Akron Athletics Inducts Class of 2019 Hall of Fame Class

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AKRON, Ohio– Prior to its Homecoming contest against Kent State, the University of Akron Department of Athletics inducted the 45th Annual Varsity "A" Sports Hall of Fame Class on Saturday morning.

The Class of 2019 — Andy Alleman (football), Keith Dambrot (men's basketball), Randy Ecrement (baseball), James "Dru" Joyce(men's basketball), Cadeau Kelley (track & field), Stevi Large Gruber(track & field), and Latrese Taylor Sanders (track & field)— was introduced to the crowd during the first half of the football game.

The Teams of Distinction— the 2009 men's soccer team and the 1999 women's track and field team, the Kenneth "Red" Cochrane Meritorious Service Awardee, Jim Grove, and the Mike Krino Varsity "A" Achievement Awardee, Dr. David Axner, were also honored.

To be eligible for UA's Sports Hall of Fame, nominees must meet three criteria: (1) Former Zips' student-athlete with All-American and/or All-Conference accolades; (2) Must have earned a bachelor's degree; and (3) Must be 10 years removed from eligibility expiration. Coaches and athletics administrators with 10 years of service to UA are also eligible for Hall of Fame induction.

The seven honorees expand the total in the UA Varsity "A" Hall of Fame to 347 athletes, coaches, and administrators. In addition, there are now 42 Kenneth "Red" Cochrane Meritorious Service Award recipients and 31 Mike Krino Varsity "A" Achievement awardees.

2019 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

ANDY ALLEMAN '11 (Football) – Offensive lineman Andy Alleman (2005-06) came to the University of Akron for his final two seasons and made the most of his time on campus. After transferring from the University of Pittsburgh, where he played on the defensive line, Alleman went to work right away on the offensive line. In his first season, he helped Zips to the 2005 MAC East title, the 2005 MAC Championships and the team's first FBS bowl appearance. Alleman started 12 games at right guard. As a senior in 2006, Alleman started all 12 games at right guard. In recognition of his play, Alleman was invited to both the Hula Bowl, Las Vegas All-Star Classic, East-West Shrine Game as well as the prestigious NFL Combine. He was named the team's Most Valuable Lineman and Weightlifter of the Year Awards. Drafted by the New Orleans Saints as the 88th pick in the 3rd round of the 2007 NFL Draft (4th highest drafted player in school history), Alleman played three seasons in the NFL. Since retiring from the NFL in 2010, Alleman transitioned to a career in sales. He earned his bachelor's degree in business and organizational communication in 2011. Alleman resides in North Lawrence, Ohio.

"It's the culmination of a lot of hard work and sacrifice. I couldn't have done it without the love and support of countless people along the way.

KEITH DAMBROT '82, '84 (Basketball) – Men's basketball head coach (2005-17). Keith Dambrot became Akron's all-time winningest coach, finishing with a 302-139 (.687) record. In his 13 seasons at Akron, the Zips finished no worse than third 12 times in regular season play. His teams averaged 23.5 wins in annually contending for the MAC title. He took over at his alma mater prior to the 2004-05 season and immediately put his stamp on the program by leading the Zips to a 19-10 record. The 19 wins were the program's most since 1989. In year two, UA posted 23 wins and in 2006-07, Dambrot began a stretch of seven-straight MAC Tournament championship game appearances. In 2015-16, Akron set the MAC record for the longest streak of consecutive semifinal appearances in MAC Tournament history at 11. The Zips made it 12 in a row in 2016-17, on the way to a program-best 27 wins (27-9). Named MAC Coach of the Year in 2013, 2016 and 2017, Dambrot coached a total of 18 Akron players who earned first, second or third team all-conference honors. Coached the MAC's all-time leading shot blocker, Zeke Marshall (368 blocks), Akron's all-time assists leader Dru Joyce (503), UA's all-time winningest player Chris McKnight (97 victories over a four-season span), and Akron's all-time games played leaders in Steve McNees and Nikola Cvetinovic (141). He brought national attention to the Akron program with a Division I-best 19-game winning streak in 2012-13. The Zips earned the No. 24 ranking in the Feb. 25 USA Today Coaches Poll that season, marking the first national ranking in program history. In 2014-15, Akron posted a 2-2 record against Power Five conference opponents, marking the first time in program history that Akron had at least two wins over Power Five members (Southern California and South Carolina) in the same season. Left Akron with a 413-209 overall record in 19 seasons as a head coach. A former three-year starter, team captain and team MVP for the Zips' baseball team (played third base), Dambrot graduated from UA with a bachelor's degree in management in 1982 and earned an M.B.A. from UA in 1984. He is currently the head basketball coach at Duquesne.

RANDY ECREMENT '95 (Baseball) – Pitcher Randy Ecrement (1991-94) became the first Akron baseball player to ever earn first-team All-MAC honors which he achieved as a senior in 1994. His best year was 1992 when he went 9-1 while helping the Zips capture the all-time record of 42 wins out of 60 games, and UA captured the Mid-Continent Conference title. The nine wins matched the all-time season record set by Hall of Famer Mike Birkbeck. A four-year letterwinner, Ecrement was voted UA's Most Valuable Pitcher in both 1992 and 1994. His 19 career wins ranked him fourth on UA's all-time list. His career 222 innings pitched ranked him third on the all-time list in 1994. A native of Stark Country, Ecrement earned a bachelor's degree in education in 1995. Ecrement resides in Jackson Township.

"Playing baseball at the University of Akron has put a stamp on pretty much all phases of my life professionally and personally. I take my memories from there with me everywhere I go! A lot of my relationships are those I created while at the university."

JAMES "DRU" JOYCE '16 (Basketball) – James "Dru" Joyce III (2004-07) had an outstanding career for Akron basketball. One of the Mid-American Conference's most proficient guards, he boasted almost double the amount of assists compared to turnovers in his career. games, Joyce established the school record for career assists (503) and earned All-Mid-American citations on two occasions. He ranks No. 3 all-time in assists per game. Joyce had a career-best was 11 assists at Buffalo (3-1-06) and still holds the record for the most double-digit assist games in Akron history (six times). During his time at Akron, the Zips won 81 games, including tying the school record with 26 wins in 2006-07. Following his career at Akron, Joyce played professionally in Europe for 12 seasons and became the all-time leader in assists in the German league.
An Akron native, Joyce earned his bachelor's degree in multi-disciplinary studies in 2016. He is currently an assistant basketball coach and the recruiting coordinator at Cleveland State.

"The four-year journey is my favorite memory from my time at Akron. Understand you have to take the ups with the downs, the trials and errors, the tears and the joys. I appreciate every day I had on campus!"

CADEAU KELLEY '08 (Track & Field) – All-American Cadeau Kelley (2005-08) capped off his collegiate career with Akron's first outdoor Mid-American Conference team championship in track and field in 2008. As a senior, Kelley earned All-America honors in the long jump at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor championships. A two-time MAC champion (long jump, triple jump) during the indoor season, he also captured MAC individual titles during the outdoor championship. An eight-time All-MAC honoree, including five first-team accolades, Kelley was named the MAC Most Outstanding Field Performer during the 2008 outdoor championship. He was also the 2008 Great Lakes Regional Field Performer of the Year. He set the No. 2 triple jump and No. 3 long jump marks in indoor program history. He also set No. 2 triple jump and No. 3 long jump marks in outdoor program history. Born in Liberia and raised in Cleveland, Kelley earned his bachelor's degree in e-business management in 2008. He currently is the nonprofit trust associate for KeyBank. Additionally, Kelley serves as the assistant track coach at Berea Midpark High School.

"Going to the University helped me develop into a leader, coach, and father. I learned how to stay on time and on a schedule. I was forced to learn the ins and outs of my events in order to be great at what I was doing and not rely solely on the coaches. I had to help manage what was going on with the team in and out of practice as a captain."

STEVI LARGE GRUBER '08 (Track & Field) – Stevi Large Gruber (2006-09) became just the third individual national champion in University of Akron history. As a senior, Gruber shattered her own school and Mid-American Conference record twice in the hammer throw on June 12, 2009, en route to national champion honors at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship. A four-time first-team All-American, Gruber held school records in the hammer, indoor and outdoor shot put, discus, and weight throw. She had also held the MAC's all-time and championship records in weight throw and hammer at the time of her graduation. As a junior, Gruber was the 2008 NCAA runner-up in weight throw. In her collegiate career, Gruber captured nine MAC championships as an individual and became the first female in league history to complete a career sweep in a field event, winning the hammer throw all four times. Gruber was a two-time team captain and three-time Most Valuable Performer on a team that achieved perfection; sweeping the conference's indoor and outdoor championships each season from 2006-09. Her team was the first in MAC history to win four straight indoor titles or had a run of six consecutive championships (indoor and outdoor). Gruber was UA's Female Athlete of the Year in three consecutive seasons from 2007-09. She was also a two-time Academic All-MAC honoree. Gruber earned her bachelor's degree in child and family development in December 2008. She resides in Lancaster, Ohio.

"Being included amongst the very elite and special athletes to attend and compete at the University of Akron is certainly an honor but more humbling than anything. I wanted to be the best teammate, athlete, and competitor representing the university the best way I knew how."

LATRESE TAYLOR SANDERS '01 (Track & Field) – Sprinter LaTrese Taylor Sanders (2007-00) made an immediate impact once she stepped on campus. As a freshman, she set seven new school records. At one time, Sanders owned nine school records, including four relay marks. The four-year letterwinner currently owns three school records in the sprints: 07.40 in the indoor 60 meters, and 11.49 in the outdoor 100 meters races. She also has the second fastest time in the indoor 200 meters (23.94). As a sophomore she earned her All-MAC honors at the 1998 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships, finishing second in the 200 meters and third in the 100 meters. As a part of the 1999 MAC Championship team (and this year's Team of Distinction), Sanders earned a MAC title with the 4x100 relay team at the MAC outdoor meet, helping the Zips to their first MAC team championship in program history. As a senior in 2000, Sanders captured both the 60-meter MAC indoor title and 100-meter MAC outdoor race to again earn first-team All-MAC honors. A two-time team captain, Sanders earned her bachelor's degree in family and child development in 2001. She resides in Canton.

"The University of Akron has helped shaped me into the person I am today by allowing me to find my true identity. The education that I acquired has allowed me to gain skills and qualities that I use today. The experiences that I had while being a part of The University of Akron Community has shaped me to understand that when opportunities come to you, you take advantage of them. You don't quit when tough times arise you work harder and remember that there will always be a time when another opportunity will find its way to present itself."

Kenneth "Red" Cochrane Meritorious Award
JIM GROVE '63 – If you want to know what the definitions of loyalty and commitment are, just look into the service that Jim Grove has provided for a half century. On September 7, 2019, Grove began his 50th year as a statistician for Akron Athletics sports teams.

No doubt, the 78-year-old Grove came to the job well prepared since the 1963 UA graduate majored in mathematics. He then went on to spend 35 years, and one year as a consultant, at the B. F. Goodrich Company where he served as Director of Information Technology.

In 1970, Grove began doing statistics for the University of Akron sports information office at home football games at the Rubber Bowl. In 1972, Grove was asked to serve as statistician for men's basketball program, and he has continued in that capacity for 47 seasons. Women's basketball was added to his stat duty in 1992, and he has now completed 27 seasons with the women's team.

Grove has selflessly committed five decades of time to working Zips' athletic events on the gameday staff for multiple sports. In that time, he has lent his expertise to the official stat crew for these sports to ensuring that statistical information is accurate and his knowledge of rules is invaluable to his co-workers on game days.

Mike Krino Varsity "A" Achievement Award
DR. DAVID AXNER '78, '84, '97 (Football) – A three-year letterman in football during the three winning seasons of 1975-77, Dr. David Axner was a huge contributing member in 1976, UA's winningest team in its football history. A running back on head coach Jim Dennison's slot-I offense, Axner saw action as a sophomore as Akron compiled a 7-4 record in 1975. He came into his own as a starter his last two seasons and enjoyed his career bests in 1976 when UA went 10-3 and advanced to the NCAA II National Championship.

In the NCAA II Semifinal game at the Rubber Bowl, Axner had a career highlight game. With UA down 10-0 to Northern Michigan, Axner broke away for a 56-yard TD run to close the gap. Then in the fourth period he scored again on a 3-yard run to give UA a 23-16 lead. The game went into overtime, the first in NCAA II playoff history. Axner rushed the ball three straight times from the 25 to put the ball on NMU's one-yard line where quarterback Marty Bezbatchenko ran it in for the UA victory, 29-26. A $1,000 scholarship was awarded UA in Axner's name as the Chevrolet Offensive Player of the nationally televised game. That 1976 team was accorded the Team of Distinction honors at the 2016 UA Sports Hall of Fame Banquet last October.

While putting together a 6-4 record in 1977, the tri-captain, went on to run track his senior year as part of the 4 X 100 relay team and received his track letter.

With a bachelor's in education, Axner returned to his alma mater Norton High School where he taught health and coached football, basketball, and track for three years. In 1982, he came back to UA as a graduate assistant in football to earn his master's in education in 1984. Axner also received his doctoral degree from the University of Akron in 1997. Currently, Axner is an executive with the Buckeye Association of School Administrators.

"I was blessed to have incredible leaders like Coach Jim Dennison and Jim Tressel along with life experiences that taught me to deal with adversity. Life is hard, but thanks to those lessons, I am blessed with a family and career that I can be proud of every day!"

Teams of Distinction
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The 2009 men's soccer team, under the guidance of head coach Caleb Porter, won the 2009 MAC regular-season championship and tournament championship en route to an appearance in the NCAA National Championship game. UA finished 23-1-1 overall and 6-0 in MAC play. The Zips went undefeated through the regular season and NCAA Tournament until the College Cup. Akron tied North Carolina 0-0 in the national semifinal, advancing on penalty kicks. UA then tied Virginia 0-0 and fell in penalty kicks in the title game. Fueled by one of the greatest defensive seasons in college history, UA matched an NCAA record by posting a perfect 23-0-0 record heading into the College Cup in 2009 en route to its runner-up finish. Akron didn't allow a single goal during the NCAA Tournament and finished with 19 shutouts for the campaign, which represented the second highest total all-time. Furthermore, its goals-against-average (0.27) and shutout percentage (.760) were ranked third-best in NCAA history.

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On the 20th anniversary, the Varsity "A" is excited to name the 1999 women's track and field team as a Team of Distinction, the first UA women's team to earn the honor. The 1999 women's track and field team, under the guidance of head coach Dennis Mitchell, became the first women's team at Akron to win a MAC team title by the claiming the league's outdoor title. "Amazing" is the word that comes to mind when trying to describe the turnaround that Mitchell and assistants Scott Jones, P.J. Wright, and Kevin Brown have directed with the track and cross country programs at Akron. From bottom-tier finishers to two MAC titles and four All-Americans in 1999, the Zips were on the rise. Seven school records were set at the meet, led by Christi Smith's 5,528 points in the heptathlon. Additionally, two athletes snagged indoor and/or outdoor All-American honors. Smith earned both indoor and outdoor recognition after finishing ninth in the long jump at the indoor meet and second in the heptathlon at the outdoor championships with a UA and MAC-record 5,773 points. Mary Varga was ninth in the outdoor high jump.

The University of Akron Athletics

Akron Athletics Inducts Class of 2019 Hall of Fame Class

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