baseball coach in program history, Muhic's
squads boasted winning records in each of his four years as the
Southern Colorado State College skipper. In 1968, Muhic's
team went 25-9 and claimed its first ever berth in the NCAA College
Division National Tournament, led by two future Major League
draftees and CSU-Pueblo Athletics Hall of Famers, Pat Bekeza and
Dennis Jones, the latter of which went 12-2 with a 1.98 ERA,
striking out 130 batters in 109 innings (still the finest pitching
season in school history). Muhic's career record of 78-47,
which reaped a .624 win percentage, which is the highest career win
percentage by any coach in program history.
Jack Seilheimer, Contributor (1963-2012): A
longtime advocate of the CSU-Pueblo Athletics program, the
recently-retired Seilheimer will enter the CSU-Pueblo Athletics
Hall of Fame as a special contributor. A biology professor at
CSU-Pueblo for a staggering 50 years, Seilheimer is the longtime
faculty athletic representative, helping student-athletes navigate
the delicate balance between being a student and an athlete, as
well as serving as a mediary between student-athletes, coaches and
professors. Upon his arrival to CSU-Pueblo in 1963, he also
served as an assistant coach under then-head football coach, Joe
Prater.
1956, 1957 & 1960 NJCAA National Tournament
Basketball Teams (Outstanding Team): Inducted as a group,
the 1956, 1957 and 1960 NJCAA National Tournament basketball teams
at Pueblo Junior College finished 6th, 3rd and 8th in the nation,
respectively, laying the ground work for the eventual NJCAA
national championship squad in 1961. After breaking ground
with a 24-7 season in 1956, the 31-7 1957 squad finished within a
hair of the national title game, a loss to San Angelo (Tex.)
College keeping the squad from a championship. In 1960, PJC's
28-5 campaign ended prematurely, as well, though four members of
the team would be on the national title team the next season.
All three teams were coached by Harry Simmons.
