|
Ten
Bulldogs Inducted into Athletics Hall of Fame
Nine athletes, spanning five decades,
plus a veteran coach were inducted into the Bulldog Athletics Hall
of Fame this fall.
The 10 joined 33 honorees already enshrined during
the fourth annual Induction Banquet on Sept. 19 at the Holiday Inn
Hotel and Conference Center in Big Rapids. The Selection Committee
also picked emeritus faculty member Joan Nelson to receive an Athletics
Special Service Award.
Following are highlights of each inductee’s
career.
Paul Cochran (1987-90), the first individual athlete
in Ferris history to win a national title at the NCAA level, was
a school-record 10-time All-American in men’s weight events
for track and field. He earned national championships in 1990 in
the indoor shot put, outdoor discus and shot put. He serves as a
Lincoln Park police officer and coaches football and track at Lincoln
Park High School.
Chicago native Dick Dolack (1951-55) was a baseball
letter winner at Ferris. The Pharmacy grad also began his officiating
career working for various college leagues, the Continental Football
League and National Basketball Association before joining the National
Football League in 1966, where he was a field judge for 25 years.
Dolack worked Super Bowl IX, and he is among a select few officials
honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He and his wife, Pat,
have two sons and a daughter.
Charley Evans (1974-77) holds the distinction
of being the first Bulldog football player to attain first-team
All-America honors. The 1976 Ferris MVP was a Kodak NCAA Division
III All-American after leading all runners with 1,509 total yards
rushing. Evans currently ranks second all-time in rushing at Ferris
with 3,546 career yards on 680 attempts and 22 touchdowns. Evans,
who lives in Inkster, has one son.
Detroit native Carmen Fanzone (1960-61) hit a
remarkable .464 during the 1960 season. The standout shortstop hit
.418, led Coach Frank Karas’ squad in several statistical
categories and helped Ferris finish with 14-3 record in 1961. From
1971-74, he was a popular utility player with the Chicago Cubs.
After baseball, the Cass Tech grad became an accomplished jazz musician.
He and his wife, Sue Raney, a four-time Grammy nominated jazz vocalist,
reside in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Walt Franczek (1960-64), a four-year varsity golfer,
was named NAIA Second-Team All-American in 1964 (Ferris’ first
NAIA All-American) and recorded the team’s best average of
74.8 strokes per round. Franczek has two grown children, and presently
resides with his wife, Mary, in Eastport.
Former decathlete and Ferris assistant coach Grover
Hinsdale (1973-78) achieved stardom as men’s track coach at
Georgia Tech. Now in his 24th year, he has coached four Olympic
gold medallists, three World Champions, seven USA Track and Field
Champions, four Goodwill Games medallists, 13 NCAA Champions, 65
All-Americans, 69 Atlantic Coast Conference Champions and 114 All-ACC
honorees. The Sand Creek native lettered four years in track at
Ferris. Hinsdale resides in Duluth with his wife, Laura, and three
children.
Paul Jungck (1981-85), one of the top wrestlers
in Bulldog history, placed third at the 1984 NCAA Division II Championships.
As a senior, the Big Rapids native finished sixth at nationals at
190 pounds. Only the third athlete in school history at the time
to earn All-America honors on both the athletic and academic fronts,
Jungck was 83-36 during his four-year Bulldog career. He resides
with his wife, Valerie, and two sons in Silverthorne.
Sam Ketchman was athletics director from 1953-67
and athletics coordinator in 1968, in addition to serving as head
coach in football, basketball and tennis. A graduate of Michigan
State, Ketchman starred at center and was captain and MVP of the
1936 MSU football team. Ketchman, who died on Aug. 12, 2000, is
survived by his widow, Joan, who resides in Midland.
Ferris State hockey’s all-time leading scorer
with 208 career points, Paul Lowden (1983-87) also is the school’s
career record holder in goals scored (101). The Ontario native currently
holds or shares school career records for most power-play goals,
game-winning goals and four-goal games. Lowden serves as athletics
director and hockey coach at Davenport University. He and his wife,
Lisa, reside in Grand Rapids with their three children.
Dave Surofchek (1988-93), a four-time All-American
wrestler, earned national runner-up honors in 1993 at 190 pounds.
Surofchek became the first Bulldog freshman wrestler to earn All-America
honors in 1990. In his four-year varsity career, Surofchek compiled
a 106-40-2 overall record with 40 pins. He lives with his wife,
Amy, and son.
Joan Nelson, who taught health and physical education
at Ferris from 1962-90 and graduated from Michigan State, is an
avid supporter of Bulldog women’ athletics.
|
