Seven former athletes and former coaches at Indiana State will be honored in February by being inducted into the 17th class of the Indiana State University Athletics Hall of Fame.

Indiana State Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman announced that the seven inductees are Amy Amstutz, Edie Godleski, Dan Lazar, Brian Leturgez, Dick Martin, Ed “Poncho” Martin and Al Werneke. They will be inducted on Feb. 14, 2009.

The following are brief highlights of the careers of the new inductees:

n Amy Amstutz — Amstutz, who played basketball at Indiana State from 1996 to 1999, was named to the Missouri Valley Conference’s Top 35 Greatest Player list on March 5, 2007. A three-time All-MVC First Team selection (1997, 1998, 1999) and a three-time selection to the MVC All-Defensive team (1997, 1998, 1999), Amstutz was also named the MVC Defensive Player of the Year in 1999 and the MVC Newcomer of the Year in 1997.

She is one of 10 players in ISU history to score over 1,000 points and grab over 500 rebounds during her Sycamore playing days. In her career, Amstutz scored 1,274 points (12th all-time) and grabbed 660 rebounds (10th all-time). She holds the single game record for steals with 12 against Drake on Feb. 4, 1999, and totaled 261 in her career (4th all-time).

Amstutz led ISU in scoring and rebounds in each of her three seasons as a Sycamore. The Williams, Ind., native had 409 points and 212 rebounds in the 1996-97 season, 480 points and 228 rebounds in the 1997-98 campaign and 385 points and 220 rebounds in her final season (1998-99). She scored a career high 34 points (sixth best all-time) against Southern Illinois on March 6, 1997 and had a career high 18 rebounds (second best all-time) against Creighton on Feb. 9, 1997.

n Edie Godleski — Godleski coached the Indiana State women’s basketball team for 11 seasons but her impact on women’s athletics went far beyond the basketball court. Godleski came to Indiana State in 1967 as an assistant professor in women’s physical education and was the director of women’s intramurals.

After the formation of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) in 1972, Godleski was instrumental in the formation of the Indiana AIAW and the Midwest AIAW along with Indiana State’s Dr. Millie Lemen, former ISU Director of Athletics Andi Myers and Dr. Eleanor St. John. Godleski and Lemen served on the Board of Directors for both the IAIAW and the MAIAW during the early years of the organizations.

Godleski took over the basketball program in 1971 and had just three losing seasons in 11 years. She still holds the school record for wins by a coach with 157 and is second in winning percentage at .577, just behind current Sycamore head coach Jim Wiedie.

The Sycamores were 157-115 during her years as the head coach, making six appearances in the IAIAW tournament, winning both the 1976 and 1980 tournaments. Her squads also made five appearances in the MAIAW championships, finishing second in 1976 and third in both 1977 and 1982. Indiana State also made its first two appearances in the Women’s NIT under Godleski’s reign (1976 and 1977).

n Dan Lazar — Lazar was a left-handed pitcher for the Indiana Sycamores from 1963 to 1965. He was a first-team All-Indiana College Conference selection in 1964 and again in 1965.

Lazar holds the ISU record for strikeouts in a game with 16 against Indiana on May 19, 1965. He also struck out 13 against Purdue on April 10, 1965, and had 12 strikeouts against Indiana Central and against Indiana in the 1963 season. He is second in most career games with 10 or more strikeouts with six.

The Sycamore hurler led Indiana State in strikeouts (50) and wins (5) during the 1963 season; in strikeouts (60), wins (6) and innings pitched (64.0) during the 1964 campaign; and in strikeouts (52), wins (2), innings pitched (53.1) and ERA (0.84) during the 1965 season.

Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 15th round of the June 1965 draft, Lazar made his professional debut with the Sarasota White Sox of the Florida Rookie League, striking out 11 and allowing six hits in earning the win. Lazar played professionally for five seasons and spent parts of the 1968 and 1969 season with the Chicago White Sox, appearing in 17 games. He played in 151 Minor League games with 29 complete games and posting a 38-29 record. He finished his professional career with a 2.92 ERA.

n Ed “Poncho” Martin — Martin was an All-America defensive end and four-year letterwinner for the Indiana State football team from 1980 to 1983. He was an All-Missouri Valley Conference selection in 1982 and 1983 and was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week six times during his collegiate career.

He was the first Sycamore football player to be named to multiple first-team All-America squads, being chosen as a Kodak All-American in Division I-AA, a Sporting News All-American in Division I-AA and an Associated Press All-American in Division I-AA in 1983. Martin was also named to the Chicago Sports Magazine All-America Team in 1983 and was twice named the Indiana State Defensive Player of the Year (1982 and 1983.

During his playing career, Martin was a key ingredient of the 1983 team that recorded ISU’s first nine-win season, first postseason playoff appearance and first ranking in the Top 10 of Division I-AA. The Sycamores were 9-4 in the 1983 season, reached the quarterfinals of the I-AA playoffs (losing to eventual champion Southern Illinois) and finished the regular season ranked fifth nationally.

Martin was drafted in the seventh round of the 1984 National Football League draft by the Dallas Cowboys and in the sixth round of the United State Football League draft by the Pittsburgh Maulers. He eventually signed with the Los Angeles Express of the USFL.

After the USFL folded, Martin joined the Dallas Cowboys but knee injuries forced an early retirement. Martin returned to Indiana State, completed his degree in Communications, and then played briefly with the Indianapolis Colts before retiring for good.

n Brian Leturgez — Leturgez started his collegiate career with the Purdue football team but a change in coaches resulted in a change of locations for the Terre Haute native. Unfortunately for the Sycamore football team but fortunately for the ISU track and field squad, Leturgez decided not to sit out two seasons of football and decided to compete for the Sycamore track team.

Leturgez competed in the decathlon, 400-meter hurdles and high jump for Indiana State, setting a school record with a 7-foot-1 3/4 leap in high jump. He still has the third-best time in the 400-meter hurdles with a 50.86 accomplished in 1986. He competed in the 1986 NCAA Track and Field Championships and the 1988 Olympic Trials in the 400-meter hurdles.

His athletic career took another turn after the Olympic Trials. Fellow Terre Haute native Bruce Rosselli, who was putting together a bobsled team, asked Leturgez to try out in the fall of 1988, making the World Cup team and competing for the next 10 years. He earned three gold medals, one silver and one bronze medal during the 1992-93 World Cup season and was a part of a four-man team that won the overall World Cup championship that season.

Leturgez was on the U.S. Olympic team at the 1992 games in Albertville, France, the 1994 games in Lillehammer, Norway, and the 1998 games in Nagano, Japan. He was team captain for the 1992 Olympic Bobsled, posting his best Olympic finish of 11th in the four-man event. The former Sycamore also set world records in the 1994 World Push Championships two and four-man events and won six World Push Championships overall.

n Dick Martin — A graduate of Indiana State, Dick Martin was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in 1976 and into the Wabash Valley High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2005. His legacy of high school football coaching continues long after his death in May of 1989 at the age of 67.

A group of former players joined together and founded the Dick Martin Coaches Award which was established to honor Vigo County coaches, past and present, who exemplify Martin’s qualities and ideals both in and out of the athletic arena. The plaque, which hangs at Indiana State’s Memorial Stadium, simply reads “Gentleman - Teacher - Motivator - Innovator - Friend.”

A product of Sullivan High School, where he was named all-state and all-Wabash Valley, Martin took his football skills to Indiana State where he was the quarterback for Coach Wally Marks. He graduated in 1943.

He spent five years as the football coach at Bicknell (1945-1950) and 17 years at Terre Haute Wiley (1951-1966), posting a record of 113-49-9. Wiley was unbeaten and untied four times during his tenure (1954, 1956, 1961 and 1965). Martin also coached baseball and golf while also serving as an assistant basketball coach.

n Albert E. “Al” Werneke — Werneke was inducted into the Florida Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1994 and named one of the 12 coaches on the Florida High School Athletic Association’s All-Century team in 1997.

Werneke played football at Indiana State for Paul Selge and Bill Jones from 1955 to 1956 after a stellar high school career as a running back, pass receiver and placekicker at Terre Haute Garfield High School. He led the Garfield team in scoring and also played basketball and baseball, and was the only athlete in his class to letter in each of the four major sports.

The former Sycamore spent 10 season coaching at high schools in the Midwest, posting a 70-24-3 record. His stops included Dugger, Oblong, Ill., Flora, Ill., and Brazil before heading south to begin a 23-year career in Florida.

Before retiring in 1993, Werneke posted a 187-42-2 record at five different Florida High Schools, winning championships at Titusville in 1982 and 1983, and coached Titusville to runner-up in 1980. He was selected Coach of the Year at the district level 17 times, picked to coach the Florida All-Stars in the North-South game four times, and coached Florida to a win over Georgia in 1986.

Werneke, who died on Feb. 25, 1997 in Gainesville, Fla., was honored by Titusville High School on Sept. 7, 2007, with the dedication of their football facility as “Al Werneke Stadium.”

I I I

In other Indiana State news:

n Croft to take new assignment — Indiana State women’s soccer coach Vernon Croft has announced that he will step down at the end of the season to become the Assistant Athletics Director for Facilities and Game Operations at the University.

Croft, who is the only women’s soccer coach in ISU’s nine year history in the sport, will move into his new position after the Sycamores’ postseason run, which begins Nov. 5 in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. The Sycamores wrap up the regular season Friday at Missouri State.

“Change brings about new opportunities and I am excited about what opportunities [Director of Athletics] Ron [Prettyman] has presented to me and look forward to assisting in the success of all the Indiana State athletic programs instead of just the soccer program,” said Croft. “It has been a wonderful experience to start the women’s soccer program and I look forward to watching the success of these fine young women in the future.”

“I am pleased that Vernon will be joining our Sycamore administrative team,” said Prettyman. “Over the past several years I have observed the strengths that Vernon will bring to our leadership team. He works hard, he is highly organized and he cares deeply about ISU and our student athletes.  

“I want to thank him for his many years of service in the coaching ranks, and I look forward to working closely with him as he transitions into an administrative role in our department,” said Prettyman.

Croft earned 2004 MVC Co-Coach of the Year honors after the Sycamores posted their best season in school history (9-10-0) and advanced to the MVC semifinals. The 2004 recruiting class was nationally ranked by Soccer Buzz Publication. This squad was also No. 1 in the nation in the National Soccer Coaches Association of American for highest grade point average (3.54). In 2005, ISU beat nationally-ranked Illinois for the program’s first win over a ranked opponent.

Overall, Croft has coached three MVC first-team selections, nine second-team picks and seven honorable mentions. He has had 10 MVC all-freshman selections including Lauren Podolski, who was named Freshman of the Year in 2004. Podolski was also the only active player at the time to be selected to the MVC All-Centennial Team.

A national search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

Honors

n Rose sweeps HCAC soccer awards — Rose-Hulman soccer teams swept Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors due to efforts in last week’s action.

Corbin Clow has been named the Men’s Soccer Player of the Week, with Liz Ridgway capturing the women’s honor.

Clow made his return to the Engineer lineup after injury with three goals in last weekend’s two league victories against Manchester and Franklin. Clow snapped a scoreless tie with a second half goal against Manchester, then scored the first two goals of the victory over Franklin.

Ridgway recorded her third hat trick of the season and increased her HCAC leading goal total to 19 last weekend. She provided the lone score in Rose-Hulman’s 2-1 double-overtime loss at Manchester, then scored three goals in Sunday’s 7-0 victory over Franklin.



n Thornton wins Exchange Club honors — It has taken a team effort for the Rose-Hulman football team to remain atop the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference this season. A case in point is junior fullback Tyler Thornton, sometimes a forgotten person in an Engineer backfield with league-leading rusher Calvin Bueltel and returning starting fullback Tim Schrock.

However, Thornton stepped out of the shadows to rush for a career-best 70 yards in just five carries and scored a touchdown in the Engineers’ 42-14 victory over Bluffton on Saturday. That performance earned him the Exchange Club of Terre Haute’s Athlete of the Week Award, which will be presented at the club’s luncheon meeting today at the Holiday Inn.

Thornton scored the Engineers’ go-ahead touchdown in the second quarter against Bluffton. Later, he also forced and recovered a fumble on kickoff coverage to keep the team ahead. For the season, Thornton is averaging 6.9 yards per carry and is seven yards shy of topping the 97 yards he gained last year. He is also a valuable member of special teams.



n Four Vigo players earn all-state honors — Four Vigo County high school boys tennis players have been named to the all-state team by the state coaches association.

Terre Haute North’s No. 1 doubles team of Michael Eberle and Drew Holcomb, who finished as the fourth-place team in the state tournament that ended Saturday, were first-team selections.

Todd Butwin, also of North, was a second-team selection in singles, while West Vigo’s Joel Modesitt received honorable-mention honors in singles play.