Bowling Green State University Athletics
2015 Athletics Hall Of Fame Class Announced
September 08, 2015 | General, Hall of Fame
Bowling Green, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University Athletics Department has announced that five individuals will be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame this fall. Dan Bylsma '92 (hockey), Kelly Hunt '14 (baseball), Bill Jones '66 and '68 (athletic trainer), Jim Lessig '57 and '67 (coach/administrator) and Marcia Saneholtz '64 (basketball) will all gain entrance into the Hall of Fame.
The 2015 class of inductees, the 49th class in history, brings membership in the Athletic Hall of Fame to 227 individuals. Two teams (the 1983-84 national championship hockey team and the 1959 national championship football Falcons) also are in the Hall of Fame.
"What a wonderful class of BGSU Athletics Hall of Famers, helping us continue to 'honor the past'," BGSU Director of Athletics D. Christopher Kingston said. "Their collective achievements and contributions are nothing short of spectacular. I would like to thank the Hall of Fame selection committee for recognizing this notable group."
The official induction ceremony will take place Friday, Oct. 9 in the Stroh Center. Tickets are $30 for the general public and $15 for Falcon Club members and can be ordered by calling 877-BGSU TICKET. Tickets will be good for the welcome and social hour (heavy hors d'oeuvres) starting at 6:30 pm and for the induction ceremony, scheduled for 7:30-9 pm. The class will be recognized on the field during the BGSU-UMass football game the next day at Doyt Perry Stadium.
Biographical sketches on the 2015 inductees follow:
Dan Bylsma
Bylsma, a native of Grand Haven, Mich., played 157 games as a member of the BGSU hockey team from 1988-92 and has excelled as a coach in the National Hockey League following the conclusion of his playing career. Bylsma scored 87 points (37 goals and 50 assists) during his collegiate playing days and was a two-time first team Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) All-Academic Team member as well as earning honorable mention status once. He earned the program's Dr. Ron Zwierlein Leadership Award for the 1991-92 season.
Interestingly, Bylsma's name is littered in the BGSU record books for his penchant for short-handed goals. He is one of only two players in school history to score two short-handed goals in one game, doing so in a 6-1 win over Western Michigan on Oct. 28, 1989. He is also the only player in school history to score a short-handed goal when the team was two-men down, posting the game-winner in a 5-4 victory at Western Michigan on Dec. 6, 1991.
Bylsma was a sixth round selection of the Winnipeg Jets in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft and he played 429 games over nine seasons with the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, eventually retiring after the 2003-04 season. His 2002-03 Mighty Ducks team advanced to the Stanley Cup finals, losing a heart-breaking seven-game series to the New Jersey Devils. Bylsma played in all seven games of the series.
Following his retirement, Bylsma began his coaching career, working his way up the ranks as an assistant coach in the AHL and NHL before earning a head coaching job with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL in 2008-09. With the Pittsburgh Penguins scuffling to a 27-25-5 record that season, management made a change and brought Bylsma in as the head coach. He promptly guided the squad to an 18-3-4 record to close the regular season.
That team dispatched the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, where Bylsma directed a dramatic seven-game victory after losing the first two games of the series. The Penguins won game seven 2-1.
Bylsma led the Penguins to the playoffs in each of the next five seasons and he has a career coaching record of 252-117-32. He earned both 200 and 250 career wins faster than any other coach in NHL history. He earned the Jack Adams award in 2010-11, given to the NHL Coach of the Year and was head coach of the 2014 USA Olympic hockey team – one of nine Falcons to be Olympians. He was named head coach of the Buffalo Sabres during the 2015 offseason.
"My four years at BGSU as a student and as an athlete were a dream come true," Bylsma said. "It was instrumental in developing me into the person I am today. It is a huge honor to be elected into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame."
Bylsma is a 1992 BGSU graduate of the college of business.
Kelly Hunt
Hunt, a Toledo native, is one of the all-time great baseball players in BGSU history. The 2002 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year ranks first in school history in career batting average, total bases, RBI and home runs (tied for first). The first baseman also ranks among the top 10 in school history in career put outs (third), hits (fourth), doubles (fifth) and runs scored (sixth).
Among single-season leaders all-time, Hunt is first in batting average, home runs, total bases and RBI. He also ranks among the top 10 in a season in runs scored (third), hits (tied for third) and at bats (tied for fourth). His .439 batting average as a senior ranked fifth in the nation. Hunt once hit a grand slam and a three-run homer in the same inning (the fifth) for the Falcons, leading to a 17-8 win over IPFW on April 15, 2003.
In 2002, when Hunt was named MAC Player of the Year, he hit .402 with 22 home runs, 84 RBI and 69 runs scored, while starting all 54 games for the Falcons. He had a .785 slugging percentage and struck out just 14 times in 214 at-bats. The following year, he hit a remarkable .439 with nine home runs and 61 RBI. He slugged .713 with a .500 on-base percentage and struck out just 17 times in 171 at-bats, while starting all 45 games.
While his raw numbers are eye-popping, Hunt also earned many accolades during his career, including being named a Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Third Team All-American in both 2002 and 2003. He was First Team All-MAC both of those seasons and an ABCA First Team District IV honoree. CollegeBaseballInsider.com named him a third team All-American in 2003 as well.
Hunt was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 29th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft, reaching as high as AA Erie in 2006. He played in independent leagues through 2010 and hit 137 home runs in eight seasons of professional baseball.
"It's a huge honor to be a Hall of Famer at BGSU," Hunt said. "I have nothing but great memories of all the great guys I had the privilege of playing with. I am thankful to be a Falcon!"
Hunt is a 2014 BGSU graduate of the department of arts and sciences.
Bill Jones
Jones, a native of South Amherst, Ohio, was the head athletic trainer at Bowling Green from 1974 until his retirement in 2002. Jones remains active in the athletics department as a member of the scorer's crew for basketball games, as well as serving as the football program's medical observer. He earned both his bachelors and masters degrees from Bowling Green (in 1966 and 1968).
Jones was named to the Ohio Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 1997 and served on the Ohio Athletic Training Association college/university athletic trainers committee. Beginning in 1996, he was the Great Lakes Athletic Training Association representative to the college/university athletic trainers committee. Jones was also named to the NCAA Hockey Rules Committee from 1988-89.
More than 50 of Jones' student athletic trainers became certified athletic trainers during his tenure. He is the second athletic trainer to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Allan Sawdy.
"I am deeply appreciative and very humbled to be honored by the Athletics Department and the University," Jones said. "To have my named picture associated with my former mentors Doyt Perry, Sam Cooper, Al Sawdy and many more is truly unbelievable. I want to thank everyone connected with the Hall of Fame for this honor and to all athletic trainers – the unsung heroes in athletics."
After earning his degree from BGSU, Jones went on to work at Vermilion Public School and Findlay Public School, as well as the University of Toledo. He was the head athletic trainer at Ashland University from 1971-73 before returning to his alma mater. During his tenure, Jones worked for five athletic directors, five football coaches and four University presidents.
Jim Lessig
Lessig, a native of Canton, Ohio, served at BGSU in a variety of capacities, including as the department's Athletics Director from 1978-82. During the 1960s and 70s, he was an assistant basketball coach, assistant athletics director, director of alumni affairs and executive director of alumni and development at the University. He went on to serve as MAC Commissioner from 1982-90 and was inducted into the MAC Hall of Fame in 2014.
In 1969, Lessig left Bowling Green to become assistant basketball coach to Bill Fitch at the University of Minnesota, but one year later he was on the ground floor of the NBA expansion franchise Cleveland Cavaliers as assistant coach, head scout and director of special promotions. He also served as analyst for Cavalier basketball games and Cleveland Indians baseball games.
Lessig rejoined the Bowling Green staff in 1971 and was named Athletics Director in 1978. He continued his successful career at the University until he was named athletics director at Kansas in May of 1982. However, later in the year, he was summoned back to lead the MAC as Commissioner.
His leadership in the MAC was a benefit to Bowling Green as he made a significant impact in the early implementation of women's athletics within the conference, provided leadership in facility expansion and improvements and opened the league's television exposure with the advent of regional television expansion.
During his tenure as Athletics Director at Bowling Green, Lessig oversaw two NCAA tournament appearances for the hockey program, a 1981 men's basketball co-MAC championship and three consecutive women's cross country MAC titles.
"I feel very fortunate to be joining a Hall of Fame whose members have done so much to create the rich tradition and history of Bowling Green State University's athletic program," Lessig said. "To be honored by a University that has done so much for my family and myself is very special."
Lessig earned his bachelors degree in English from BGSU in 1957 and his masters degree in school administration and speech in 1967.
Marcia Saneholtz
Saneholtz, a native of Napoleon, Ohio, played women's basketball at BGSU from 1962-64 but her contributions to college athletics reach far beyond her playing days. Following her time at Bowling Green, she went on to have a distinguished career as an administrator at Washington State from 1979 until her retirement in 2007.
Saneholtz is recognized as a long-time proponent of gender equity and a champion for Olympic sports. She served as the National Association of College Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA) president from 1992-93 and was on the board of directors from 1987-94. She was named NACWAA Administrator of the Year in 1997 and received the NACWAA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. Saneholtz earned the National Association for Girls and Women in Sports (NAGWS) Pathfinder Award in 2001 and was named the Woman of Distinction at Washington State in 2003.
Saneholtz served on numerous NCAA and Pacific 10 Conference committees, including the Committee on Women's Athletics (2001-05), the Women's Division I Volleyball Committee (1993-99 and chair from 1996-99), the Committee on Athletic Certification (1993-99), the President's Commission Liaison Committee (1992-96) and the Women's Committee on Committees (1989-92). She also served two terms as the Pacific 10 Conference vice president.
Saneholtz was recognized with the Washington State University Association of Faculty Women Samuel H. Smith Leadership Award in 2007, the Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame Scroll of Honor in 2009 and the Napoleon High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame in 2010.
Upon her retirement, Washington State's volleyball court was renamed Marcia Saneholtz Court in her honor. In 2005, Saneholtz returned to BGSU to receive a varsity letter in recognition of her pioneering role as an intercollegiate athlete.
"I am incredibly humbled and honored," Saneholtz said. "Playing on the first women's intercollegiate basketball team in 1962 was meaningful and important to those of us who were fortunate enough to play. Bowling Green has always been a special place for me – a great academic institution with wonderful faculty. I've always greatly valued my years there."
Saneholtz received her degree from BGSU in 1964 in health, physical education and biology.
The 2015 class of inductees, the 49th class in history, brings membership in the Athletic Hall of Fame to 227 individuals. Two teams (the 1983-84 national championship hockey team and the 1959 national championship football Falcons) also are in the Hall of Fame.
"What a wonderful class of BGSU Athletics Hall of Famers, helping us continue to 'honor the past'," BGSU Director of Athletics D. Christopher Kingston said. "Their collective achievements and contributions are nothing short of spectacular. I would like to thank the Hall of Fame selection committee for recognizing this notable group."
The official induction ceremony will take place Friday, Oct. 9 in the Stroh Center. Tickets are $30 for the general public and $15 for Falcon Club members and can be ordered by calling 877-BGSU TICKET. Tickets will be good for the welcome and social hour (heavy hors d'oeuvres) starting at 6:30 pm and for the induction ceremony, scheduled for 7:30-9 pm. The class will be recognized on the field during the BGSU-UMass football game the next day at Doyt Perry Stadium.
Biographical sketches on the 2015 inductees follow:
Dan BylsmaBylsma, a native of Grand Haven, Mich., played 157 games as a member of the BGSU hockey team from 1988-92 and has excelled as a coach in the National Hockey League following the conclusion of his playing career. Bylsma scored 87 points (37 goals and 50 assists) during his collegiate playing days and was a two-time first team Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) All-Academic Team member as well as earning honorable mention status once. He earned the program's Dr. Ron Zwierlein Leadership Award for the 1991-92 season.
Interestingly, Bylsma's name is littered in the BGSU record books for his penchant for short-handed goals. He is one of only two players in school history to score two short-handed goals in one game, doing so in a 6-1 win over Western Michigan on Oct. 28, 1989. He is also the only player in school history to score a short-handed goal when the team was two-men down, posting the game-winner in a 5-4 victory at Western Michigan on Dec. 6, 1991.
Bylsma was a sixth round selection of the Winnipeg Jets in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft and he played 429 games over nine seasons with the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, eventually retiring after the 2003-04 season. His 2002-03 Mighty Ducks team advanced to the Stanley Cup finals, losing a heart-breaking seven-game series to the New Jersey Devils. Bylsma played in all seven games of the series.
Following his retirement, Bylsma began his coaching career, working his way up the ranks as an assistant coach in the AHL and NHL before earning a head coaching job with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL in 2008-09. With the Pittsburgh Penguins scuffling to a 27-25-5 record that season, management made a change and brought Bylsma in as the head coach. He promptly guided the squad to an 18-3-4 record to close the regular season.
That team dispatched the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, where Bylsma directed a dramatic seven-game victory after losing the first two games of the series. The Penguins won game seven 2-1.
Bylsma led the Penguins to the playoffs in each of the next five seasons and he has a career coaching record of 252-117-32. He earned both 200 and 250 career wins faster than any other coach in NHL history. He earned the Jack Adams award in 2010-11, given to the NHL Coach of the Year and was head coach of the 2014 USA Olympic hockey team – one of nine Falcons to be Olympians. He was named head coach of the Buffalo Sabres during the 2015 offseason.
"My four years at BGSU as a student and as an athlete were a dream come true," Bylsma said. "It was instrumental in developing me into the person I am today. It is a huge honor to be elected into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame."
Bylsma is a 1992 BGSU graduate of the college of business.
Kelly HuntHunt, a Toledo native, is one of the all-time great baseball players in BGSU history. The 2002 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year ranks first in school history in career batting average, total bases, RBI and home runs (tied for first). The first baseman also ranks among the top 10 in school history in career put outs (third), hits (fourth), doubles (fifth) and runs scored (sixth).
Among single-season leaders all-time, Hunt is first in batting average, home runs, total bases and RBI. He also ranks among the top 10 in a season in runs scored (third), hits (tied for third) and at bats (tied for fourth). His .439 batting average as a senior ranked fifth in the nation. Hunt once hit a grand slam and a three-run homer in the same inning (the fifth) for the Falcons, leading to a 17-8 win over IPFW on April 15, 2003.
In 2002, when Hunt was named MAC Player of the Year, he hit .402 with 22 home runs, 84 RBI and 69 runs scored, while starting all 54 games for the Falcons. He had a .785 slugging percentage and struck out just 14 times in 214 at-bats. The following year, he hit a remarkable .439 with nine home runs and 61 RBI. He slugged .713 with a .500 on-base percentage and struck out just 17 times in 171 at-bats, while starting all 45 games.
While his raw numbers are eye-popping, Hunt also earned many accolades during his career, including being named a Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Third Team All-American in both 2002 and 2003. He was First Team All-MAC both of those seasons and an ABCA First Team District IV honoree. CollegeBaseballInsider.com named him a third team All-American in 2003 as well.
Hunt was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 29th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft, reaching as high as AA Erie in 2006. He played in independent leagues through 2010 and hit 137 home runs in eight seasons of professional baseball.
"It's a huge honor to be a Hall of Famer at BGSU," Hunt said. "I have nothing but great memories of all the great guys I had the privilege of playing with. I am thankful to be a Falcon!"
Hunt is a 2014 BGSU graduate of the department of arts and sciences.
Bill JonesJones, a native of South Amherst, Ohio, was the head athletic trainer at Bowling Green from 1974 until his retirement in 2002. Jones remains active in the athletics department as a member of the scorer's crew for basketball games, as well as serving as the football program's medical observer. He earned both his bachelors and masters degrees from Bowling Green (in 1966 and 1968).
Jones was named to the Ohio Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 1997 and served on the Ohio Athletic Training Association college/university athletic trainers committee. Beginning in 1996, he was the Great Lakes Athletic Training Association representative to the college/university athletic trainers committee. Jones was also named to the NCAA Hockey Rules Committee from 1988-89.
More than 50 of Jones' student athletic trainers became certified athletic trainers during his tenure. He is the second athletic trainer to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Allan Sawdy.
"I am deeply appreciative and very humbled to be honored by the Athletics Department and the University," Jones said. "To have my named picture associated with my former mentors Doyt Perry, Sam Cooper, Al Sawdy and many more is truly unbelievable. I want to thank everyone connected with the Hall of Fame for this honor and to all athletic trainers – the unsung heroes in athletics."
After earning his degree from BGSU, Jones went on to work at Vermilion Public School and Findlay Public School, as well as the University of Toledo. He was the head athletic trainer at Ashland University from 1971-73 before returning to his alma mater. During his tenure, Jones worked for five athletic directors, five football coaches and four University presidents.
Jim LessigLessig, a native of Canton, Ohio, served at BGSU in a variety of capacities, including as the department's Athletics Director from 1978-82. During the 1960s and 70s, he was an assistant basketball coach, assistant athletics director, director of alumni affairs and executive director of alumni and development at the University. He went on to serve as MAC Commissioner from 1982-90 and was inducted into the MAC Hall of Fame in 2014.
In 1969, Lessig left Bowling Green to become assistant basketball coach to Bill Fitch at the University of Minnesota, but one year later he was on the ground floor of the NBA expansion franchise Cleveland Cavaliers as assistant coach, head scout and director of special promotions. He also served as analyst for Cavalier basketball games and Cleveland Indians baseball games.
Lessig rejoined the Bowling Green staff in 1971 and was named Athletics Director in 1978. He continued his successful career at the University until he was named athletics director at Kansas in May of 1982. However, later in the year, he was summoned back to lead the MAC as Commissioner.
His leadership in the MAC was a benefit to Bowling Green as he made a significant impact in the early implementation of women's athletics within the conference, provided leadership in facility expansion and improvements and opened the league's television exposure with the advent of regional television expansion.
During his tenure as Athletics Director at Bowling Green, Lessig oversaw two NCAA tournament appearances for the hockey program, a 1981 men's basketball co-MAC championship and three consecutive women's cross country MAC titles.
"I feel very fortunate to be joining a Hall of Fame whose members have done so much to create the rich tradition and history of Bowling Green State University's athletic program," Lessig said. "To be honored by a University that has done so much for my family and myself is very special."
Lessig earned his bachelors degree in English from BGSU in 1957 and his masters degree in school administration and speech in 1967.
Marcia SaneholtzSaneholtz, a native of Napoleon, Ohio, played women's basketball at BGSU from 1962-64 but her contributions to college athletics reach far beyond her playing days. Following her time at Bowling Green, she went on to have a distinguished career as an administrator at Washington State from 1979 until her retirement in 2007.
Saneholtz is recognized as a long-time proponent of gender equity and a champion for Olympic sports. She served as the National Association of College Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA) president from 1992-93 and was on the board of directors from 1987-94. She was named NACWAA Administrator of the Year in 1997 and received the NACWAA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. Saneholtz earned the National Association for Girls and Women in Sports (NAGWS) Pathfinder Award in 2001 and was named the Woman of Distinction at Washington State in 2003.
Saneholtz served on numerous NCAA and Pacific 10 Conference committees, including the Committee on Women's Athletics (2001-05), the Women's Division I Volleyball Committee (1993-99 and chair from 1996-99), the Committee on Athletic Certification (1993-99), the President's Commission Liaison Committee (1992-96) and the Women's Committee on Committees (1989-92). She also served two terms as the Pacific 10 Conference vice president.
Saneholtz was recognized with the Washington State University Association of Faculty Women Samuel H. Smith Leadership Award in 2007, the Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame Scroll of Honor in 2009 and the Napoleon High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame in 2010.
Upon her retirement, Washington State's volleyball court was renamed Marcia Saneholtz Court in her honor. In 2005, Saneholtz returned to BGSU to receive a varsity letter in recognition of her pioneering role as an intercollegiate athlete.
"I am incredibly humbled and honored," Saneholtz said. "Playing on the first women's intercollegiate basketball team in 1962 was meaningful and important to those of us who were fortunate enough to play. Bowling Green has always been a special place for me – a great academic institution with wonderful faculty. I've always greatly valued my years there."
Saneholtz received her degree from BGSU in 1964 in health, physical education and biology.
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