University of Northern Colorado Athletics
UNC Athletics Set for Hall of Fame Weekend
2/23/2016 5:07:00 PM | General
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado Athletics, along with the Alumni Association offers fans to spend a fun-filled weekend celebrating the 2016 inductees into the UNC Hall of Fame.
In addition to the Induction Ceremony on Friday night, attendees are also invited to join the Pepsi UNC Fan Fest Tailgate and Hall of Fame Football Game on Saturday where the Bears face off against Northern Arizona at 1:05 p.m.
Friday, September 30 features the 2016 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the University Center, followed by the Hall of Fame Tailgate on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Join the Alumni Association tent in the Pepsi UNC Fan Fest Tailgate area prior to the Hall of Fame Game. A selection of Pepsi and Budweiser products, as well as light snacks are included. Registration for the Alumni tailgate is free, but does not include parking.
To register for the Induction Ceremony or the Hall of Fame Tailgate, click here.
The 2016 class is comprised of: Steve Antonopulos (Contributor) Whitley Cox (Women's Basketball), Kathy Heronema (Women's Track and Field/Field Hockey), Nancy Hinrichs (Women's Swimming and Diving Coach), Tony Ramirez (Football), and the 2002 volleyball team.
"We are proud to welcome this outstanding class into the Athletic Hall of Fame," Director of Athletics Darren Dunn said. "This class tells a story of excellence in Northern Colorado Athletics and is truly representative of our department's history."
The induction ceremony will take place on Friday, Sept. 30 at the University Center Ballrooms, while the class will also be honored at halftime of the Northern Colorado football game against Northern Arizona on Saturday, Oct. 1.
Steve Antonopulos, Contributor, 1967-73
After earning both is BA and MA in at the University of Northern Colorado, Steve Antonopulos built a 39-year career in the NFL working for the Denver Broncos athletic training staff. Antonopulos started out as an assistant AT in 1976 and worked his way up to the Director of Rehabilitation (1979) and eventually became the Head Athletic Trainer (1980) of the NFL team. A position he has remained in for 35 seasons. In 2011, Antonopulos was named the Fain-Cain Memorial Award Recipient, an award that is given annually to a NFL trainer who best exemplifies a long-term commitment to the NFL, as well as exemplary performance. His tenure is the longest among Broncos employees and the second longest in NFL history among athletic trainers. Antonopulos has previously served as President of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society, and has received numerous awards throughout his career, including heading the 1987 NFL/PFATS Athletic Training Staff of the Year and being honored with the National Athletic Trainers' Association Athletic Trainer Service Award in 1996 and the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 2006.
Whitley Cox, Women's Basketball, 2005-10
Cox is one of five players in the women's basketball team's history to score over 1,500 points, finishing her career with 1,581. The point total was the most since the team joined the Division I ranks when her career ended. She ranks fourth overall in program history and second in the DI record book She made a fourth-best 351 free throws in her career and is ranked 9th all-time in assists with 257. She also holds the school's Division I record for scoring average in a season with 20.13 points per game which she accomplished in the 2007-08 season. Cox was a 2009-10 first team All-Big Sky honoree and 2006-07 honorable mention.
Kathy Heronema, Track and Field/Field Hockey, 1972-76
Heronema was a four-year letterwinner in both sports and one of first female athletes to receive an athletic scholarship at UNC. She was also one of the first female athletes to experiment with the Heptathlon in track and field, and helped build the event within the conference and region. She was the Intermountain Conference Champion and Region 7 Champion, which qualified her to compete at the National Championships. Her senior year, she and a distance runner were the first two women to compete for UNC at the Track & Field National Championships, which were held at Eugene, Oregon in 1976. (This was prior to All-American recognition of women.) As three-year starter at goalie in field hockey, Kathy recorded multiple shut-outs. She led UNC to back-to-back Intermountain Conference Championships in 1974 and 75. Her senior year, opponents scored only half as many goals as the Bears. They qualified for the National Collegiate Championships in Harrisonburg, Virginia in 1975. This was the only UNC team to compete in a National Championship Tournament in field hockey, largely because of Kathy's skills in the cage. After the first two days of competition, UNC was the only team left in the tournament west of the Mississippi. They became the Cinderella team of the tournament and went on to a 7th place finish.
Nancy Hinrichs, Women's Swimming Coach,1988-2009
Hinrichs has a laundry list of accomplishments throughout her 21-year tenure with the swim and dive program at UNC. She was named NCC Coach of the Year; NCC Co-Champions (1990), coached the first NCAA Division II Individual National Champion in 1991. She was tabbed as NCC Coach of the Year in 1992 and had 21 NCAA All-Americans on her squad that season. The very next season she coached 12 NCC Champions and finished 7th at NCAA Div. II Championships. She was again named the NCC Coach of the Year in 1995 and had the best dual meet record in school history at 12-2 in 1996. Her teams finished in the Top 10 in the NCAA Tournament in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2001, and finished in the Top 15 at the NCAA Tournament in 2000 and 2002. During the transition period and the first year of NCAA Division I, Hinrichs was named the Midwest Independent Classic Coach of the Year (2003-04) and House of Champions Coach of the Year. They won the HOC Championship in 2004-05 and Hinrichs retired with an overall record of 123-92 at UNC.
Tony Ramirez, Football, 1992-96
Ramirez is regarded as one of the best offensive lineman to ever put on a Northern Colorado uniform. He was a member of the 1996 Division II National Championship team and was tabbed as He was a CoSIDA and FB Gazette Third Team All-American in 1995 and a CoSIDA, AFCA, A.P., FB Gazette, AF Quarterly & C.M. Frank First Team All-American in 1996. He earned Second Team All-NCC in 1994 and First Team All-NCC in 1995 and 1996. He was the Conference's Most Valuable Offensive Lineman in 1995 and 1996 and was picked in the sixth round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. He played for the Lions from 1997-99 and for the XFL Chicago Enforcers in 2001; He started 10 games for Detroit and played in 30 throughout his NFL tenure.
2002 Volleyball Team
The 2002 volleyball team finished with a record of 31-3, which stands as the best record in UNC history. The team was coached by Ron Alexander and finished fifth in the nation, advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight in Division II. They won the NCC title in final year in conference with a 15-1 record. All three losses on the season came against Top-15 teams. Hosted the NCAA North Central Regional where they defeated #18 Minnesota State and #10 South Dakota State before falling to #7 Tampa in the Elite Eight. Erin Deffenbaugh was named the Division II National Player of the Year. The team was captained by Teale Goble-Hemphill and Deffenbaugh.
In addition to the Induction Ceremony on Friday night, attendees are also invited to join the Pepsi UNC Fan Fest Tailgate and Hall of Fame Football Game on Saturday where the Bears face off against Northern Arizona at 1:05 p.m.
Friday, September 30 features the 2016 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the University Center, followed by the Hall of Fame Tailgate on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Join the Alumni Association tent in the Pepsi UNC Fan Fest Tailgate area prior to the Hall of Fame Game. A selection of Pepsi and Budweiser products, as well as light snacks are included. Registration for the Alumni tailgate is free, but does not include parking.
To register for the Induction Ceremony or the Hall of Fame Tailgate, click here.
The 2016 class is comprised of: Steve Antonopulos (Contributor) Whitley Cox (Women's Basketball), Kathy Heronema (Women's Track and Field/Field Hockey), Nancy Hinrichs (Women's Swimming and Diving Coach), Tony Ramirez (Football), and the 2002 volleyball team.
"We are proud to welcome this outstanding class into the Athletic Hall of Fame," Director of Athletics Darren Dunn said. "This class tells a story of excellence in Northern Colorado Athletics and is truly representative of our department's history."
The induction ceremony will take place on Friday, Sept. 30 at the University Center Ballrooms, while the class will also be honored at halftime of the Northern Colorado football game against Northern Arizona on Saturday, Oct. 1.
Steve Antonopulos, Contributor, 1967-73
After earning both is BA and MA in at the University of Northern Colorado, Steve Antonopulos built a 39-year career in the NFL working for the Denver Broncos athletic training staff. Antonopulos started out as an assistant AT in 1976 and worked his way up to the Director of Rehabilitation (1979) and eventually became the Head Athletic Trainer (1980) of the NFL team. A position he has remained in for 35 seasons. In 2011, Antonopulos was named the Fain-Cain Memorial Award Recipient, an award that is given annually to a NFL trainer who best exemplifies a long-term commitment to the NFL, as well as exemplary performance. His tenure is the longest among Broncos employees and the second longest in NFL history among athletic trainers. Antonopulos has previously served as President of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society, and has received numerous awards throughout his career, including heading the 1987 NFL/PFATS Athletic Training Staff of the Year and being honored with the National Athletic Trainers' Association Athletic Trainer Service Award in 1996 and the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 2006.
Whitley Cox, Women's Basketball, 2005-10
Cox is one of five players in the women's basketball team's history to score over 1,500 points, finishing her career with 1,581. The point total was the most since the team joined the Division I ranks when her career ended. She ranks fourth overall in program history and second in the DI record book She made a fourth-best 351 free throws in her career and is ranked 9th all-time in assists with 257. She also holds the school's Division I record for scoring average in a season with 20.13 points per game which she accomplished in the 2007-08 season. Cox was a 2009-10 first team All-Big Sky honoree and 2006-07 honorable mention.
Kathy Heronema, Track and Field/Field Hockey, 1972-76
Heronema was a four-year letterwinner in both sports and one of first female athletes to receive an athletic scholarship at UNC. She was also one of the first female athletes to experiment with the Heptathlon in track and field, and helped build the event within the conference and region. She was the Intermountain Conference Champion and Region 7 Champion, which qualified her to compete at the National Championships. Her senior year, she and a distance runner were the first two women to compete for UNC at the Track & Field National Championships, which were held at Eugene, Oregon in 1976. (This was prior to All-American recognition of women.) As three-year starter at goalie in field hockey, Kathy recorded multiple shut-outs. She led UNC to back-to-back Intermountain Conference Championships in 1974 and 75. Her senior year, opponents scored only half as many goals as the Bears. They qualified for the National Collegiate Championships in Harrisonburg, Virginia in 1975. This was the only UNC team to compete in a National Championship Tournament in field hockey, largely because of Kathy's skills in the cage. After the first two days of competition, UNC was the only team left in the tournament west of the Mississippi. They became the Cinderella team of the tournament and went on to a 7th place finish.
Nancy Hinrichs, Women's Swimming Coach,1988-2009
Hinrichs has a laundry list of accomplishments throughout her 21-year tenure with the swim and dive program at UNC. She was named NCC Coach of the Year; NCC Co-Champions (1990), coached the first NCAA Division II Individual National Champion in 1991. She was tabbed as NCC Coach of the Year in 1992 and had 21 NCAA All-Americans on her squad that season. The very next season she coached 12 NCC Champions and finished 7th at NCAA Div. II Championships. She was again named the NCC Coach of the Year in 1995 and had the best dual meet record in school history at 12-2 in 1996. Her teams finished in the Top 10 in the NCAA Tournament in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2001, and finished in the Top 15 at the NCAA Tournament in 2000 and 2002. During the transition period and the first year of NCAA Division I, Hinrichs was named the Midwest Independent Classic Coach of the Year (2003-04) and House of Champions Coach of the Year. They won the HOC Championship in 2004-05 and Hinrichs retired with an overall record of 123-92 at UNC.
Tony Ramirez, Football, 1992-96
Ramirez is regarded as one of the best offensive lineman to ever put on a Northern Colorado uniform. He was a member of the 1996 Division II National Championship team and was tabbed as He was a CoSIDA and FB Gazette Third Team All-American in 1995 and a CoSIDA, AFCA, A.P., FB Gazette, AF Quarterly & C.M. Frank First Team All-American in 1996. He earned Second Team All-NCC in 1994 and First Team All-NCC in 1995 and 1996. He was the Conference's Most Valuable Offensive Lineman in 1995 and 1996 and was picked in the sixth round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. He played for the Lions from 1997-99 and for the XFL Chicago Enforcers in 2001; He started 10 games for Detroit and played in 30 throughout his NFL tenure.
2002 Volleyball Team
The 2002 volleyball team finished with a record of 31-3, which stands as the best record in UNC history. The team was coached by Ron Alexander and finished fifth in the nation, advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight in Division II. They won the NCC title in final year in conference with a 15-1 record. All three losses on the season came against Top-15 teams. Hosted the NCAA North Central Regional where they defeated #18 Minnesota State and #10 South Dakota State before falling to #7 Tampa in the Elite Eight. Erin Deffenbaugh was named the Division II National Player of the Year. The team was captained by Teale Goble-Hemphill and Deffenbaugh.
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