University of Minnesota Athletics
'M Club' Reveals 2015 Hall of Fame Class
6/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | M Club
The University of Minnesota "M" Club, one of the nation's oldest and largest varsity letterwinner organizations, today announced a class of 14 inductees to its Hall of Fame. The ceremony to officially welcome these latest additions to the Hall of Fame will be held in the DQ Club Room at TCF Bank Stadium on October 15.
"Competing as a varsity athlete wearing the University of Minnesota colors is a remarkable achievement," said "M" Club Director George Adzick. "Members of the `M' Club Hall of Fame achieved something even greater than that, setting the bar high for all collegiate athletes and entrenching themselves in the history of our university. It will be an honor to recognize the 2015 Hall of Fame class and to ensure their spot in Gopher Athletics' heritage."
This year's 14-member class, which represents competitors who wore the Maroon and Gold in eight different decades dating back to the 1930s, will stretch the Hall of Fame's total membership to 334 individuals across 27 different varsity sports.
Those who will be added to the "M" Club Hall of Fame this fall include:
- Luke Becker (Wrestling) -- National Champion, four-time All-American and a key contributor to the program's first two NCAA titles.
- Ronda Curtin (Women's Hockey) -- Program's first two-time All-American, 2002 WCHA Player of the Year.
- Chris Darkins (Football and Track) -- Minnesota's single-game rushing record holder, top-five in career rushing yards and 1996 Big Ten champion in 55-meter dash.
- Roland DePaul (Men's Hockey) -- All-American and three-time team scoring leader.
- Olga (Splichalova) Espinosa (Women's Swimming) -- Seven-time All-American, three-time Big Ten champion and two-time Czech Olympian.
- Brent Gates (Baseball) -- All-American and 1991 Big Ten Player of the Year, currently second on Minnesota's career batting average list.
- Clifton Gustafson (Wrestling) -- Big Ten champion and first two-time All-American in program history.
- Jack Manders (Football) -- Two-time All-American and three-time All-Pro during NFL career.
- Dick Meredith (Men's Hockey) -- NCAA All-Tournament team honoree and two-time U.S. Olympian.
- Jennie (Moe) Coughlin (Women's Tennis) -- First three-time, First Team All-Big Ten performer in program history and leader in career double wins as an individual and overall.
- Dave Odegard (Track and Field) -- First All-American hurdler at Minnesota and two-time Big Ten champion.
- Joey Ray (Men's Gymnastics) -- Six-time Big Ten champion, including four-time parallel bar champion, and 1984 Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient.
- Bill "Buzz" Schneider (Men's Hockey) -- Leader on Minnesota's first NCAA championship team and two-time U.S. Olympian.
- Byrl Thompson (Track and Field) -- Two-time Big Ten champion in discus and alternate for 1948 U.S. Olympic team.
A committee of coaches, administrators, staff and former student-athletes researches hundreds of Gopher Athletics' alums and identifies candidates for induction into the "M" Club Hall of Fame each year. Former and current coaches, athletics administrators and all University letterwinners are invited to cast votes to determine which candidates are enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
More information on each member of the 2015 "M" Club Hall of Fame class is included below, listed alphabetically by last name.
Luke Becker (Wrestling, 2000-03) -- Prior to Becker's career at Minnesota, no Gopher grappler had been a four-time All-American and a national champion, the latter of which Becker achieved in 2002. To this day, he is one of just six to have achieved both. In addition to his individual honors, Becker was also a key contributor to three-straight Big Ten team titles (2001-03) and the first two national titles in program history (2001, 2002). Since his wrestling career ended, Becker has been a part of Minnesota's coaching staff, where he presently serves as assistant coach. During his time on the staff, Becker has worked with more than 50 All-Americans and six national champions.
Ronda Curtin (Women's Hockey, 2000-03) -- Curtin became synonymous with firsts during her playing career at Minnesota. After contributing to the program's first national title -- the AWCHA National Championship in 2000 -- she became the program's first two-time All-American by earning First Team honors in both 2002 and 2003. Those same seasons she was First Team All-WCHA, as well as WCHA Defensive Player of the Year. To this day, she is the only Gopher to earn the award twice. She also was WCHA Player of the Year in 2002, anchoring the defensive core of a Gopher team that swept the WCHA regular season and tournament title that season.
Chris Darkins (Football, 1992-95; Track, 1993-96) -- Darkins stood out in two sports during his time at the U of M, but the unifying factor in both was his unbelievable running abilities. On the gridiron, Darkins earned First Team All-Big Ten honors in 1994 by setting a school record with 1,443 rushing yards on the season. Darkins career rushing total of 3,235 yards was third on Minnesota's all-time list when his career ended and remains fifth-best in program history, and his 294 rushing yards against Purdue in 1995 is still the highest single-game total in Gopher football history. On the track, Darkins followed up a runner-up finish in the 55 meters at the 1995 Big Ten Championships with a Big Ten title in the 55 meters in 1996, establishing a school record time. Following his collegiate career, Darkins was drafted in the fourth round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.
Roland DePaul (Men's Hockey, 1946-49) -- No one provided more offensive pop for the Gopher hockey team in the late 1940s than DePaul. He led the team in scoring in each of his three seasons with the Gophers, averaging almost two points and about one goal per contest during that stretch. As a junior in 1948, DePaul was named Second Team All-America. As a senior the following season, DePaul served as the captain of the 1948-49 team and went on to post career highs in goals (24) and points (40).
Olga (Splichalova) Espinosa (Women's Swimming, 1995-98) -- Already a deserving member of the U of M Aquatics Hall of Fame, Espinosa -- maiden name Splichalova -- earned seven All-America honors during her career at Minnesota and was a five-time individual All-American. At the time of her graduation, her five individual All-America medals were the most in school history. She captured three Big Ten titles during her collegiate career, winning both the 500 free and 1650 free in 1996, and repeating as the 500 free champion in 1997. Espinosa also was an 11-year member of the Czech National Team, competing in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.
Brent Gates (Baseball, 1988-91) -- Before being selected in the first round of the MLB Draft by Oakland in 1991, Gates put together one of the most exceptional individual seasons in Gopher baseball history. He hit .412 that season and knocked in 60 runs, credentials that earned him First Team All-Big Ten, First Team All-America and Big Ten Player of the Year honors, accolades that piled on top of his 1989 Freshman All-America and 1990 Second Team All-Big Ten recognitions. Still second on Minnesota's career batting average list (.387), Gates went on to enjoy a seven-year MLB career.
Clifton Gustafson (Wrestling, 1936-38) -- One of the earliest stars in Gopher wrestling history, Gustafson was the program's first multiple-time All-American, finishing third at heavyweight at the 1937 NCAA tournament and then finishing as runner-up the following season. Gustafson was also a two-time finalist at the Big Ten tournament, winning the conference title in 1937 and finishing as the runner-up in 1938. Beyond his accomplishments in conference and NCAA events, Gustafson won the 1938 AAU national championship.
Jack Manders (Football, 1930-32) -- In the early days of the NFL, Manders was known as one of the league's most consistent and dependable placekickers. Before his professional career, he led the Gophers in rushing in both 1930 and 1931, finishing both of those seasons as a Second Team All-American. In 1931, he also earned First Team All-Big Ten laurels as the conference's scoring leader. He went on to an eight-year professional career, a tenure that included three All-Pro seasons as a running back and a kicker and two NFL scoring titles. Manders' 78 consecutive PAT conversions during one stretch of his career set an NFL record at the time.
Dick Meredith (Men's Hockey, 1952-54) -- Before he had even graduated from the U of M, Meredith had emerged as one of the top American hockey players in the country. As a freshman, Meredith earned NCAA All-Tournament team honors in 1953. Following his junior year, he was invited to join the U.S. National Team and competed in the 1956 Olympics, scoring two goals for the U.S. en route to a silver medal. Four years later, Meredith added two more goals as the U.S. team won its first gold medal in ice hockey at the 1960 Olympics.
Jennie (Moe) Coughlin (Women's Tennis, 1989-92) -- When Coughlin - then known as Jennie Moe - finished her playing days at Minnesota, she sat atop every list of career wins in the Gopher record books. She earned 92 singles victories, which was the most in program history at the time. To this day, her doubles wins (89) and wins overall (181) remain the most by any Gopher woman in the modern era. All that winning led to big-time honors as well - Coughlin was named First Team All-Big Ten three consecutive times to finish her career (1990-92). She was the first Gopher to earn three First Team nods and is just one of four as of today. With her induction, Coughlin becomes just the third second-generation Hall of Famer in Gopher Athletics' history. Her father, former Gopher student-athlete and U of M Director of Athletics Tom Moe, was inducted in 2000.
Dave Odegard (Track & Field, 1959-61) -- Odegard was the first great hurdler in Minnesota history. His signature season came in 1960, when he became the first Gopher to win the Big Ten Indoor title in the 70-yard hurdles. During the outdoor season later that year, Odegard claimed the conference crown in the 120-yard hurdles. He advanced to compete in the 110-meter high hurdles at the NCAA Championships, where he finished as the runner-up. His performance earned him All-America honors, an unprecedented feat at the time for any Minnesota hurdler, and propelled him to the No. 12 spot in Track & Field News' world hurdle rankings. Odegard's accomplishments led to his enshrinement in the USATF Minnesota Track & Field Hall of Fame.
Joey Ray (Men's Gymnastics, 1981-84) -- Ray's path to accumulating six individual Big Ten championships began his freshman season with titles on pommel horse and parallel bars, the latter opening the door to racking up four straight Big Ten titles in the event, making Ray one of only two Gophers to win four Big Ten titles in a single event. In addition to his acumen on the bars, Ray also finished first or second in the Big Ten all-around all four years he competed, earning the conference title in 1983. Ray's contributions were critical to Big Ten team titles for Minnesota in both 1982 and 1984. For his efforts his senior season, Ray was awarded the 1984 Big Ten Medal of Honor and First Team All-Big Ten recognition.
William "Buzz" Schneider (Men's Hockey, 1972-75) -- As an upperclassman, Schneider was a leader for Minnesota's first NCAA championship team in men's hockey in 1974. That team also won the 1974 WCHA tournament, the first of three straight conference crowns as the program went on to sweep the regular season and tournament title in 1975 before reaching the national championship game for the second straight year. Known as a scorer at Minnesota -- he accumulated 91 points in 115 career games, including 50 goals -- Schneider went on to play for five U.S. National Teams, including both the 1976 Olympic team and the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team. Schneider led the gold medal-winning U.S. team in scoring in the 1980 Olympics with eight points (five goals).
Byrl Thompson (Track & Field, 1949-50, `56) -- When it came to throwing the discus, Thompson was not only one of the best at Minnesota, he was one of the best in the nation. As a high school athlete, Thompson set what was then the national high school record for discus, with a toss of 176-4 while at Southwest High in Minneapolis. During his Gopher career, he was a two-time Big Ten outdoors discus champ and finished runner-up at the 1949 NCAAs in the event. He ranked third and fourth in the U.S in discus in 1948 and 1949, respectively, and was an alternate for the 1948 U.S. Olympic team. Thompson is already a member of both the Drake Relays and USATF Minnesota Track & Field Halls of Fame.
