James Laurinaitis headlines Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2018
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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The 2018 class will be inducted in September, with the linebacker legend adding his name to the history books.
Fresh off the news that three members of the Ohio State football team
were listed on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot, OSU unveiled their own list for who’ll be inducted into the latest Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame.
James Laurinaitis, along with the nine other Hall of Famers, will be inducted at a dinner on Sept. 7 at the Ohio Union (tickets can be purchased through OSU
here). On Sept. 8, the day of the Rutgers game, the class of 2018 will be introduced at halftime.
Laurinaitis had a phenomenal career in the Scarlet and Gray. The most decorated linebacker in school history, he was named to three consensus All-American teams—and is only one of eight OSU football members to hold that honor. He also was part of four Big Ten champion squads and made two appearances in the BCS championship game. In the 2008 title game loss vs. LSU, he set a championship game record with 18 tackles. Laurinaitis also picked up the Bronko Nagurski Award, an award for the nation’s top linebacker, as a sophomore. But, arguably, the most important accolade for the LB was that he went 4-0 against Michigan.
Here are the bio’s for the rest of the class of 2018.
Dick Bruggeman
A member of the men’s track team from 1967-70, Bruggeman won the 400-yard hurdle crown in 1968. Additionally, he picked up Indoor All-American honors in 1970 in the 600-yard dash, and finished as conference runner-up twice in the 400-yard hurdle. In 1972, Bruggeman won the 400-yard hurdle at the 1972 AAU meet, leading up to his bid for the 1972 Olympics. However, injuries forced him out of the Games in Munich, West Germany.
In the OSU record books, he owns the 600-yard and indoor mile relay times. But his biggest success came on the 400-yard hurdle, where his time of 48.6 was the fourth fastest on record.
Cassie Dickerson
Dickserson was on the OSU soccer team from 2008-10. In 2010, she picked up NSCAA First Team All-America and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors, and was a key part of a Buckeye defense that recorded 12 clean sheets. That stellar ‘10 team went on to win a
Big Ten Championship, and advanced to the NCAA College Cup for the first time in school history.
Other notable accolades for Dickerson includes: First Team All-Big Ten and NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region (2009 and 2010), Big Ten Medal of Honor (2010), and was the Big Ten nominee for NCAA Women of the Year (2010).
Greg Drown
Part of the rifle team, Drown was a four-time letter earner, and led the Buckeyes to four-Big Ten titles. After earning his surveying and engineering degrees, Drown competed across the country, and won the Ohio State Championship in 1985, 1996, 1999.
Linda Haussener
One of the most decorated members of the OSU field hockey program, she was a first-team All-American selection in 2008, and a second-team and third-team selection in 2007 and 2006, respectively. She was also the 2008 Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Year, in addition to being a unanimous first team all-conference selection.
Ray Hupp
Another member of the track and field team, Hupp earned first-team All-American honors as well as the 1971 NCAA decathlon title. A letter earner from 1969-71, Hupp competed at the 1972
Olympic trials and was enshrined in the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country.
Bryan Koniecko
Another great in his respective sport, Koniecko was a member of the men’s tennis team from 2006-09, and ended his career with the second-most combined wins in school history (254). With Koniecko in the fold, the Buckeyes were guided to four Big Ten regular season and tournament titles. In consecutive years (2008 and 2009), the Long Island, N.Y., native was named Big Ten Athlete of the Year. In those four glorious years in Columbus, Koniecko never lost at home.
In 2009, Ohio State’s first appearance in the national championship match came with Koniecko leading the way; that same year, Koniecko was ranked No. 1 and won the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Singles title.
Mike Pucillo
On the wrestling squad from 2007-10, Pucillo won the 184-pound national championship in 2008 behind a stellar 34-1 campaign. He found himself on three All-American teams, in addition to winning the Big Ten crown in ‘08.
Pucillo pulled together an impressive 43-match win streak and ended his career with a 107-16 mark. A leader of the program, he was a captain on three occasions, too.
Jerry Welsh
A player and coach of the OSU men’s hockey program, Welsh dazzled when he was near the ice. A three-time team MVP, Welsh netted 143 points on 81 goals and 62 assists from 1970-73.
The Buckeyes’ 1972 Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular season and tournament titles had Welsh as a key member on the ice. The success of the ‘72 season led to Welsh being named captain for the 1973 season.
Taking over as coach in 1976, Welsh was the man in charge until 1995. In 1983-84, he coached the Buckeyes to the No. 1 ranking—a first in team history. The Ontario native picked up CCHA Coach of the Year honors along the way in ‘83, and ended his time in Columbus with 328 wins.
Brandon Wynn
Two NCAA titles were won by Wynn on the rings, as a member of the men’s gymnastics team from 2008-11. Those crowns weren’t the only things he won, as Wynn picked up six All-American honors, a Big Ten championship on rings (2010), first-team All-Big Ten (2008 and 2010), and first All-America (2009) at the NCAA Championships.
In 2010, Wynn won the U.S. national title on rings, and helped the Americans place third in the ‘10 World Championships.
The Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame was created in 1977, and so far, has inducted 426 athletes, coaches and administrators.
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