2017 IATCCC Hall of
Fame Inductees
Click Names for Bios and Pic
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Coaches Category |
Female Category |
Male Category |
Pioneer Group |
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FW Wayne/ North Side |
Pike |
Tecumseh |
Purdue University |
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Lawrence North/ Carmel |
Concordia Lutheran |
FW Northrop |
Evansville Harrison |
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Danville |
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Contributor Category |
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Gary Roosevelt |
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Highland HS /Purdue |
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William Blosser FW Wayne/North Side Bill
was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana and graduated from North Side High
School in 1969, where he was a member of the 1968 State Championship Cross
Country team. He graduated from Saint Francis University with a B.A. in
Secondary Education in 1974 and a M.A. in Special Education in 1978. He
married his wife Joyce in 1973, they have two daughters and Bill is the proud
“Papa” to four grandchildren. Bill
began his teaching and coaching career for Fort Wayne Community Schools at
Miami Middle School in 1974 as a Special Education teacher. In 1978 he
transferred to Wayne High School, followed by North Side High School in 1993
then to the Allen County Juvenile Correction Center in 2004. Bill retired in
2015 after 41 years of teaching. Bill
coached Track and Field and Cross Country for 30 years at the high school
level, 4 years at the middle school level, 2 years as a consultant and 1 year
as a college coach, in addition to his 37 years coaching in track and cross
country he also coached 9 years of boy’s summer baseball, 7 years of girl’s
summer slow-pitch softball, 3 years of basketball 1 year of wrestling and 1
year of swimming. Some
of his achievements in track & field coaching include 13 State Champions
and in 1979 being the first coach of any women’s sport team in Fort Wayne to
win a team State Champion. Additionally, in 1985 and 1986 Bill was the head
coach with the most wins in women’s track & field at the Midwest Meet of
Champions. Bill feels very blessed to have been given the opportunity to
teach, coach and mentor hundreds of young adults over the course of his
career. |
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Lawrence North / Carmel Kenneth
Browner began coaching at Lawrence North in 1990, as an assistant coach
helping the Wildcats to four State Championships (1990, 2001, 2002, &
2003) and a State Runner-Up finish (1993). Ken then became the head coach
from 2006 – 2010, leading Lawrence North to a State Runner-Up finish in 2008. In
2011, Ken became Carmel Greyhounds head coach, leading them to a State
Runner-Up finish in 2014 and winning the IHSAA State Meet titles in 2015 and
2016. His
career totals reads as follow: sixty two (62) All-Metropolitan
Interscholastic Conference selections, twenty seven (27) Academic All-State
selections, nine (9) Indiana All-Stars, seventy one (71) individual state
qualifiers, twenty two (22) relay state qualifiers, eleven (11) individual
IHSAA State champions, eight (8) individual IHSAA State runner-up finishers,
fourth eight (48) individual IHSAA State medalists, fourteen (14) relay
medalists, four (4) Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference championships,
six (6) Sectional Champions three (3)
Regional Championships and an individual shot put National Champion in 2009. |
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Mike Poehlein Highland HS /Purdue Mike
Poehlein started his track career at Oakland City High School (IN) in 1952
and continued running at Oakland City University. Poehlein
began coaching at Royal Center High School (IN) in 1961 and moved to
Highland, IN in 1966. While at Highland High School, his track teams compiled
of 73 wins and one loss and 12 sectional championships in Track and Cross
Country. Poehlein
had four individual State champions in Track and Cross Country and a team
runner-up finish in the 1969 State Cross Country championship. In
1973 Poehlein moved to Purdue University as Head Cross Country coach and
Assistant Track coach. In 1981 he was named Head Track coach as well, serving
both positions until 2001, where he became Women’s Cross Country coach also. While
at Purdue he served as President of the Indiana Association of TAC, two terms
as President of USA Cross Country Association and on the Board of Directors
for the USA Track Coaches Association. Poehlein
was a five time Big 10 Coach of the Year in Track and Cross Country and
served as consultant for the South Korean Olympic Federation from 1983 to
1988, His Purdue program nurtured 31 of his athletes who earned All American
status 53 times. Poehlein
served as Head coach for the North Region in the 1986 Olympic Festival;
Assistant Coach for the Good Will Games in 1990; and Head Coach for the 1997
Junior Pam American Games in Havana, Cuba. Upon
retirement from Purdue, Poehlein served for 5 more years at Oakland City
University and is currently coaching at Frankfort High School and Middle
School making 55 continuous years of coaching, all in Indiana! |
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Pike Amber
has competed in three Olympic Games (2008, 2012, and 2016) in the hammer
throw. She was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, raised in New Mexico and a proud
1999 graduate of Indianapolis Pike High School, where she placed third in the
IHSAA State Championship discus and ranks 29th on Indiana’s All
Time Best. From that humble start in the sport, her hard work at the
University of Coastal Carolina and a concentration on the hammer throw has
allowed her to excel from a very good collegiate athlete to an elite level
professional. Amber is currently the American Olympian record holder. Amber’s
achievements include: 16
time Big South Conference Champion 5
time NCAA All-American 3
time Big South Conference Athlete of the Year 5
time USA World Championship Team Member University
of Coastal Carolina and Indiana Track & Field Hall of Fame 3
Time Olympian as a hammer thrower with a 6th place finish in 2016 Amber
is the youngest of four with three brothers that excelled in sports: Brian is
an engineer at Bose Corporation, Donnie is a Hall of Fame basketball player
at Saint Louis University and Mike Jr, was an All-American at Saint Francis
College. Amber
hopes to work with young girls to improve their personal growth and
development. |
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Concordia Lutheran Alissa
McKaig-Doehla is a two-time State Champion from Concordia Lutheran High
school in Fort Wayne. In 2002 she was the undefeated State Cross-Country
Champion and a 2003 Foot Locker finalist. In 2004 she was the 1600 meter
Track and Field Champion. In
college, Alissa earned All-American honors while attending Michigan State
University and placed 10th at 2006 NCAA Division I National
Championships. In 2008, she won the NAIA XC Titles in the 5000m and 10,000m
while attending Indiana Tech where she graduated in 2011. After
college, McKaig-Doehla began running professionally and was a member of ZAP
Fitness from 2009 – 2011. In 2010 she was 5th overall American at
the NYC Marathon. In 2011, she was ranked #7 in the 10,000m by Track &
Field News. She was a member of the 2011 World Marathon Team. She placed 8th
in the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials with a time of 2.32:56. Her personal
record include 15:28 for 5,000m, 32:14 for 10,000m 1:13.58 for Half Marathon
and 2:31.56 in the Marathon. In
2016, McKaig-Doehla chose to transition from Professional Runner to
Professional Triathlete, she was awarded Professional Triathlete status after
her 6th ever triathlon and was the overall 2016 USATF National
Champion. Starting in 2017, she will complete internationally in her rookie
season as a professional. |
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FW Northrop Bobby
Moldovan graduated from Fort Wayne Northrop High School in 2007 and in 2006
he was crowned the 3200 meter IHSAA State Champion running a winning time of
9:07.00. Bobby was a four-time qualifier in the 3200 meter run at the IHSAA
State Track and Field Championships that included a runner-up finish in 2005
and a 7th place finish in 2007. In cross country, Bobby qualified
for the state meet in four consecutive years with three All State finishes:
in 2004 (5th), 2005 (8th), and 2006 (8th).
In 2006 he qualified for the prestigious Foot Locker National Cross Country
race held in San Diego, California by finishing 7th and running a
time of 15:13 at the Midwest Regional Championships. Moldovan
went on to run cross country and track and field at North Carolina State (NC
State) where he was a four time NCAA qualifier in cross country and helped
lead his team to a 10th place finish at the 2011 NCAA Cross
Country National Championships. In college Indoor Track and Field Bobby was
twice an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Champion and once individually in
2009 in the 3000 meter run and also once as a member of the Distance Medley
Relay in 2012. Bobby was also an individual qualifier for the Outdoor NCAA
Track and Field National Champion in the 5000 meter run in 2012. He has
personal best times of 3:45 in the 1500 meter run, 4:02 in the mile run, 8:02
in the 3000 meter run, 9:07 in the 3200 meter run and 13:57 in the 5000 meter
run. |
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Danville Brian
Murer, a native of Danville, Indiana was a thrower who specialized in the
discus and hammer throws. He had top ten finishes in the discus at the IHSAA
state meet three times at Danville Community High School (1988 -1990). He had
a best with the high school discus of 188’11”. He threw the high school
hammer 202’. He was named a Track and Field News High School All American in
1990 in the hammer. He also completed at the prestigious Golden West and
Keebler post season invitationals as a senior. Murer
continued his throwing career at Southern Methodist University in Dallas,
Texas mainly specializing in the hammer throw. At SMU he garnered six All
American honors. He finished second twice at the NCAA indoor meet in the 35
pound weight, Murer set the American Collegiate Record in the weight throw
twice. His bests at SMU were 72’0” in the weight and 239’7” in the hammer. Post
collegiately he threw his personal best 243’10” at the Mt, SAC Relays. At the
time it was the 10th best throw in US history and the furthest by
an Indiana native. Murer
competed in the 1992 and 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials. He was the 1996 alternate
to the Olympic team by virtue of being one of only 4 persons to have achieved
the Olympic A standard that year. Murer
had a brief coaching career; he was a graduate assistance at SMU and a
volunteer assistant at the University of Texas. As a full time Assistant at
Purdue University, he coached the 2000 Big Ten Champion in the hammer throw
and dual qualifier in the hammer and javelin. At
5’ 11” and 230 pounds Murer was diminutive compared to most of those he
completed against. He credits coaching and mentors Bill Bradshaw, Jerry
Strayhorn, Jerry England, Dave Wollman and Dan Pfaff for enabling him to
achieve so much at a small size. |
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Gary Roosevelt Richard Wilson was a 2-time state champion in the 800 meters
(1:52.7) as a junior and 1:53.0 as a senior. He also ran on the state
championship mile relay his senior year (3:20.4). Wilson also was a 3-time
national champion in the AAU Junior Olympics in the 800 meters during his
high school years. |
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Tecumseh - 1973 Grant
graduated from tiny Tecumseh High School in 1973. His graduating class had
only 68 students. At the 1973 IHSAA state track meet, he and teammate Steve
Clutter led Tecumseh to sixth place in the team competition. Grant won the
pole vault with a state record leap of 15 feet 7 3/4 inches while Steve broke
the existing state long jump record before ultimately finishing second by a
small margin. Grant was also awarded with the Robert S. Hinshaw Mental
Attitude Award at the 1973 state meet. In addition to his state record, he
also set sectional and regional records that lasted for many years. His marks
in both 1972 and 1973 were among the top nationally for high school vaulters
at the time. He took second place in the IHSAA state meet in both 1971 and
1972. He also participated in football and basketball and received college
scholarship offers in those sports as well as in track. After
high school Grant continued his track career at the University of Alabama
where he cleared over 17 feet and after 40 years still holds the third
highest outdoor mark at the University. Following college, he enjoyed a
successful career in accounting, becoming a tax partner at BKD, LLP., one of
the largest accounting firms in the country. |
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Evansville Harrison Robert
“Bob” Winchell is a local legend. Big Bob is not only the greatest shot
putter in the history of Harrison High school but also one of the greatest
athletes. Winchell was a four-year letterman in shot put and a two-year
starter in varsity basketball. As a junior, Bob started at forward for the
undefeated city and conference champion Harrison basketball team, finishing
the regular season as the only Harrison basketball team to ever be ranked #1
in the state. Winchell won city, conference, sectional and regional titles in
the shot put as a junior before finishing second at the Indiana Track and
Field state finals in 1966. As a senior, Winchell helped lead the Warriors to
a 51 consecutive regular season basketball streak, and another city and
conference title on his way to being named to the third team all-city
basketball team Bob again won city conference, sectional, regional titles in
shot put as a senior along with becoming the first state champion in school
history by winning the 1967 IHSAA Track and Field championship. Winchell left
high school as the undisputed greatest shot putter in Evansville history by
breaking each of the all-time city, conference, and sectional records. Bob
was a star NCAA Division I Track and Field athlete at Indiana University.
During his four years as the top shot putter for the Hoosiers, he won four
Big Ten conference championships while being named an NCAA Track and Field
All-American Upon graduation from IU, Winchell, and his softball team,
Winchell Chiropractic, won four national championships and were inducted into
the Indiana ASA Softball Hall of Fame in 1994, Winchell also competed in the
Senior Olympic Games where he won a gold medal in 2001 at age 51. In 2011,
the Harrison High School shot put area was officially co-named after Bob Winchell. Dr.
Robert Winchell went on to have a very successful career as a chiropractor in
the Evansville area before passing away in 2010. He is survived by his wife,
Linda, and family. |
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Purdue University David
Rankin was the head track and field coach at Purdue University for 24 years
and one of the most versatile athletes in Tiger and Boilermaker history. He
dominated the track and football field from the time he entered Warsaw High
School until he was sworn into the Marines during the 1941 Collegiate
All-Star half time. At
Warsaw High School, David ran a close second in the 120 yard high hurdles to
record breaking and Hall of Famer Robert Denny of Kokomo in the 1937 IHSAA
State Meet. He also, finished 4th in the 200 yard low hurdles and
3rd in the 1936 high hurdles and his efforts on the football field
lead him to Purdue University. While
at Purdue, he became a ranking collegiate hurdler and at one time the
co-holder of the world record in the indoor 60 yard low hurdles. David was
honored as an All-America end in both 1939 and 1940 seasons and captained the
1941 Collegiate All-Star squad in the annual Chicago Tribune charity game at
Soldier Field. David
joined the Purdue Athletics Department in 1946 after a distinguished military
career as a Marine fighter pilot, Rankin made two tours of duty in the South
Pacific. He flew nearly 150 missions on bombing, strafing, escort and fighter
sweep assignments. He was credited with downing two enemy planes in combat
and was awarded four Air Medals for his achievements in major campaign in the
Solomon Island, Okinawa and Japan. Along with his head track and field
coaching duties, he as the athletic department coordinator on final
blueprints for the Mackey Basketball arena and the track and field indoor
facilities. David was known for developing promotional ideas in track and
field such as: the field event timing lights, long jumping measuring
implement, lighting standers to show participating heights, lighting the
track curb and the first to use all-weather field event surface. Rankin
authored many articles and served on many executive committees of the
National Collegiate Track Coaches Association. He served several terms on the
advisory board of the National Rules Committee. His interested in muscular
physiology led to special research and studies in Finland. David
and wife Ann Thomas lived in Lafayette where they raised a son Tom and
daughters Annette and Randee. |
