Illinois State Athletics announced its Hall of Fame class and Campbell Stretch Miller Award winner for 2002 today. The group will be honored at halftime of the Illinois State football game versus Murray State on Sept. 21. The Hall of Fame inductees will also be honored during a banquet the previous evening at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Bloomington, Ill.
This years inductees include Bill Bolinder (Football), Kim Nelson-Brown (Volleyball), Marla Maupin-Cleveland (Womens Basketball) and Blaine Royer (Mens Basketball). The Stretch Miller Award winner is former faculty representative to the NCAA and Missouri Valley Conference Dr. Al Otto.
The Hall of Fame and Stretch Miller ceremonies are among the highlights of the Redbird athletics department every year, said Director of Athletics Perk Weisenburger. Im always impressed with the quality of the people who are recognized. Bill, Kim, Marla and Blaine were all outstanding student-athletes and solid representatives of Illinois State, while Al provided 11 years of service and countless contributions to our program.
This years class covers a large era in Redbird athletics and it represents people who have been successful on a regional and national level. Most of all though, it represents the kind of people who have helped make Illinois State the success that it is.
Bolinder (1966-69) lettered three years in football at Illinois State and was an all-conference selection at tight end his senior year. A second-team Kodak All-American, Bolinder finished his career with 55 catches, including 33 his senior year with three of the teams five TD catches. The next best receiver had 13 catches.
I can honestly say I had the best time of my life at Illinois State, Bolinder said. I got to see some great teams and players while I was there and Im looking forward to coming back to Bloomington-Normal. Its a great honor. Im not sure if Im deserving, but Im very appreciative nonetheless.
A coach for over 25 years, Bolinder spent one year at the assistant level before becoming head football coach at various local schools including Tremont, Peoria Heights and Galesburg and also coached at West Palm Beach in Florida. He was twice named Illinois Coach of the Year and received the Palm Beach County Coach of the Year award. Bolinder has coached over 27 athletes who have played Division I football and he currently resides in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Bolinder continued teaching in the Florida school system after retiring from head coaching in 1998. He coordinates all driver education related material including curriculum, scheduling and behind-the-wheel programs.
Nelson-Brown (1990-93) became the first athlete in Illinois State history to win two league most valuable player awards. She received the honors in 1992 and 1993 and both years the Redbird volleyball team clinched the conference championship and received the automatic NCAA bids. In 1993, Nelson-Brown led the team to a first-round defeat over Houston in the NCAA Regional.
Im very excited. Its a honor that not only goes out to me, but to all the teammates I played with and the coaching staff I played for, Nelson-Brown said. Illinois State offered so many great moments in my life, but Ill always remember my junior year. Winning the Missouri Valley championship in Horton Field House in five games and the first round win against Houston in Redbird Arena.
Named Illinois States Student-Athlete of the Year in 1992, Nelson-Brown was an all-Midwest region selection in 1992 and 1993. She still holds her mark in the Redbird record books, ranking No. 2 in career digs (1,201), No. 7 in career attack attempts (3,342) and No. 8 in most kills in a career (1,250). The current head volleyball coach at Illinois Wesleyan University resides in Bloomington, Ill. and was also a two-time Missouri Valley Conference first team selection and named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-District Team twice in her career.
Maupin-Cleveland (1981-85) was named an all-American in 1985 for the Redbird womens basketball team and played seven seasons overseas, including stays in Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. A four-time player of the week and all-conference first team pick in 1985, Maupin-Cleveland rewrote the record book during her career. She currently ranks No. 1 in career field goal percentage (.554), No. 9 in career points (1,323), No. 3 in career rebounds (796), No. 9 in free throws made (223) and No. 4 in career blocked shots (68).
Im very humbled, Maupin-Cleveland said. This is an honor that I never dreamed about. I wanted to go to Illinois State since I was 10-years-old and just being able to go to school there and play basketball was a great honor in itself. Im looking forward to coming back to campus and spending the weekend in Bloomington-Normal.
She also notched 17 double-doubles during the 1984-85 season and had 26 in her career which ranks No. 3 overall. Maupin-Cleveland led the team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots in 1984 and 1985. She started a coaching career after college and she held posts at Illinois State, Illinois Wesleyan, University High School and Ashland University. Maupin-Cleveland currently resides in Strongsville, Ohio and is raising a family.
Royer (1966-69) was a letterwinner on three successive conference championship basketball teams at Illinois State. He didnt become a starter on the team until his senior year but all the hard work paid off as he became the second basketball player in school history to be chosen in the draft. He followed Hall of Famer Jerry McGreal, who was taken by Indiana of the ABA in 1968, while Royer was drafted by San Diego.
This was unexpected, but its a great honor, Royer said. When you look back at some of the people that have gone into the Hall of Fame already, its kind of humbling. The thing I remember the most about ISU is the coaching staff of Jim Collie and Warren Crews and my teammates. We had such a great team my junior year, and my senior season we overachieved and ended up going to the final eight in the country.
The leading scorer for the Birds in 1969, Royer averaged 20.1 points per game his senior campaign and currently is ranked No.10 on the all-time single season scoring list. That year the Birds won an NCAA regional championship and lost to top-ranked Ashland, coached by Bill Mussleman, in the College division national tourney at Evansville.
Last year, Royers 1967-68 team was inducted into the Illinois State Hall of Fame after a 25-3 season in which the Redbirds earned a bid to the NCAA College Division Tournament (now known as Division II). He was also named an All-American that same season. Currently, Royer lives in Arlington Heights, Ill., and is an Assistant Principal-Student Affairs at Glenbrook North High School.
This years Campbell Stretch Miller Award winner is to Dr. Al Otto. The award is named for Miller, a Redbird athlete who went on to broadcast Illinois State games in the 1940s before joining the St. Louis Cardinals broadcasting team. The award named in his honor celebrates the contributions of those whose main services were not playing or coaching, but important to the programs success.
It is indeed a great honor to be recognized by the athletics department in this way, Otto said. Their acknowledgment is deeply appreciated.
Otto served as faculty representative at Illinois State for 11 years with his final year in 2000-01. Jeff Wood and Otto shared the position his final year as a representative before Wood took over this year. As faculty representative, Otto represented the university to the NCAA, Missouri Valley Conference and Gateway Conference, while reporting directly to the president on any concerning issues.
A 1965 Iowa graduate with a Ph.D. in Mathematics, Otto came to Illinois State in 1969 and even though he retired in 2000, he still teaches math education part time. In the late 1970s, he started tutoring Redbird basketball players which led to positions on the athletics council, which he chaired for two years.
Otto was on the search committees for the past three athletics directors and had a hand in the hiring of Ron Wellman, Rick Greenspan and Perk Weisenburger. He also contributed in the hiring of numerous Level I coaches, while serving as faculty representative. The president of the MVC in 1996-97, Otto also served on many committees for the Valley, primarily ones that focused on eligibility issues.
