The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Athletics Announces Class of 2019 Hall of Fame Inductees
August 13 | Football, Men's Basketball, Men's Soccer, Track & Field, Baseball, Hall of Fame
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Akron Athletics Announces Class of 2019 Hall of Fame Inductees
AKRON, Ohio– The University of Akron Department of Athletics announced its 45th Annual Varsity "A" Sports Hall of Fame Inductees on Tuesday. The Class of 2019 — Andy Alleman, Keith Dambrot, Randy Ecrement, James "Dru" Joyce, Cadeau Kelley, Stevi Large Gruber, Latrese Taylor Sanders, and Romeo Travis —will be honored during Homecoming weekend on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019. 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, will also be honored.
The Akron football game against rival Kent State kicks off at 3:30 p.m. at InfoCision Stadium. The inductees will also be introduced to the crowd during the game.
The eight honorees expand the total in the UA Varsity "A" Hall of Fame to 348 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.
The banquet festivities on October 12 will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Student Union Ballroom with a brunch buffet followed by the induction program at 11:30 a.m. The cost of the banquet is $45 per person and $20 for children (12 and under) for tickets purchased by Sept. 30. Tickets purchased after Sept. 30 will be $65 per person and $25 for children (12 and under). For tickets, click HERE.
For further information about the Varsity "A" Hall of Fame, contact to Brooke Slama at (330) 972-7468 or via email at bas239@zips.uakron.edu.
2019 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
ANDY ALLEMAN '06 (Football) – Transferred from the University of Pittsburgh. Helped Zips to the 2005 MAC East title. MAC Champions. First FBS bowl appearance. As a senior, started all 12 games at right guard, paving the way for All-MAC RB Dennis Kennedy and providing excellent protections for QB Luke Getsy. Invited to the Hula Bowl, Las Vegas All-Star Classic, and East-West Shrine Game. Named team's Most Valuable Lineman and Weightlifter of the Year. NFL Combine Invitee. 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).
Played three seasons in the NFL (Saints, Dolphins, Chiefs). Former Zips' radio color analyst. North Lawrence, OH
KEITH DAMBROT '82, '84 (Basketball) – Men's basketball head coach (2005-17). 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. 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, 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). 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.
RANDY ECREMENT '94 (Baseball) – Pitcher. UA's first baseball player to ever earn first-team All-MAC honors which he achieved as a senior in 1994 while compiling an 8-3 pitching record. Had his best year in 1992 when he went 9-1 while helping the Zips capture the all-time record of 42 wins out of 60 games as 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 2011 inductee into the Stark County Sports Hall of Fame, a 2014 inductee in the National Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame, and a 2014 inductee into the St. Thomas Aquinas Hall of Fame. Canton, OH
JAMES "DRU" JOYCE '16 (Basketball) – Zips' all-time assists leader (503). Two-time All-MAC selection. Member of Akron's 1,000-point club with 1,046 career points in 123 games. Ranks No. 3 all-time in assists per game. Career-best was 11 assists at Buffalo 3-1-06. Has the most double-digit assist games in Akron history (six times). Akron, OH
CADEAU KELLEY '08 (Track & Field) – 2008 NCAA Outdoor All-American (long jump). 2008 MAC Indoor Champion (long jump, triple jump). 2007 MAC Outdoor Champion (long jump). 2008 MAC Outdoor Champion (long jump, triple jump). Eight-time All-MAC (five-time first team). 2008 MAC Most Outstanding Field Performer (outdoor). 2008 Great Lakes Regional Field Performer of the Year (outdoor). Owns No. 2 triple jump and No. 3 long jump marks in indoor program history. Owns No. 2 triple jump and No. 3 long jump marks in outdoor program history. Medina, OH
STEVI LARGE GRUBER '08 (Track & Field) – Throws. 2009 NCAA Champion in the hammer. Four-time All-American– 2008, 2009 weight throw and 2008, 2009 hammer. Regional champion. Five-time MAC champion. First-team All-MAC honoree as a freshman. Named UA's Caroline J. Pardee Female Athlete of the Year in 2007 as a sophomore and earned again as a junior. Three-time MAC champion in 2008 (indoor- weight throw; outdoor- hammer and discus). 2007 MAC Outdoor Performer of the Year. 2007 MAC outdoor champion in hammer and discus. Lancaster, OH
LATRESE TAYLOR SANDERS '01 (Track & Field) – Sprinter. Setting seven new school records as a freshman. At one-time she owned nine school records, including four relay marks. The four-year letterwinner from 1997-00 that 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. At the 1998 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships, finished second in the 200 meters and third in the 100 meters that earned her All-MAC honors. As a senior in 2000, captured both the 60-meter indoor title and 100-meter outdoor race to again earn first-team All-MAC honors. Canton, OH
ROMEO TRAVIS '19 (Basketball) – Akron's first Division I AP All-American 2006-07. Three-time All-MAC selection. Seventh on Akron's all-time scoring list with 1,491 career points in 122 games. Ninth in all-time rebounds with 783 career rebounds. 2007 MAC All-Tournament Team selection. Akron, OH
Kenneth "Red" Cochrane Meritorious Award
JIM GROVE – Statistician for Akron Athletics sports teams for 50 years. In 1970, Grove began doing statistics for the University of Akron sports information office at home football games at the Rubber Bowl. Forty-nine years later, the 78-year-old Grove is still providing statistics at UA football games and he will start his 50th year when the Zips open their home season on September 7, 2019. Akron, OH
Mike Krino Varsity "A" Achievement Award
DR. DAVID AXNER '78, '84, '97 (Football) – A three-year letterman during the three winning seasons of 1975-77, a contributing member in 1976, UA's winningest team in its football history. A slot back for coach Jim Dennison. Enjoyed his career bests in 1976 when UA went 10-3 and advanced to the NCAA II National Championship. That 1976 team was accorded the 2016 Team of Distinction. The captain rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns in the Knute Rockne Bowl (NCAA semifinal) against Northern Michigan. Named MVP Chevrolet Player of the Game. Earned bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in education for UA. Currently, Axner is the deputy executive director with the Buckeye Association of School Administrators. Dublin, OH
Teams of Distinction
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.
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. 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.
HOF TICKETS LINK
Akron Athletics Announces Class of 2019 Hall of Fame Inductees
AKRON, Ohio– The University of Akron Department of Athletics announced its 45th Annual Varsity "A" Sports Hall of Fame Inductees on Tuesday. The Class of 2019 — Andy Alleman, Keith Dambrot, Randy Ecrement, James "Dru" Joyce, Cadeau Kelley, Stevi Large Gruber, Latrese Taylor Sanders, and Romeo Travis —will be honored during Homecoming weekend on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019. 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, will also be honored.
The Akron football game against rival Kent State kicks off at 3:30 p.m. at InfoCision Stadium. The inductees will also be introduced to the crowd during the game.
The eight honorees expand the total in the UA Varsity "A" Hall of Fame to 348 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.
The banquet festivities on October 12 will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Student Union Ballroom with a brunch buffet followed by the induction program at 11:30 a.m. The cost of the banquet is $45 per person and $20 for children (12 and under) for tickets purchased by Sept. 30. Tickets purchased after Sept. 30 will be $65 per person and $25 for children (12 and under). For tickets, click HERE.
For further information about the Varsity "A" Hall of Fame, contact to Brooke Slama at (330) 972-7468 or via email at bas239@zips.uakron.edu.
2019 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
ANDY ALLEMAN '06 (Football) – Transferred from the University of Pittsburgh. Helped Zips to the 2005 MAC East title. MAC Champions. First FBS bowl appearance. As a senior, started all 12 games at right guard, paving the way for All-MAC RB Dennis Kennedy and providing excellent protections for QB Luke Getsy. Invited to the Hula Bowl, Las Vegas All-Star Classic, and East-West Shrine Game. Named team's Most Valuable Lineman and Weightlifter of the Year. NFL Combine Invitee. 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).
Played three seasons in the NFL (Saints, Dolphins, Chiefs). Former Zips' radio color analyst. North Lawrence, OH
KEITH DAMBROT '82, '84 (Basketball) – Men's basketball head coach (2005-17). 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. 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, 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). 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.
RANDY ECREMENT '94 (Baseball) – Pitcher. UA's first baseball player to ever earn first-team All-MAC honors which he achieved as a senior in 1994 while compiling an 8-3 pitching record. Had his best year in 1992 when he went 9-1 while helping the Zips capture the all-time record of 42 wins out of 60 games as 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 2011 inductee into the Stark County Sports Hall of Fame, a 2014 inductee in the National Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame, and a 2014 inductee into the St. Thomas Aquinas Hall of Fame. Canton, OH
JAMES "DRU" JOYCE '16 (Basketball) – Zips' all-time assists leader (503). Two-time All-MAC selection. Member of Akron's 1,000-point club with 1,046 career points in 123 games. Ranks No. 3 all-time in assists per game. Career-best was 11 assists at Buffalo 3-1-06. Has the most double-digit assist games in Akron history (six times). Akron, OH
CADEAU KELLEY '08 (Track & Field) – 2008 NCAA Outdoor All-American (long jump). 2008 MAC Indoor Champion (long jump, triple jump). 2007 MAC Outdoor Champion (long jump). 2008 MAC Outdoor Champion (long jump, triple jump). Eight-time All-MAC (five-time first team). 2008 MAC Most Outstanding Field Performer (outdoor). 2008 Great Lakes Regional Field Performer of the Year (outdoor). Owns No. 2 triple jump and No. 3 long jump marks in indoor program history. Owns No. 2 triple jump and No. 3 long jump marks in outdoor program history. Medina, OH
STEVI LARGE GRUBER '08 (Track & Field) – Throws. 2009 NCAA Champion in the hammer. Four-time All-American– 2008, 2009 weight throw and 2008, 2009 hammer. Regional champion. Five-time MAC champion. First-team All-MAC honoree as a freshman. Named UA's Caroline J. Pardee Female Athlete of the Year in 2007 as a sophomore and earned again as a junior. Three-time MAC champion in 2008 (indoor- weight throw; outdoor- hammer and discus). 2007 MAC Outdoor Performer of the Year. 2007 MAC outdoor champion in hammer and discus. Lancaster, OH
LATRESE TAYLOR SANDERS '01 (Track & Field) – Sprinter. Setting seven new school records as a freshman. At one-time she owned nine school records, including four relay marks. The four-year letterwinner from 1997-00 that 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. At the 1998 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships, finished second in the 200 meters and third in the 100 meters that earned her All-MAC honors. As a senior in 2000, captured both the 60-meter indoor title and 100-meter outdoor race to again earn first-team All-MAC honors. Canton, OH
ROMEO TRAVIS '19 (Basketball) – Akron's first Division I AP All-American 2006-07. Three-time All-MAC selection. Seventh on Akron's all-time scoring list with 1,491 career points in 122 games. Ninth in all-time rebounds with 783 career rebounds. 2007 MAC All-Tournament Team selection. Akron, OH
Kenneth "Red" Cochrane Meritorious Award
JIM GROVE – Statistician for Akron Athletics sports teams for 50 years. In 1970, Grove began doing statistics for the University of Akron sports information office at home football games at the Rubber Bowl. Forty-nine years later, the 78-year-old Grove is still providing statistics at UA football games and he will start his 50th year when the Zips open their home season on September 7, 2019. Akron, OH
Mike Krino Varsity "A" Achievement Award
DR. DAVID AXNER '78, '84, '97 (Football) – A three-year letterman during the three winning seasons of 1975-77, a contributing member in 1976, UA's winningest team in its football history. A slot back for coach Jim Dennison. Enjoyed his career bests in 1976 when UA went 10-3 and advanced to the NCAA II National Championship. That 1976 team was accorded the 2016 Team of Distinction. The captain rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns in the Knute Rockne Bowl (NCAA semifinal) against Northern Michigan. Named MVP Chevrolet Player of the Game. Earned bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in education for UA. Currently, Axner is the deputy executive director with the Buckeye Association of School Administrators. Dublin, OH
Teams of Distinction
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.
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. 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.
2019 Akron Zips Athletics Hall of Fame - Team of Distinction - '99 Women's T&F
Wednesday, October 16
2019 Akron Zips Athletics Hall of Fame - Team of Distinction - 2009 Men's Soccer
Monday, October 14
2019 Akron Zips Athletics Hall of Fame - Dr. David Axner
Monday, October 14
2019 Akron Zips Athletics Hall of Fame - James "Dru" Joyce III
Monday, October 14
