University of Minnesota Athletics
?M? Club Hall of Fame to Induct Eight
7/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
The University of Minnesota “M” Club and the University of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Department will honor a group of eight outstanding individuals with induction into the University of Minnesota “M” Club Hall of Fame this September, Athletics Department officials announced today.
The 2009 class of the University of Minnesota “M” Club Hall of Fame includes Mike Antonovich (men’s hockey), Aaron Broten (men’s hockey), Dennis Dale (men’s swimming and diving), Judy Knight (softball) and Lori [Townsend] Monaghan (women’s cross country/track and field) as well as legends Jack DeField (men’s track and field), Dale Hanson (wrestling) and Andy Uram (football)
The class is the seventh since the men’s and women’s halls of fame were combined into the University of Minnesota “M” Club Hall of Fame in 2003.
The official induction of the 2009 class will take place during a ceremony to be held in the TCF Bank Stadium DQ Club Room on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009. A social hour beginning at 6 p.m. will kick off the event, with the main program starting at 7 p.m.
Tickets for the ceremony may be purchased through the University of Minnesota Athletics Ticket Office (612-624-8080, 800-U-GOPHER or online at gophersports.com) and are priced at $35 for individuals, $25 for active “M” Club members and the family members of inductees, and $15 for students, children and athletics department staff.
The class of 2009 will lead the Victory Walk for Gophers’ football game against California on Saturday, Sept. 19, before being publically honored at halftime.
The University of Minnesota “M” Club is a nonprofit organization representing all letterwinners from University of Minnesota athletics teams. The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to honor achievements and to preserve the tradition of those athletes, coaches and athletic staff members who have contributed in an outstanding and positive way to the University of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Department.
The criteria for induction to the University of Minnesota “M” Club Hall of Fame include four different categories: significant accomplishments by a former student-athlete; significant achievements by a former coach or administrator; significant contributions of time, talent or resources to the athletics department by someone other than an athlete, coach or administrator, and significant professional achievement by a former Minnesota student-athlete.
Former student-athletes inducted for significant accomplishments become eligible for selection five years after the expiration of their eligibility, while former coaches and staff members must have served the department for five years to be eligible.
M Club Hall of Fame – Class of 2009
Mike Antonovich – Men’s Hockey
His Golden Gopher playing days cut short due to an injury, Mike Antonovich made up for lost time with a lengthy and successful professional hockey career. Antonovich played at the University of Minnesota from 1969-72 and led the team in scoring as a freshman, but suffered a knee injury in a game against the U.S. Olympic team during the 1971-72 season. Antonovich left the Gophers following that season and embarked on a professional career that spanned 11 seasons and five different teams.
Antonovich totaled 45 goals and 40 assists for 85 points in 77 career games as a centerman for the Golden Gophers. He notched team highs in every category as a freshman with 23 goals, 20 assists, 43 points and 60 penalty minutes. Antonovich followed with 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points as a sophomore and was off to a strong start during his junior season with eight goals and two assists before his injury in the ninth game and first home contest of the year.
A ninth round draft choice of the Minnesota North Stars in 1971, Antonovich left the Gophers and joined his former coach, Glen Sonmor, to play with the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Association during the team’s inaugural 1972-73 season. Antonovich was a regular in the Fighting Saints’ lineup, appearing in a franchise-record 309 games over five seasons. After the Fighting Saints folded in 1975-76, he joined the North Stars and played in 12 games. Antonovich returned to the WHA the following year and played with the Edmonton Oilers and the New England Whalers. Antonovich appeared in the 1978 WHA All-Star game and eventually played in 75 more National Hockey League games from 1979-84, including 68 games in two seasons with the New Jersey Devils. He totaled 573 professional games, posting 192 goals and 203 assists for 395 career points.
Antonovich played internationally with the United States team in the World Championships in 1976, 1977 and 1982. He was an assistant coach in the International Hockey League with the Minnesota Moose in 1995-96 and the Phoenix Roadrunners in 1996-97 before moving into his current position as a scout with the St. Louis Blues.
A native of Calumet, Minn., Antonovich now resides in Coleraine, Minn. and serves as the city’s mayor. He and his wife, Sandra, have four children, Stephanie, Jeffrey, Melissa and Michelle.
Aaron Broten – Men’s Hockey
It didn’t take long for Aaron Broten to leave his mark on the University of Minnesota hockey program. In just two seasons with the Golden Gophers, Broten amassed 178 points, including a single-season record 106 points as a sophomore in 1980-81. The Roseau, Minn. native enjoyed a 12-year career in the National Hockey League and played for six United States national teams. He was also inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007.
Broten joined the Gophers in 1979-80 and had the highest-scoring freshman season of any player in school history with 25 goals and 47 assists for 72 points, earning Western Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of Year honors. Broten followed with his league-leading 106-point sophomore season, tallying 47 goals and a single-season school record 59 assists. He was a first-team all-WCHA selection and the team’s Most Valuable Player, despite the fact his teammate and brother, Neal, won the inaugural Hobey Baker Award. Broten was named to the all-tournament team at the 1981 NCAA championships when the Gophers finished as national runner-up.
A sixth-round draft choice of the Colorado Rockies in 1980, Broten joined the team for two games following the Gophers’ 1980-81 season and played nine more seasons with the franchise, including seven years after the Rockies became the New Jersey Devils. He also played professionally with the Minnesota North Stars, Quebec Nordiques, Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets. He played in every game for five seasons with the Devils with his best season coming in 1987-88 when he tallied 83 points. Broten played in 748 career National Hockey League games, totaling 186 goals and 329 assists for 515 career points prior to his retirement in 1992. Broten’s brothers, Neal and Paul, also played in the NHL.
Broten played for the U.S. national team in the World Hockey Championships in 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986 and 1987 before coming out of retirement to play in three games during the 1999 World Championships.
Broten currently resides in his hometown of Roseau and serves as an assistant coach with the Roseau High School team. He served as Roseau’s head coach for the 1999-2000 season.
Dennis Dale – Men’s Swimming
An All-American swimmer at Minnesota in 1967, Dennis Dale returned to his alma mater as the seventh head swimming and diving coach in school history in 1985. Since that time, Dale has led the Gophers to unprecedented success and consistency during his 24-year tenure.
A six-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, Dale has led Minnesota to seven Big Ten titles (1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2007). The Gophers' 1996 championship was the first in 70 years. Dale's teams have finished in the top three at the Big Ten meet every season since 1989 after not making a top five conference finish since 1967. He has coached 87 Big Ten event champions and has guided a Big Ten champion in every event at the conference meet.
Dale's coaching has also translated into success at the NCAA Championships. Minnesota has finished in the top 15 at the national meet for 18 consecutive seasons dating back to 1989. The Gophers have earned nine top 10 finishes including a sixth-place showing in 1992 and seventh-place finishes in 1994, 2000 and 2003. More than 100 of his athletes have earned All-America honors.
In dual meet action, Dale has accumulated a mark of 174-28, including seven undefeated seasons. In the classroom, Dale's student-athletes have racked up more than 200 Academic All-Big Ten certificates and 11 have earned national Academic All-America awards.
Dale has a lengthy resume of international coaching as well including a stint as the Team USA head coach at the 2007 World University Games where his swimmers earned 16 medals. He was an assistant for Team USA at the 1998 Goodwill Games and 2003 World University Games. He was an assistant for the Brazilian National Team at the 2000 Olympic Games.
Dale earned All-America honors at the U of M as a backstroker in 1967, the same year he graduated with a degree in business administration and physical education. Prior to returning to the 'U', Dale spent 13 years as the head boys and girls coach at Burnsville High School where he won four state titles. He is being inducted into the Burnsville High School Hall of Fame later this year.
Judy Knight – Softball
Judy Knight starred for the Golden Gopher softball team from 1978-1981. In her senior season, she led Minnesota to their first Big Ten title, after a 4-1 mark at the conference tournament. She also capped a career that saw her leave as the Golden Gophers leader in assists in a game (12), season (118) and career (416).
Throughout her career, Knight was one of Minnesota’s best and most consistent hitters. She broke into the line-up as a freshman in 1978 and immediately led the team in sacrifices with 15. That year she also collected 39 hits and knocked in a career high 21 runs, while scoring a career high 28. She also added 110 assists in 1978, which set her on a pace for her record setting 416 in her career.
After entering the everyday lineup in her first season, she would stay there for the next four years. Her best season statistically came in her junior year. There, she batted .338 in 37 games, connecting for a career high 45 hits and scoring 21 runs. She also banged out a career best three triples on her way to a career high of 52 total bases. Again she topped the 100 assist mark, finishing with a 106 to go along with a fielding percentage of .916. On Mar. 26 of that season she set a Golden Gopher record that still stands, when she tallied 10 at-bats against Texas-Arlington in a 25-inning, 2-1 win on the road.
In addition to her assist marks, she also ended her career as the Minnesota record holder with 38 career sacrifices. Elsewhere in the record books, she finished her career fourth on the career hit list (141) and 10th in both career RBI (44) and batting average (.288). In 1979 she was invited to try out for the U.S. Pan American softball team.
A native of Brooklyn Center, Minn., Knight is the sixth softball player to be enshrined in the M Club Hall of Fame. Today Knight lives in Bloomington, Minn., where she runs Knight Project Services, an engineering and construction management consulting firm.
Lori (Townsend) Monaghan – Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field
A four-time track NCAA All-American, Lori (Townsend) Monaghan remains one of the best distance runners in Golden Gopher history.
Monaghan captured national acclaim in three times in the 5,000 meters, twice at the NCAA Indoor Championships (1994, 1996) and once at the NCAA Outdoor Championships (1995). She added one All-America citation in the indoor 3,000 meters in 1995.
Monaghan finished her Gopher career with school records in all three events and still ranks third in each of those events today. She also competed in cross country, where she collected All-NCAA Region accolades four times.
Not only was Monaghan a star runner, she was also a star in the classroom, earning Academic All-Big Ten honors four times. Finishing her career at Minnesota, Monaghan was named Minnesota Senior Athlete of the Year in 1995-96.
After college she went on to work for a design firm for 13 years. She now lives in New Jersey with her husband, Bruce, and two daughters, Grace & Elizabeth.
Jack DeField – Men’s Track and Field
During the early 1940s no Golden Gopher pole vaulter was more dominant than Jack DeField.
Twice he captured NCAA titles for the pole vault, doing so in 1942 and 1943, making him one of two Gopher trackmen who have won two or more track and field NCAA titles. In fact, he and Bob Finch were the first Gopher track athletes to ever earn All-America honors, doing so in 1942. DeField was a three-time Big Ten outdoor champion in the pole vault and won the Big Ten indoor title in 1942.
With all his success, DeField became Minnesota’s captain in 1942, leading the team to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
After leaving Minnesota, DeField won the pole vault with a mark of 14-0 at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. In 2002, DeField was inducted into the Minnesota USATF Hall of Fame.
Dale Hanson – Wrestling
The present day success of Minnesota wrestling can be traced back to the ground work laid in the early days of the sport. Minnesota became a presence on the national seen in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s, claiming five straight top-10 finishes at the National Championships. The star of those early teams was Dale Hanson, who competed for the Golden Gophers from 1938-1940, becoming the program’s first two-time Big Ten Champion.
Hanson won his first Big Ten individual championship in 1939, becoming just the sixth Golden Gopher to earn an Individual Big Ten title, and the first at 128 pounds. In 1940, he successfully defended his Championship, setting himself apart as the first wrestler in Minnesota history to win two, individual conference titles.
Along with his success in the Big Ten, Hanson became Minnesota’s second National Champion in 1939, when he won the title at 128 pounds and was named Most Outstanding wrestler at the NCAA Championships. It was his first All-America honor, as he became just the fifth wrestler to earn All-America accolades. In 1940, he became an All-American again, when he finished runner-up at 128 pounds. In doing so, became the second Minnesota wrestler to earn All-America status in back-to-back seasons.
During his time with the Golden Gophers, Hanson led them to three straight top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, a 20-4-1 dual meet record and a perfect 6-0 mark in Big Ten dual meets. In 1938, the Golden Gophers placed sixth in the Big Ten and sixth in the nation, before placing fourth in both the Big Ten and the nation in 1939. In his final season in 1940, Hanson led the U to another fourth place finish in the Big Ten, and a seventh place national tally.
The 12th Gopher wrestler to be inducted into the “M” Club Hall of Fame, Hanson lost his life during World War II in service of his country on Oct. 5, 1942 at the age of 24 while serving as an Army Air Corps pilot.
Andy Uram – Football
Andy Uram was an all-America fullback at the University of Minnesota and a three-year letterwinner. He played on the 1935 and 1936 National Championship teams for the Golden Gophers.
Uram's most famous feat at Minnesota came midway early in the 1936 season in a game against Nebraska. The game was scoreless until he took a lateral from Bud Wilkinson and scored on a 76-yard punt return with 68 seconds to play. Minnesota won, 7-0, en route to a 7-1 season and a national title.
Uram earned All-America honors from the Associated Press in 1937. He was an All-Big Ten honoree in the 1936 season.
Uram was a Minneapolis native, playing his prep football at Marshall High School.
Uram went on to play six seasons for the Green Bay Packers. He played for the Packers from 1938 to 1943 and was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 1973.
Uram shared a National Football League record for the longest touchdown run - 97 yards against the Chicago Cardinals in 1939 - until Tony Dorsett of the Dallas Cowboys broke it with a 99-yard run in 1982 against the Minnesota Vikings.
