Ohio State Varsity O Association Announces 2007 Athletics Hall of Fame Class – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State Varsity “O” Association will induct nine members into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame the weekend of Sept. 7-8. The class will be officially inducted in two separate ceremonies Sept. 7 and introduced to the public at halftime of the Ohio State-Akron football game in Ohio Stadium the following day.
In all, 74 women have been inducted since 1993 and 227 men have been honored since 1977.
The 2007 class includes: Men Andy Dumpis (volleyball), Ivan Gilbert (fencing), Marv Homan (administration) and Pete Johnson (football); Women Kristy Dascoli (tennis), Yelena Kalkina (fencing), Conny Kirsch (rowing), Susan Mallery (cross country/track and field) and Anna Smith (softball).
Men’s Hall of Fame Bios
Andy Dumpis Volleyball (1977-1980)
Andy Dumpis finished his career at Ohio State as a two-time All-American (1978 and 1980) and a three-time first-team Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association selection. The co-MIVA Most Valuable Player of the Year in 1980, Dumpis was a part of the Buckeye 1977 and ’78 MIVA championship teams and assisted the squad to unblemished home records of 12-0 in 1977 and 13-0 in 1980. He also helped Ohio State become the first non-West coast team to reach the NCAA championship final in 1977.
Ivan Gilbert Fencing (1940-1942)
Ivan Gilbert was a first-team All-American in foil in 1942. He helped lead the Buckeye fencing squad to the 1942 national title, the program’s first national championship and the second overall national title for a team at Ohio State. A three-year letterwinner from 1941-43, Gilbert was named Ohio State’s Male Fencer of the Century by the Touchdown Club of Columbus.
Marv Homan Administrator (1948-1987)
Marv Homan was a member of the Ohio State Department of Athletics from 1948 to 1987. He began his long career as an assistant sports information director and was appointed director of that office in 1973. During his career, Homan was an ambassador of goodwill for the Buckeyes, serving as play-by-play announcer for football and basketball on both radio and television. Homan was presented the Arch Ward Meritorious Service Award by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) in 1988 and was awarded the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame Loyalty Award in 1998. He is just the fourth administrator to be inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame.
Pete Johnson Football (1973-1976)
A three-year starter, Pete Johnson was a part of four Big Ten championship teams and concluded his Buckeye career with a number of records. As a junior in 1975, Johnson led the nation in scoring, tallying a Big Ten and school record 26 touchdowns en route to first-team All-Big Ten honors. During that same season, he set an OSU individual scoring record with 30 points in a single game vs. Illinois and for the season scored 156 points, also a Buckeye record. Additionally, he holds the record for the most touchdowns scored in a game with five vs. North Carolina in 1975. Johnson is second all-time in the Ohio State records book in career points with 348 on 58 touchdowns. The 1975 (156) and 1976 (114) OSU points leader, Johnson rushed for 2,308 yards in his career. In his final season, he captured Academic All-Big Ten and Academic All-America laurels to complement his football accomplishments.
Ohio State Women
Kristy Dascoli Tennis (1997-2001)
A four-time member of the All-Big Ten team and the first Buckeye to be named an All-American in singles competition, Kristy Dascoli rewrote the Ohio State record books during her time as a Buckeye. She was named the team’s most valuable player four times and was the conference’s first back-to-back recipient of the Big Ten Player of the Year award. Dascoli won 31 singles matches as a senior in 2001 to set the OSU single-season record. She was the first Buckeye to qualify for the NCAA singles championship and appeared in both the singles and doubles tournaments all four years. As a senior, Dascoli reached the national quarterfinals in both singles and doubles, earning All-America accolades. Dascoli, who played at No. 1 singles and doubles throughout her career, still holds the Ohio State career record for most singles wins with 104. She was named the Tennis Player of the Century at Ohio State.
Yelena Kalkina Fencing (1997-99)
Yelena Kalkina made Ohio State fencing history in 1997, becoming the first woman to win a national championship for the Buckeyes in the foil competition. During her run to the title, Kalkina compiled a 69-0 record and was named a first-team All-American. She was later awarded the Outstanding Athlete of the Year honor by the Touchdown Club of Columbus for her efforts. Kalkina went on to finish first in the women’s foil in the Midwest championship in 1998 and 99 and finished third in foil at the NCAA championships in ’99. Named NCAA Best Fencer of the Year in 1998, Kalkina finished her career at Ohio State as a three-time All-American (two first-team and one second-team honor). She also earned Ohio State Scholar-Athlete accolades.
Conny Kirsch Rowing (1998-2002)
Conny Kirsch helped the rowing team make OSU history by lifting the program to its first Big Ten championship in 2002. Kirsch was a part of the varsity eight boat that won the grand final and because of her efforts, she was named the Big Ten Co-Rower of the Year, the first in program history. That same varsity eight crew went on to win the Central Regional championship grand final. The Buckeyes followed their conference title with a then-program best fourth-place finish at the NCAA championships. Kirsch’s individual accolades include earning first-team All-America honors in 2002 to complement her second-team laurels in 2000 and 2001. She also was a three-time first-team All-Big Ten and All-Central Region selection (2000, 2001 and 2002). Kirsch was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2001 and 2002, as well as a three-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete. She is the first rower to be inducted into the OSU Athletics Hall of Fame.
Susan Mallery Track and Field and Cross Country (1973-76)
As a competitor, Susan Mallery competed on the track and field and cross country teams before the introduction of the NCAA championships, but participated in its predecessor, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national meets. She garnered three Top 10 finishes at the AIAW nationals, including eighth-place finishes in the 2-mile (10:40) and the first-ever AIAW cross country meet (17:46) in 1975. During her junior season, she finished fourth in the 2-mile in the Madison Square Garden Invitational in New York City, competing amongst an elite field of runners. At the inaugural Women’s Big Ten Track an Field Championships in 1976, Mallery finished second in the 3-mile. She was selected the co-captain (track) and captain (cross country) during her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. Mallery won the women’s division of the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C., in 1976 and ’77 with times of 2 hours, 54 minutes that ranked her among the Top 20 women in the world.
Anna Smith Softball (1999-2002)
Anna Smith became the first Buckeye softball player to be named to the NFCA first-team All-America squad. She also was a four-time member of the All-Big Ten team and in 2002 was named the Ohio State Female Athlete of the Year. During her career, she set eight Ohio State records, including career hits (243), career runs scored (166), career stolen bases (108), single season batting average (.507), single season hits (105), single season runs scored (68), single season stolen bases (40) and single season triples (8). Smith, who was a member of the U.S. Softball National Team, is 12th all-time in the NCAA record books for hits in a season (105).
