Ten Inducted into Men's Track & Field Hall of Fame
Oct. 10, 2015 Courtesey Michigan
• Class of 2015 | Photo Gallery 
(Facebook)
• Michigan Men's Track & Field Hall of Fame
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Ten of the most decorated and celebrated athletes and coaches in Michigan men's track and field history were inducted into the program's Hall of Fame on Friday (Oct. 9) in a special ceremony held off campus. The class of 2015 includes: Nathan Brannen (2002-05), Van Bruner (1951-53), John Carroll (1952-54), Omar Davidson (1985-87, 1989), Scott Eriksson (1981-84), Peter Gray (1954-56), Roy Pella (1952-54), Ernst Soudek (1962-64), Nick Willis (2003-05) and Coach Ron Warhurst (1974-2009).
This year's group of inductees joins 67 former athletes and coaches already in the Hall of Fame, bringing the new total to 77 honored individuals. Of the nine athletes of the Class of 2015, five earned All-America honors at least once during their careers, five have represented their countries in the Olympic Games at least once, and four have competed under the guidance of a fellow inductee, Coach Ron Warhurst.
These four inductees were unable to join their fellow hall of famers at the ceremony: Van Bruner (1951-53), Hurdles; John Carroll (1952-54), Mid-Distance; Peter Gray (1954-56), Mid-Distance and Roy Pella (1952-54), Throws.
The remaining six inductees shared some of their thoughts on an emotional milestone evening, touching on seeing old teammates and coaches, the program's upcoming new facility -- renderings of which were on display -- and more.
Nathan Brannen (2002-05), Mid-Distance
"To be inducted to the Hall of Fame tonight is a huge honor. Looking at the group of past inductees and knowing how elite that group is...it's pretty amazing. I can't think of a better way to enjoy the night than being up there with a teammate and my old coach."
Omar Davidson (1985-87, 1989), Sprints/Mid-Distance
"First and foremost, this is like being in a time warp. I am seeing my old teammates and coaches -- I was not expecting this. To get that phone call was very humbling, and it still is (humbling) to receive this honor and recognition tonight. I am happy, and just trying to soak it all in.
"The blueprints of the new facility are awesome. It is great for me to know that I ran in the old building, and now there is a new structure on the way here. I look forward to seeing that and maybe even running on it one day. It's a new era of progress."
Scott Eriksson (1981-84), Throws
"It's like a family reunion, it really is. Jack Harvey was my coach; Ron Warhurst was coaching at the same time, and even right now (looking out in the crowd) I can see probably a dozen guys who were my teammates. As much as I feel I was a good athlete, I don't consider myself a great athlete -- but I had great people around me and influencing me. That is really the honor of being back here, appreciation to those guys. It was a great part of my life.
"The current throwing crew is doing fantastic. The guy who had the record before I broke it (Ernst Soudek) is here tonight being inducted as well. He came to see me when I broke his record, and I'm watching this group now because they're going to do it, and I need to make another trip back here pretty soon. I'm pulling for them."
Ernst Soudek (1962-64), Throws
"It's a fantastic honor, and it was worth it for me and my wife to come back to Ann Arbor from Vienna. That was probably the longest trip of anybody to come here -- 5,000 miles one way. It is definitely worth it. I am seeing people that I have not seen in 50 years. I'll have to try not to cry when I give my speech."
Nick Willis (2003-05), Mid-Distance
"The biggest thing about tonight is inducting Ronnie (Warhurst). It is really special to see all these people, and Ronnie basically is the history of Michigan track, in addition to those who came before him. All these people came before Nate (Brannen) and I, and we are a little bit of the icing on the cake to the evening. It's all about Ron tonight, and it's really cool to be a part of that. It is such a privilege to be considered for this Hall of Fame.
"It is really exciting for me to still be a part of this family -- past, present and future. Hopefully, they will let me come around the new building. It's great to see the results. Not just to have solid teams, but to have nationally ranked teams, I think that is really important. From my experience, when I was here Ron really had Michigan as a talking point nationally, all of the time. Now, seeing Mason Ferlic getting National Athlete of the Week last week, that is really exciting, and we hope to see more of that in the future."
Coach Ron Warhurst (1974-2009)
"I hope it isn't too emotional. I'm not supposed to tear up tonight; most of these guys only saw me tear up once or twice in their career, and that was when we won the Big Ten Championships. This event is just fantastic. There are guys from my 1974, '75 and '76 teams as well as guys from more recent teams that I coached. For Coach Clayton and (Coach) Kevin (Sullivan) and (Coach) Steve (Rajewsky) to get everything going again is just great for the program. We used to come together for just funerals and weddings, but this is pretty special.
"All the guys being inducted tonight ran in the old building. I started in the mid-70s, and we moved all the old lockers into the track building, which used to be the track and tennis building -- some of us still refer to it that way. Now, to see these renderings; they are just fantastic. Now we just wait to see it happen."
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
(Facebook)• Michigan Men's Track & Field Hall of Fame
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Ten of the most decorated and celebrated athletes and coaches in Michigan men's track and field history were inducted into the program's Hall of Fame on Friday (Oct. 9) in a special ceremony held off campus. The class of 2015 includes: Nathan Brannen (2002-05), Van Bruner (1951-53), John Carroll (1952-54), Omar Davidson (1985-87, 1989), Scott Eriksson (1981-84), Peter Gray (1954-56), Roy Pella (1952-54), Ernst Soudek (1962-64), Nick Willis (2003-05) and Coach Ron Warhurst (1974-2009).
This year's group of inductees joins 67 former athletes and coaches already in the Hall of Fame, bringing the new total to 77 honored individuals. Of the nine athletes of the Class of 2015, five earned All-America honors at least once during their careers, five have represented their countries in the Olympic Games at least once, and four have competed under the guidance of a fellow inductee, Coach Ron Warhurst.
These four inductees were unable to join their fellow hall of famers at the ceremony: Van Bruner (1951-53), Hurdles; John Carroll (1952-54), Mid-Distance; Peter Gray (1954-56), Mid-Distance and Roy Pella (1952-54), Throws.
The remaining six inductees shared some of their thoughts on an emotional milestone evening, touching on seeing old teammates and coaches, the program's upcoming new facility -- renderings of which were on display -- and more.
Nathan Brannen (2002-05), Mid-Distance
"To be inducted to the Hall of Fame tonight is a huge honor. Looking at the group of past inductees and knowing how elite that group is...it's pretty amazing. I can't think of a better way to enjoy the night than being up there with a teammate and my old coach."
Omar Davidson (1985-87, 1989), Sprints/Mid-Distance
"First and foremost, this is like being in a time warp. I am seeing my old teammates and coaches -- I was not expecting this. To get that phone call was very humbling, and it still is (humbling) to receive this honor and recognition tonight. I am happy, and just trying to soak it all in.
"The blueprints of the new facility are awesome. It is great for me to know that I ran in the old building, and now there is a new structure on the way here. I look forward to seeing that and maybe even running on it one day. It's a new era of progress."
Scott Eriksson (1981-84), Throws
"It's like a family reunion, it really is. Jack Harvey was my coach; Ron Warhurst was coaching at the same time, and even right now (looking out in the crowd) I can see probably a dozen guys who were my teammates. As much as I feel I was a good athlete, I don't consider myself a great athlete -- but I had great people around me and influencing me. That is really the honor of being back here, appreciation to those guys. It was a great part of my life.
"The current throwing crew is doing fantastic. The guy who had the record before I broke it (Ernst Soudek) is here tonight being inducted as well. He came to see me when I broke his record, and I'm watching this group now because they're going to do it, and I need to make another trip back here pretty soon. I'm pulling for them."
Ernst Soudek (1962-64), Throws
"It's a fantastic honor, and it was worth it for me and my wife to come back to Ann Arbor from Vienna. That was probably the longest trip of anybody to come here -- 5,000 miles one way. It is definitely worth it. I am seeing people that I have not seen in 50 years. I'll have to try not to cry when I give my speech."
Nick Willis (2003-05), Mid-Distance
"The biggest thing about tonight is inducting Ronnie (Warhurst). It is really special to see all these people, and Ronnie basically is the history of Michigan track, in addition to those who came before him. All these people came before Nate (Brannen) and I, and we are a little bit of the icing on the cake to the evening. It's all about Ron tonight, and it's really cool to be a part of that. It is such a privilege to be considered for this Hall of Fame.
"It is really exciting for me to still be a part of this family -- past, present and future. Hopefully, they will let me come around the new building. It's great to see the results. Not just to have solid teams, but to have nationally ranked teams, I think that is really important. From my experience, when I was here Ron really had Michigan as a talking point nationally, all of the time. Now, seeing Mason Ferlic getting National Athlete of the Week last week, that is really exciting, and we hope to see more of that in the future."
Coach Ron Warhurst (1974-2009)
"I hope it isn't too emotional. I'm not supposed to tear up tonight; most of these guys only saw me tear up once or twice in their career, and that was when we won the Big Ten Championships. This event is just fantastic. There are guys from my 1974, '75 and '76 teams as well as guys from more recent teams that I coached. For Coach Clayton and (Coach) Kevin (Sullivan) and (Coach) Steve (Rajewsky) to get everything going again is just great for the program. We used to come together for just funerals and weddings, but this is pretty special.
"All the guys being inducted tonight ran in the old building. I started in the mid-70s, and we moved all the old lockers into the track building, which used to be the track and tennis building -- some of us still refer to it that way. Now, to see these renderings; they are just fantastic. Now we just wait to see it happen."
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
No comments:
Post a Comment