2004 FERRIS STATE ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS ANNOUNCED

Bulldog Athletics Hall of Fame to Induct 12

Kurt Barrett	Art Carney	Jim File
Lynn Hayden	Andre Johnson	Dennis Johnson
Peter Lowden	Jim Place	John Steinberg
Jarvis Walker	Kathy DeBoer	Judd Folske

Ten athletes spanning six decades plus two veteran coaches are included in the Ferris State University Bulldog Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2004, which will be inducted this fall.

Chosen as the Class of 2004 are: Kurt Barrett of Battle Creek, football (1968-71); Art Carney of Newberry, Fla., football, basketball and tennis (1946-50); Jim File of Richmond Hill, Ontario, hockey (1980-84); Lynn (Olson) Hayden of Portland, Ore., cross country and track (1972-73); Andre Johnson of Muskegon, football, basketball and track (1986-91); Dennis Johnson of Ann Arbor, basketball (1969-73); Peter Lowden of Illerzell, Germany, and Caledon East, Ontario, hockey (1983-87); Jim Place of Big Rapids, football (1949-52); John Steinberg of St. Joseph, cross country and track (1979-83); Jarvis Walker of Norton Shores, basketball (1985-89); and coaches Kathy DeBoer of Lexington, Ky., volleyball (1980-83); along with Judd Folske of Mount Pleasant, baseball and football (1971-94). A 17-member Selection Committee of faculty, staff, alumni and community members chose the inductees from among 62 nominees.

The 12 will join 43 honorees already enshrined during the fifth annual Induction Banquet on Oct. 1 at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center in Big Rapids. The Ballroom opens at 6 p.m. (EDT) with a reception in honor of this year's inductees. The dinner runs from 7-8 p.m. (EDT) and the induction program follows until approximately 10 p.m. (EDT). The Bulldog Athletics Hall of Fame, which inducted its Charter Class in 2000, was established to honor those student-athletes and coaches who have distinguished themselves in their sport or honorary members who made truly exceptional contributions to athletics.

For ticket information, please contact the FSU Athletics Department at (231) 591-2860.

Following are thumbnail sketches of each new inductee:

Kurt Barrett – A four-year starter, Barrett served as captain of both the 1969 and 1970 Bulldog gridiron teams. He earned NAIA District 23 laurels twice (1968-69) and was a NAIA national honorable mention selection in 1968. The 5-10, 215-pound guard was regarded as an excellent blocker and a fierce competitor. A native of Lapeer, Barrett was a key member of the school’s first unbeaten team in 1968 (7-0-1) and garnered team Most Valuable Player Award accolades. He was a primary blocker for a pair of NAIA national honorable mention halfbacks in Rod Alexander and Tom Hamlett. Also an outstanding student, Barrett was chosen as Michigan Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1970 by the National Football Foundation before being drafted by the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos in 1971. A 1974 Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine graduate, Barrett received the Fred L. Mitchell Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement at MSU. He went on to become chief of staff at Lakeview General Hospital in Battle Creek. A pioneer in diagnosing and treating Gastro Esophageal Reflex Disorders, Barrett has written a book of patient success stories, "Sick of Being Sick." The Battle Creek resident and his wife, Ann, have four daughters.

Art Carney – A three-sport standout, Carney played varsity football, basketball and tennis as a Bulldog student-athlete from 1946-50. He earned three varsity football and basketball letters besides four in tennis. Carney, who registered 25 points for the Ferris basketball team in the 1948-49 season, was the assistant captain of the 1948 Bulldog tennis team. He totaled two touchdowns on the gridiron as Ferris went 4-3-2 under head football coach Robert Sherman in 1946 to rank third among the squad's leaders in total points. After college, Carney worked in the city management field as a director of personnel and labor relations. He has also served on the board of directors for the Michigan City Managers Association and founded the Michigan Public Purchasing Officers Association. Carney, who received an outstanding service award from the Michigan Public Purchasing Officers Association, also was presented a Michigan Senate Resolution on behalf of the Michigan Legislature in 1981 for outstanding and exemplary service to municipal government. A Wausau, Wis., native, Carney earned a bachelor's of science degree from Ferris and an associate's degree in labor law from Wayne State in 1972. He presently resides in Newberry, Fla., along with his wife, Ruth.

Jim File – A three-time (1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84) team co-captain, File presently ranks tied for 10th place among the school's all-time top scoring leaders with 150 career points on 41 goals and 109 assists in 148 outings. His 109 career assists is fifth best in the program's all-time annals while his 252 penalty minutes (122 penalties) ranks ninth highest. File's 109 career assists and 150 career points are tops among all-time Bulldog defensemen. He holds school single-season marks for most points by a defenseman (49 in the 1983-84 season) while his 41 career goals is second best ever by a FSU defenseman. His 38 assists in the 1983-84 season is ninth highest in school history. File, who hails from Toronto, Ontario, achieved All-Central Collegiate Hockey Association First Team accolades twice (1981-82 and 1983-84) while receiving second-team kudos in the 1983-84 campaign. He also was a member of the 20th Anniversary All-Time Bulldog Hockey Team. File played one year of semi-pro hockey in Germany before entering the brokerage business. He currently resides in Richmond Hill, Ontario, with his wife, Janet, and two daughters.

Lynn (Olson) Hayden – Hayden, who competed in both cross country along with track and field, made Ferris history as a freshman in 1973 when she became the first female to earn a varsity letter in men's indoor and outdoor track and field. She was also a member of the 1973 NAIA District 23 indoor track championship team. Hayden made her mark as a race walker. She placed first in the Eastern Michigan University Collegiate Women's Indoor Track and Field meet's one-mile competition and became the national women’s AAU race-walk champion along with becoming the first American record-holder in the event at a competition held in New York's Madison Square Garden. Hayden was the first woman to compete in the NAIA Men's District 23 Outdoor Track Championships, placing second in the two-mile race walk and qualifying for the national outdoor meet where she was the first of her gender to ever compete. She was later honored for her athletic accomplishments by the Michigan Legislature in a Special Tribute. She and her husband, Steven, have five children and presently live in Portland, Ore.

Andre Johnson – Johnson, a Muskegon Reeths Puffer product, was a second-team 1989 Don Hansen's Football Gazette NCAA Division II All-America pick after concluding his career as one of the school's top all-time pass receivers. He presently ranks fourth on the Ferris career receiving chart with 2,276 yards and holds the school record for longest receiving touchdown - 93 yards versus Clarion (Pa.) on 9/16/89. Johnson, who received FSU's 1988 MVP Award, currently holds the school's single-game all-purpose total yards record as he compiled 525 total yards while setting NCAA records (all division) for all-purpose yardage and average gain per play against Clarion in 1989. He holds school kickoff return records for a game (8), season (40) and career (106) besides kickoff yards returned records in a game (261), season (938) and career (2,609). A two-time (1988-89) first-team All-GLIAC choice, Johnson was the school's Most Valuable Offensive Skill Player as a senior and named one of 24 candidates for the Harlon Hill Trophy symbolizing the nation’s top NCAA Division II player. Johnson, who twice (1988-89) led the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) in receiving, later spent time in the World League of America Football, the Canadian Football League and the Arena Football League. The 5-9 Johnson appeared in the inaugural Arena Football League All-Star Game as a professional. He briefly played basketball for the Bulldogs in 1990-91, averaging 5.8 points per game and sinking 13 three-point baskets in 15 contests. Johnson resides in Muskegon with his wife, Jennifer, and their two children.

Dennis Johnson – The 6-6 Johnson, who earned four varsity basketball letters from 1969-73, continues to rank as the school's all-time leading scorer after compiling 2,312 career points. He also holds FSU's career rebounding mark with 1,156 boards and set the school's all-time record by converting 892 career field goals. A third-team 1973 NAIA All-America selection, Johnson led the Bulldogs to their first-ever GLIAC Championship as a senior in the 1972-73 campaign. In his four-year career, Ferris State registered a 80-28 (.741) overall record highlighted by its 26-4 mark in his final season under head coach Jim Wink. An All-GLIAC honoree, Johnson posted team season bests in both scoring and rebounding each of his final three campaigns. Johnson's 698 points and 279 field goals as a junior (1971-72) presently rank first among the school's single-season leaders. The Detroit Redford High School product holds three of FSU's top five individual single-season scoring performances as well as Ferris' career made free throw mark (528). A three-time NAIA All-District 23 pick, Johnson was a three-time team Most Valuable Player Award winner. The Bulldog standout was drafted by the NBA's Detroit Pistons and the ABA's Utah Stars upon concluding his collegiate career. He earned a degree in business administration at FSU and later a master's degree in guidance and counseling from Eastern Michigan. Johnson works as an agent for the Internal Revenue Service and resides in Ann Arbor, Mich., along with his wife, Eileen. The couple also has a son, Aaron, and a daughter, Ryan.

Peter Lowden – Lowden currently ranks fourth among FSU's all-time scoring leaders with 199 career points on 74 goals and 125 assists in 158 contests and is the school's record holder for most career hat tricks (five). Lowden, who hails from Agincourt, Ontario, is listed eighth in career goals scored (74) and second in career assists (125). His 68 points (28-40–68) in the 1985-86 campaign is fourth best among the program's single-season leaders while his 55 points (23-32–55) in the 1984-85 season is 13th highest in team history. In single-season goal scoring, Lowden is tied for fifth with 28 tallies during the 1985-86 season and his 23 goals in the 1984-85 campaign ties him for 13th place. He ranks tied for fourth place in single-season assists with 40 in the 1985-86 season and is tied for 15th place with 32 assists in the 1984-85 campaign. A tri-captain for the 1985-86 campaign, Lowden shared 1983-84 FSU Rookie of the Year honors with his brother (Paul). He was honored with the Lloyd Earl Trophy as the team's top points getter in 1984-85 (55 points) and also shared 1985-86 team Most Valuable Player kudos with his brother. He presently holds or shares FSU single-season records for most games played (43 in 1986-87) and most four-goal games (one - 1984-85). He compiled a school-best 11 points (5-6–11) in a two-game series against Michigan (1/4-5/85) and shares a FSU mark for most points (3-2–5) in a period. He went on to play pro hockey in Germany while also serving as captain and assistant coach. He has residences in Illerzell, Germany and Caledon East, Ontario.

Jim Place – Place, a former U.S. Army paratrooper, came to Ferris after serving over two years in the World War II occupation of Japan. The captain of the 1952 Bulldog football team, Place played offensive guard as well as both defensive guard and linebacker during his FSU career from 1949-52. The four-year letterwinner helped Ferris post the program's 100th all-time win versus Defiance (Ohio) in 1951 under head coach Bob Sherman. Place, who was recalled to the U.S. Army during his collegiate playing days, was elected President of the FSU Varsity Club as a student-athlete. A longtime supporter of Bulldog Athletics, Place has supported Ferris continuously since 1974 through his involvement in the Bulldog Club, President's Club, FSU Gridiron Club and the Ferris Athletic Associates. A former member of the Bulldog Athletics Hall of Fame Committee, Place has also served in the Gridiron Club as a board member, secretary and treasurer. Since 1990, Place has attended virtually every FSU home and away football game, often serving as host for the Gridiron Club's tailgate events. Upon his graduation from Ferris in 1953, the Alma High School product joined Universal Electric Company in Owosso as an accountant and later helped staff a new factory in Altavista, Va. From 1968-77, Place was employed as Vice President of the Roary Corporation in Lansing before purchasing the R.L. Rider Company. He sold the business in 1983 and semi-retired to Mecosta County. Place and his wife, Ina, presently reside in Big Rapids. They have four grown children.

John Steinberg – The first three-time (1979-81) Bulldog All-America performer in the same sport, Steinberg is one of only five athletes in the men’s cross country program's history to garner All-America honors. He also competed in track and field where he helped FSU attain a league outdoor runner-up finish during the 1979 campaign. A five-time GLIAC individual track champion, Steinberg ranks fifth on the school's indoor 3,000-meter run chart (8:34.34), second on the outdoor 5,000-meter run list (14:46.14), second on the indoor 5,000-meter run list (14:48.04) and second on the outdoor 10,000-meter run performance chart (30:28.74). He was Ferris' only representative at the NCAA Division II National Cross Country Championships as a freshman (1978), where he placed 37th in a field of over 200 runners. In addition to earning NCAA All-Region honors as a rookie, he went on lead the Bulldogs to a ninth place national team finish as a sophomore (1979). In his second season, he garnered all-region and all-league accolades in addition to becoming the program's first All-America runner (placing 20th). Steinberg finished ninth overall at nationals as a junior, leading FSU to its highest national finish in any sport at the time (4th). He sparked Ferris to a four-year 21-1 dual meet mark and a 17-straight dual meet win streak. On the track, Steinberg claimed the GLIAC's outdoor 10,000-meter run title twice (1979, 1983), the conference indoor three mile championship twice (1979, 1983) and the league's 1982 indoor two mile race. The Manistee native currently lives in St. Joseph with his wife, Mary Ann, and two sons.

Jarvis Walker – Walker, the 1989 GLIAC Player of the Year, is presently FSU's sixth all-time leading scorer (1,713 points). A two-time Ferris State Most Valuable Player (1988-89), Walker holds the school's all-time assists mark (532) and ranks second in career steals (202). Regarded as one of the state’s most complete basketball players, Walker scored 1,713 career points, grabbed 693 career rebounds and dished out 532 assists. He led the Bulldogs to three-straight NCAA Division II National Tournament bids and three conference titles while twice (1988-89) attaining NCAA All-Great Lakes Region recognition. The 1985-86 GLIAC Freshman of the Year garnered first-team all-league accolades three consecutive seasons (1987-89). A graduate of Dearborn Heights Robichaud High School, Walker sank 27 of 54 three-point attempts as a senior, which presently ranks as the second-best single-season three-point percentage mark in school history. As a junior (1987-88), the Oak Park native led FSU to its only NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance as the Bulldogs registered a 25-5 overall mark, won the North Central Region title and finished the season ranked fourth in the nation. Walker attained double-figure scoring in all 28 games his senior campaign as FSU recorded its first and only unbeaten (16-0) conference mark en route to a 24-6 overall finish. He went on to a successful professional career in Germany where he led the league in scoring, was named Player of the Year and won a league title. The popular Walker also made several milk ads, had a mountain bike named for him, was spokesperson for a men's clothing line and had a beer featuring his face on every bottle. He lives in Norton Shores with his wife, Danielle, and three children.

Kathy DeBoer – Ferris' third head volleyball coach, DeBoer is best known for guiding the Bulldogs to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances. A 1978 graduate of Michigan State University, DeBoer registered a 107-63 (.629) mark in four seasons at the helm. During the 1982 campaign, DeBoer led the Bulldogs to a 43-14 mark, which included a first-place 8-0 GLIAC finish. In her final campaign (1983), DeBoer helped FSU finish 33-12 overall and reach the regional finals. During her college career, DeBoer led Michigan State to a seventh place performance in the 1977 AIAW National Championships. Besides running her own summer camps at Ferris State, she also taught nationally, including two summers serving on the volleyball staff at the National Sports Festival - an Olympic training ground for America's top junior athletes. A Grand Rapids Christian High School graduate, DeBoer was the Most Valuable Player on MSU's 1978 basketball squad and a two-year starting forward for the Minnesota Fillies of the former Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL). A two-time (1981-82) GLIAC "Coach of the Year," DeBoer led Ferris to its first two volleyball league titles (1982-83) and held an active 22-match conference winning streak when she left. She firmly established Ferris State as a top 10 team in the national polls as the Bulldogs claimed two-straight GLIAC Tournament titles (1982-83) and recorded two consecutive eighth-place national finishes (1982-83). One of the first to fight for Title IX rights, DeBoer later served at FSU as assistant athletics director and was senior associate athletics director and head coach at the University of Kentucky. She lives in Lexington, Ky.

Judd Folske – Folske spent 24 seasons in the Ferris baseball program, including 11 seasons as the Bulldogs' head coach from 1984-94. During his head coaching career, Folske led Ferris to seven GLIAC Championships while attaining GLIAC Coach of the Year award accolades seven times. As the Bulldog mentor, Folske compiled a 239-303-5 overall mark and an impressive 122-54 (.693) league record. His 1992 squad posted a conference record 22 league victories while his 1990 squad advanced to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Folske guided Ferris to six consecutive league championships from 1988-93 after helping the Bulldogs record four NAIA District 23 crowns and three league titles as the program's assistant coach from 1971-83. He also served as an assistant football coach and scout team coordinator at FSU from 1973-80. An assistant professor in the Ferris State Physical Education Program, Folske was a member of the NCAA Division II North Central Region Baseball Committee and served as the NCAA-II Representative to the American Baseball Coaches Association’s Professional Baseball Committee. During his Bulldog tenure, the FSU graduate held other duties such as serving as Director of Intramural, Recreation and Club Sports along with working as an assistant to the Athletics Director. Folske served as head varsity baseball coach at his alma mater, Anchor Bay High School in New Baltimore, prior to his arrival at Ferris. Following the FSU baseball program’s elimination in 1994, Folske later became a volunteer assistant baseball coach at Central Michigan in 1997-98 before serving as the Chippewas’ head coach from 1998-2002. He posted a four-year record of 131-98 (.572) at CMU as his teams reached the Mid-American Conference playoffs the final three years and tied for the West Division crown in 2000. Folske, who is married to current Bulldog Athletics Hall of Fame member Monica Folske, presently lives in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. The couple has two sons, Brett and James.