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OSU Athletics
2009 Hall of Fame Class Announced
From OSU Press Release

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Twelve members will be inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame the weekend of Sept. 25-26, the Men’s Varsity O Alumni Association and the Women’s Varsity O Alumnae Society announced Tuesday. The class will be officially inducted in two separate ceremonies Sept. 25 and introduced to the public at halftime of the Ohio State home football game against Illinois Sept. 26.

The 2009 class includes:

Men - Neal Colzie (football), Robert Gary (cross country/track and field), Bob Hopper (swimming), Andy Katzenmoyer (football), Dick LeBeau (football), Michael Redd (basketball) and Pandel Savic (football);

Women - Kaja Fiserova (rowing), Allison Hanna (golf), Vanessa Immordino (field hockey), Emma Laaksonen (ice hockey) and Jim Montrella (swimming coach).

2009 Inductee Bios - Men

Neal Colzie - Football 1972-74

An All-American and two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, Neal Colzie is in the Buckeye Top 10 for interceptions in a season and career, interception yards in a game, interception returns for a touchdown in a season and career, career punt return yards, punt returns in a game, season and career, and punt returns for touchdowns in a season and career. Colzie remains the record holder for punt return yards in a game (170) and season (679), both set in 1973. Drafted in the first round of the 1975 NFL draft, Colzie went on to a nine-season pro career in which he played for the Raiders, Dolphins and Buccaneers. In his first season, he recorded 655 punt return yards, an NFL rookie record. He won Super Bowl XI with the Raiders, with four punt returns for a Super Bowl record of 43 yards, including a 25-yard return to set up a Raiders touchdown and a 12-yard return that set up a field goal. Colzie passed away in 2001.

Robert Gary - Cross Country/Track and Field 1992-95

Six-event All-American Robert Gary won the Big Ten Outdoor 3,000-meter steeplechase title in 1994 and still holds the Ohio State and Big Ten records for the 3,000-meter run. A three-time All-Big Ten selection and member of three Big Ten championship teams (1992 outdoor, and 1993 indoor and outdoor), Gary went on to compete on three U.S. World Championship distance teams, qualifying for 12 U.S. world cross country teams, and competed in the 1996 and 2004 Olympic Games in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Gary joined the Ohio State coaching staff in 1996 and took over the helm as the head coach in 2006. Under Gary, the Buckeyes enjoyed a historic season in 2007-08 as the cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field teams all finished in the Top 3 at their respective conference meets for the first time in more than 65 years.

Bob Hopper - Swimming 1965-67

Bob Hopper, a three-time All-American, won the 1965 NCAA Championship in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:51.8. He also was a two-time Big Ten champion in the event, winning the title in both 1965 (1:59.91) and 1966 (1:59.9). Hopper is the last Buckeye to win the event in either the Big Ten or NCAA championships.

Andy Katzenmoyer - Football 1996-98

All-American Andy Katzenmoyer won the Dick Butkus Award in 1997, the first Ohio State middle linebacker to win the award. A three-time First Team All-Big Ten member, Katzenmoyer put up big numbers, ranking in the Top 10 in Ohio State record books for career solo tackles, tackles for loss in a game, season and career, tackles for loss yards in a season and career, quarterback sacks in a game, season and career, quarterback sack yards in a season and career, and career interception returns for touchdowns. A member of the 1997 Rose Bowl champion Buckeyes, Katzenmoyer was selected in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, but suffered a neck injury in his first season that cut his professional career short.

Dick LeBeau - Football 1956-58

Three-time football letterwinner Dick LeBeau played for Woody Hayes and was a member of the 1957 National Championship team. He went on to a 14-year NFL career with the Detroit Lions, where he set the NFL record for consecutive starts for a cornerback (171). He is tied for seventh all-time in the NFL with 62 career interceptions and appeared in three Pro Bowls. In his first 35 years as an NFL coach, LeBeau has been on staff with the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, including the 2005 and 2008 Super Bowl champion Steelers.

Michael Redd - Basketball 1998-00

Michael Redd, the 1998 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was a three-time Ohio State MVP, an All-Big Ten selection and a four-time Big Ten Player of the Week. Redd, who averaged 35.1 minutes a game, ended his career fifth in program history in scoring with 1,879 and is third in the Ohio State record book for career points in the NCAA tournament (133). A captain in 2000, Redd was drafted in the 2000 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. He was an NBA All-Star in 2004 and a five-time Bucks MVP. Redd holds the NBA record for most three-point field goals made in one quarter with 8, set in the fourth period in 2002 against the Houston Rockets, and is fifth on the Milwaukee Bucks all-time points list through 2009. In 2008, Redd competed with the gold medal U.S. Olympic Team in Beijing.

Pandel Savic- Football 1947-49

The Ohio State passing leader in 1948 and 1949, Pandel Savic helped the 1949 Buckeyes to Ohio State’s first Rose Bowl win, gaining 16 total yards rushing and passing, including an important 6 yards on the ground to close out the remaining time and seal the Buckeye victory. The 1949 team also won a share of the Big Ten title, with Savic throwing for 581 yards and six touchdowns on the season. Ohio State and Michigan tied in the season finale, leading to a share of the Big Ten championship for the squads. Savic went on to play an important role in the golf community and served as longtime chairman of the PGA’s The Memorial Tournament.

Kaja Fiserova - Rowing 2001-03

2002 Most Valuable Rower Kaja Fiserova led the Buckeyes to the program’s first Big Ten Championship. A 2003 First Team CRCA All-American, she was a two-time First Team All-Central Region and First Team All-Big Ten selection. She was a two-time CRCA National Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-Big Ten honoree, as well as three-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete. Fiserova was also a member of the Czech Rowing Team in 1995-2000, participating in the world championships and world regattas.

2009 Inductee Bios - Women

Allison Hanna - Golf 2000-04

A two-time All-American, Allison Hanna was also the 2001 Big Ten Freshman of the Year as well as the Big Ten Player of the Year and Ohio State Female Athlete of the Year in 2004. She was a three-time First Team All-Big Ten selection and won the 2003 Big Ten Championships individual title. Hanna, a two-time team captain, was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete. A member of the All-NCAA West Regional Team in 2004, Hanna ended her career with the lowest scoring average (72.58) in program history. She turned professional in 2004 and posted her best LPGA finish with fourth place at the 2006 Sybase Classic.

Vanessa Immordino - Field Hockey 2000-03

Three-time All-American Vanessa Immordino finished her career in the Top 5 in the Buckeye record books in career points (127), career goals (52) and single-season points with 54 as a senior. She also was a three-time First Team All-Big Ten selection and a three-time First Team West Region All-American, as well as a 2003 Finalist for the Women’s National Field Hockey Player of the Year award. A four-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, Immordino was captain of the Buckeyes as a senior. She ended her career as one of five Ohio State players to record 100 career points after leading the team in goals three seasons.

Emma Laaksonen - Ice Hockey 2000-04

The 2004 WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year, Emma Laaksonen helped build the foundation of the Ohio State women’s hockey program and is the first women’s hockey player to be inducted into the athletics hall of fame. The first Buckeye women’s hockey player All-American, earning second team honors in 2002, Laaksonen’s other career accomplishments include being a 2002 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top 10 finalist and earning 2004 Second Team All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association honors. A standout in the classroom, she was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree (2003, 2004), a two-time AWHCA Scholar All-American (2003, 2004) and a three-time WCHA All-Academic Team selection (2002, 2003, 2004). Laaksonen also has been a key member for her home country’s team in Finland as a three-time Olympian, serving as co-captain in 2002 and 2006, as well as competing in seven world championships, serving as captain in 2008 and 2009. Named Finland’s Player of the Year in 2002 and 2006, Laaksonen was recognized by the Buckeye program during the first home series of the 2008-09 season when her No. 3 was the first women’s hockey player number retired.

Jim Montrella - Women’s Swimming Coach 1980-97

Jim Montrella, the 1985 and 1991 Big Ten Coach of the Year, led his Ohio State teams to five-consecutive Big Ten Conference championships from 1982-1986 and had 48 swimmers recognized as NCAA All-Americans during his 17 years at the helm. Montrella coached 66 Big Ten individual champions, five Big Ten Swimmer of the Year honorees, two Ohio State Athlete of the Year recipients and one NCAA champion. Fifty of his swimmers earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, with five receiving the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor. Nine of his swimmers have been inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame, including Holly Humphrey, the 1994 Ohio NCAA Woman of the Year and a Top 10 finalist for the NCAA Women of the Year Award. Montrella was also head or assistant coach for more than 20 USA National Swimming Teams and served as a member of the USA Swimming Olympic International Operating Committee from 1972-96. Now retired, although he still gets requests for coaching consulting work, Montrella and his wife Bev, who was an assistant swimming coach for 17 years at Ohio State, reside in Mission Viejo, Calif.

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