NIC athletics department announces hall of fame inductees
The North Idaho College Athletics Department recently announced the inductees for the college’s first-ever Athletics Hall of Fame. The induction celebration will be held in conjunction with the 75th Anniversary All-Class Reunion April 24-26.
(Media-Newswire.com) - The North Idaho College Athletics Department recently announced the inductees for the college’s first-ever Athletics Hall of Fame. The induction celebration will be held in conjunction with the 75th Anniversary All-Class Reunion April 24-26.
As part of the All-Class Reunion, the weekend includes a reception on Friday, April 24, a Lake Coeur d’Alene cruise Saturday, April 25 sponsored by the Coeur d’Alene Resort, and a reunion brunch Sunday, April 26 on the NIC campus.
The NIC Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony dinner will be held at 5:30 p.m. April 25 in the Edminster Student Union Building Ts’elusm Dining Room. Cost is $25 per person.
Ticket and registration information for the induction ceremony as well as other reunion events is available online at www.nic.edu/alumni or www.nic.edu/athletics.
The inaugural 2009 NIC Athletics Hall of Fame class of inductees includes two coaches, nine former student athletes and one selection as a contributor to athletics.
The inductees include:
A National Junior College Athletics Hall of Fame basketball coach and former NIC athletics director, Rolly Williams ( pictured left ) still ranks in the top 10 in all-time victories in the NJCAA with more than 700 wins. He also coached baseball and track in his 35-year career at NIC. He led the Cardinals to two NJCAA national tournament appearances while earning regional coach of the year honors three times.
NJCAA Hall of Fame wrestling coach John Owen ( below, right ) led NIC to eight national championships and 17 top three national finishes over his 20-year Cardinals coaching career. Owen also won 18 regional championships and coached numerous All-Americans. Owen is currently coaching at East Valley High School in Spokane, Wash.
Ace Walden, a former banking industry executive, was selected to the NIC Hall of Fame in a special category for contributors to the athletics program. The Coeur d’Alene icon has been a longtime supporter of Cardinal athletics and continues to attend NIC Booster Club Luncheons at 101 years old.
NIC’s only first team NJCAA All-American in basketball, Greg Wiltjer led NIC to the most wins in school history in 1980 and a 10th-place national finish. Wiltjer transferred to Oregon State University and helped lead the Beavers to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament and later won a national championship for the University of Victoria. A former second-round NBA draft pick, Wiltjer started in the Olympics for Canada and played against the original USA Olympic Dream Team. He also played professionally in Europe for 12 seasons and won a European Winners Cup with FC Barcelona.
All-American nominee and All-Region player Gordon Herbert helped lead NIC to its first-ever NJCAA basketball national tournament appearance in 1978. He later started for the University of Idaho’s basketball team that was ranked No. 6 in the nation and reached the NCAA Sweet 16. Herbert played and coached in Europe for more than 20 years and also teamed with Wiltjer on the Canadian Olympic basketball team. He is currently on the coaching staff of the NBA Toronto Raptors.
Former Lewiston High School graduate Darla Smith was a two-time, first-team All-Region player and earned conference player of the year honors as a sophomore. She led NIC to back-to-back regional championships and two NJCAA national tournament appearances.
Steve Gannon helped NIC win its first national wrestling championship. Gannon was a two-time All-American and became the first individual national champion for the Cardinals.
Former Chicago athlete Kenny Rucker helped NIC earn another wrestling national championship, but also made Cardinal history by becoming the college’s first two-time individual national champion. He currently coaches both boys and girls high school wrestling in Texas.
Jason Bay ( left ) earned Scenic West Athletic Conference All-Region honors in baseball both as a freshman and as a sophomore. He later earned Major League Baseball rookie of the year honors and All-Star selections for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He currently plays for the Boston Red Sox.
Christine Amertil is one of the most decorated athletes in Cardinal track and field history. She was a five-time All-American for NIC and a NCAA All-American for Southeastern Louisiana University, placing second in the 400 at the 2000 NCAA national championship. She was also a three-time Olympian ( 2000, 2004, and 2008 ) representing her country of the Bahamas and was an Olympic finalist in 2004, placing seventh in the 400 meters.
Sandpoint, Idaho native Brian Farber is the top offensive performer in NIC men’s soccer history, setting the all-time points record and earning most valuable offensive player honors. Farber was an All-PAC 10 performer and helped Oregon State University to the NCAA tournament. Farber currently plays professionally for the Portland Timbers, which will become a top-level professional franchise for Major League Soccer in 2010. Farber also earned most valuable player honors for the Indoor Winter Soccer League for the Stockton Cougars this past winter.
Robbie Young was the top performer for one of the highest scoring teams in Cardinal history that averaged nearly 90 points per game in the 1968-1969 season. Young is still the fourth all-time leading scorer for the Cardinals and holds several rebounding records. He was selected by the committee as an NIC Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, but will be honored at a later time because his whereabouts are unknown.
For More Information NIC Athletics Director Al Williams, ( 208 ) 665-5459
Media Contact Stacy Hudson, Public Information Coordinator ( 208 ) 769-7819 or stacy_hudson@nic.edu
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This story was released on 2009-04-01. Please make sure to visit the official company or organization web site to learn more about the original release date. See our disclaimer for additional information.