University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Hall of Fame Class of 2006
1996 Football TeamJoe Glenn (Head Coach)The 1996 Northern Colorado football team claimed the first-ever team national championship in school history, topping Carson-Newman 23-14 in Florence, Ala. (Dec. 14, 1996). Coached by Joe Glenn, the team compiled an overall record of 12-3 and had seven players named All-American (RB Billy Holmes, DB/P Dirk Johnson, DL Pat Kemble, LB Brian Munroe, OL Tony Ramirez, DB Jesse Tann, DB Delano Washington). Captained by quarterback Tom Beck and linebacker Brian Munroe, the Bears had several highlights during the season, including a 21-6 victory over No. 11 South Dakota State on Nov. 2 to help them put themselves into playoff contention after a 5-3 start to the season; including that game, the team won its final seven contests of the season. The team opened the playoffs with a 24-21 victory at Pittsburg State and followed that up at home by defeating No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri 27-26 when Beck found Omar Zuniga in the end zone from two yards out for the winning score with 12 seconds remaining. Northern Colorado topped Clarion (Pa.) 19-18 on the road in the semifinals before beating Carson-Newman in the championship game. Inducted in 2006.
Team Members: Ryan Abrahamson, Jason Adams, Chad Ansell, Bryan Applewhite, Ryan Ayres, Tom Beck, Ed Bendokas, Jeff Berven, Bill Branch, Bernard Brockman, Donavan Brown, Brad Bunting, Ryan Burkholder, Lennis Campbell, Cliff Casco, Rob Case, Mark Chicarelli, Joshua Ching-Pickett, Jake Clark, Steve Cotham, Pat Coy, John Curto, Wes Daniels, Jason Dreweck, Kunta Duncan, Nathan Eastin, Noland Eastin, Ethan Emery, Derek Frazier, T.J. Gadlin, Dean Grable, Keith Grable, Jeremy Guddat, Andy Haase, Wade Hancock, Matt Harting, Brian Heil, Jamie Heiner, Jason Heinrich, Don Hemerson, Dylan Hockett, Billy Holmes, Mark Holte, Richard Jacoby, Mark Jeffries, Dirk Johnson, Floyd Johnson, J.D. Johnson, Martin Jones, Max Keeler, Pat Kemble, Steve Kensinger, Andy Klatt, Kris Kovel, Heath Kucera, Justin Lanham, Brian Lonergan, Desi Lopez, Brian Lusk, Darick Maes, Matt Markley, Melvin Marshall, Drew Masten, John May, Brian Mayo, Corte McGuffey, Don McLean, Josh Mettle, Jeff Miller, Dominic Mirenda, Ryan Mitchler, Hank Moody, Shad Morelock, Sudan Muhammad, Brian Munroe, Rudy Nailor, Chad Niesent, Justin Noyes, Jeff Olech, Dominic Pallone, Casey Parsley, Don Plutt, Jim Porter, Tony Ramirez, Ron Regan, Nathan Rice, Ryan Richards, Scott Riesselman, Tony Roberson, Paul Robertson, Colin Runge, Mike Schauer, Brian Scott, Aaron Smith, Derrick Steinhagen, James Stovaw, Jesse Tann, Keith Terrio, Harry Tillman, Lenny Vaughn, Lejon Vivens, Brandon Vogt, Delano Washington, Dedrick Weddington, Todd Weibel, Chris Wild, Tashe Williams, Andrew Wimbs, Maika Woods, Scott Zimmerman, Omar Zuniga. Coaching Staff: Joe Glenn (Head Coach), Mike Breske (Defensive Coordinator), Kay Dalton (Offensive Coordinator), Marty English, Harvey Patton, Larry Adams, Rod Dobbs, Brett Harvey, Casey Morelock, Ivan Goepferd, Chris Knutson, Charles Rittenhouse, Ron Wisniewski, Paul Novak. Support Staff: Dan Libera (Athletic Trainer), Mick Schuch (Equipment Manager), Aaron Parkhurst (Team Doctor), Scott Leisinger (SID).
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Irv Brown, Baseball/Basketball (1954-57)/ContributorBrown earned all-district honors in both basketball and baseball as a multi-sport athlete at Northern Colorado. Following his playing days he had a successful 25-year coaching career at the high school and collegiate level. He also spent 25 years as collegiate basketball referee and worked six NCAA Final Fours. He has been a broadcaster for ESPN, CBS and Altitude Sports and Prime Sports among others and has spent over 24 years hosting his own sports talk show in Denver. Brown was a supervisor of officials for both the WAC and Big Sky Conferences and was a former Commissioner of the Colorado Athletic Conference. He was named to Sports Illustrated's "50 Great Sports Figures From Colorado From 1900-2000" (ranked No. 39 overall). He has also served as a Denver Nuggets Youth Consultant. He was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Colorado High School Hall of Fame in 2001. Brown was also selected by Referee Magazine as one of "20 Who Made a Difference." Â
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Joe Glenn, Football Coach (1987-99)Glenn led the Bears football team to 11-straight winning seasons and a combined record of 98-35 from 1987-99. He is best known for helping the Bears to back-to-back Division II National Championships in 1996 and 1997, marking the first team national titles in school history. His Northern Colorado teams appeared in the NCAA Playoffs seven times and won three North Central Conference championships (1997-99). He was named AFCA National Coach of the Year twice (1996, 1997) and won 11 or more games in each of his final four seasons with the program. Glenn later went on to coach at Montana (2000-02), where he compiled a 39-6 overall record, won the 2001 NCAA Division I-AA National championship and was named National Coach of the Year. In 2003 he took over the Wyoming football program and helped the Cowboys to the 2004 Las Vegas Bowl Championship, the squad's first bowl appearance in 11 years.Â
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Shelley (Lindstrom) Johnson, Basketball (1988-92)Lindstrom was a four-year letterwinner and two-time captain for the Bears and currently ranks in the top 10 in six different program career top 10's. That includes ranking second in free throws made (304), fourth in points (1,409) and blocked shots (85), fifth in field goals made (548), sixth in rebounds (717) and seventh in steals (143). She tallied 541 points in the 1991-92 season, which was the school record until 2002-03. She also graduated as the program's all-time leader in career free throws made, minutes played in a season (994) and career (3,256), consecutive games played (112) and consecutive games started (84). She still ranks in the top 10 in a single-season in points, field goals made (196 - 5th) and free throws made (144 - 2nd). Lindstrom was a first-team All-North Central Conference selection in 1991-92 and a two-time Academic All-NCC pick. She later went on to play on the Andrews Air Force Base varsity basketball team, was selected as team captain and led the team in four different categories. She has also volunteered in her community by coaching youth basketball and soccer. Â
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David Keller, Baseball/Basketball (1979-82)Keller was a multi-sport star on the hardwood and diamond for the Bears. He still ranks as the program's career leader in RBI (173), home runs (47) and slugging percentage (.756). He also ranks in the top 10 in career runs (146 -5th), total bases (332 - 4th) and walks (86 - 6th). Keller also holds the program's single-season records for home runs (20) and ranks in the top 10 in a single-season in RBI (71 - 3rd) and slugging percentage (.802 - 7th). He led the team in batting average (.413) in 1981 and in RBI in with 71 in 1982 (which was a school record until the 2003 season). He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 28th round (No. 714 overall) in 1982 and played five seasons in the minor leagues. He spent 13 years as a minor league coach with the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs. On the basketball court he was an All-North Central Conference selection as a senior in 1982, when he led the team with a 15.1 points per game average. He also led the team in scoring as a junior with a 13.1 points per game average.Â
Jim Lochner, Baseball (1959-62)Lochner was a three-year letterman during his playing career and started every NCAA Playoff game from 1960-62, as the Bears advanced to the College World Series in each of those seasons. He set the program's single-game record for RBI (7) in a game against Western State and later the single-game record for pickoffs by a catcher (5), in a District 7 Playoff game against Air Force. He started his career as a shortstop but took over the roll of catcher after the team's two catchers went down with injury and went on to earn All-Rocky Mountain Conference honors behind the plate. He later served as an assistant coach for the program. Lochner went on to serve as a professor of health and physical education at Weber State from 1970-99. There he directed the Health Education program and chaired many committees among other accomplishments. One teammate described him by saying, "This is a man who, against all odds, accomplished so much, both as an athlete, and more importantly, with his life after his departure from college. Everything he has done has been a feather in the cap of our great university."Â
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Tatjana (Smith) Sanders, Volleyball (1993-95)Known as "T.J.", Smith was a two-time All-America selection (1993 and 1994) as a setter for the Bears. She was a two-time all-region selection and co-MVP of the North Central Conference in 1994 as well. Her teams, coached by Linda Delk, combined for a 96-15 record in her three years, including advancing to the NCAA Elite 8 in 1993 (where they finished fourth) and 1994 (where they finished third); Smith earned All-Tournament honors at the 1994 Elite 8. She holds the school record for assists in a season (1,730 - 12.27/game) and her 76 assists in a match was a school record until 2001. Her 4,747 career assists (in only three seasons) ranks fourth in school history and she is one of only 17 members in the school's 1,000-Dig Club (1,054 - 15th).
Nancy (Weber) Sylvester, Track & Field (1994-97)Weber was a four-year competitor in both track & field and cross country for the Bears and coach Scott Hall. She was a five-time All-American in the heptathlon and 400 intermediate hurdles and a six-time North Central Conference champion in the 1,600-meter relay, heptathlon and 400 intermediate hurdles. She is the school record-holder in the 400 meters (56.10), 400 intermediate hurdles (59.19) and 1,600-meter relay (3:47.61 set along with Connie Sue Crabbs, Kim Schiemenz and Andrea Tate) and has top 10 school times/scores in the 100 meters (12.16), 200 meters (24.88), 400 meters, 800 meters (2:12.89), high hurdles (14.85), intermediate hurdles, high jump (5'7), pole vault (7'0), long jump (18-5.5) and three different relays. Weber earned a Bronze medal at the 1996 Drake Relays. Â Â
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