Hall of Fame inductees

Michelle Reed
Inducted: 1994
Athlete 1985-88

At the time of her induction, Reed held every women’s golf record (eleven) in existence at Concordia. She was team MVP all four years, and won two NIAC individual championships and three NAIA District individual championships. During her career, the women's golf team compiled a dual meet record of 13-4, and won the NIAC and the NAIA District tournaments twice each. As a senior in 1988, she competed in the number three position on the men's golf team.

Penny Jacobsen Schneider
Inducted: 1994
Athlete 1982-86

Jacobsen is regarded as one of the finest softball players in Concordia's history, and also enjoyed a stellar basketball career. In softball, she set four school records, was NIAC All-Conference for one year, NAIA All-District for four years, NAIA Scholar-Athlete for one year and NAIA All-American for two years. In basketball she set seven school records and was the team MVP and captain for three years.

Kregg Einspahr
Inducted: 1994
Athlete 1978-82

At the time of his induction, Eispahr was the most accomplished male athlete in Concordia's history. in track and cross country, he won six NAIA National Championships, set three NAIA national records, was the Lincoln Journal-Star and Omaha World Herald Nebraska State College Athlete of the year, won the NAIA Duer Award as the Outstanding National Scholar-Athlete and was inducted into the NAIA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1992.

Judith Kretzschmar
Inducted: 1994
Athlete 1963-68

During the time she served at Concordia, Kretzschmar was responsible for expanding the woman's sports program from the intramural level to the extramural level, and finally to the intercollegiate level. Field hockey, volleyball, swimming, track, softball, and tennis were added as women's intercollegiate sports during this era, and she coached most of the women's sports offered during these 5 years.

Dan Cloeter
Inducted: 1994
Athlete: 1970-74

Cloeter was Concordia's first great distance runner, setting records in the 1-mile, 2-mile, and 6-mile track events. He was the team MVP four years in cross country and two years in track, and a five time NAIA All-American in cross country and track.

Tom Raabe
Inducted: 1994
Athlete: 1967-71

During his career, Raabe set nine Concordia records in basketball, including total career points (2,016) and career average points per game (20.0). He started every varsity game during his four years (101 consecutive games) and was all-conference for three years, All-District for one year, a member of the Lincoln Journal-Star and Omaha World Herald All-State college Teams and an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American.

Gary Seevers
Inducted: 1994
Athlete: 1953-57

In football, Seevers set four school records, including total career yardage and total career yardage per game - records that stood for nearly thirty years. In four years of varsity football, he started every game but one (due to an injury) and was All-Conference for four years, Lincoln Journal-Star College Athlete of the ear (1957) and Little All-American Honorable mention for two years. He also lettered four years in baseball and three years in track.

Herbert "Bulldog" Meyer
Inducted: 1994
Athlete: 1929-32, Coach, Athletic Director 1940-54

Meyer was an outstanding football player and the quarterback for the 1931 undefeated football team. From 1940-1954, he was the athletic director and coached all sports during most of these years. His career record in football was 62-34-7 and his 1941-42 basketball team had a record of 12-4. He was instrumental in organizing the Central Church College Conference (CCCC) in 1951, and won the conference tittle three of the next four years in both football and track. He spearheaded construction of the present football-track stadium.

Eugene Oetting
Inducted: 1994
Athlete: 1950-54

A multi-sport athlete, Oetting powered the Bulldogs to conference titles 3 of the 4 years of his college career as a lineman for the football team. In football he was All-Conference for 3 years, a member of the Omaha World Herald All-State College Team and Little All-American Honorable Mention. In track, he was the conference medal winner for four years in three different events and a member of three conference championship teams. He also lettered 2 years in basketball and baseball. In 1954, he was the Omaha World Herald College Athlete of the Year.

Walter Hellwege
Inducted: 1994
Coach and Athletic Director 1919-40

Hellwege is considered the most significant figure in the early years of men's intercollegiate athletics at Concordia. He served as A.D. and coached virtually all men's sports - football, basketball, baseball, and track - during all or most of the time between 1919 and 1940. He coached many outstanding teams, including the 1931 undefeated championship football team and the 1931 championship basketball team.

Bernard Arkebauer
Inducted: 1994
Athlete: 1931-34

"Arkie" played a lead role in Concordia's undefeated championship football season of 1931, scoring 19 touchdowns and 118 of the teams 206 points. He also started at the center position of the 1931 championship basketball team.

Herbert Toensing
Inducted: 1994
Athlete: 1930-33

Toensing dominated Concordia's basketball opponents for three years with his deadly long shots. He was the leading scorer and captain of the 1931 conference championship team and the leading scorer in the conference. He also played tennis and was a member of the 1930 championship tennis team.

1931 Football Team
Inducted: 1994

The 1931 football team was one of the finest ever to play at Concordia. The team was conference champion and undefeated (7-0), outscoring its opponents 206-19.

Robert Oetting
Inducted: 1995
Athlete: 1960-64

In his our years with the Bulldogs, Oetting earned Little All-American, All-Conference, All-District, team MVP and Concordia senior athlete of the year honors. He helped lead the Bulldogs to a conference championship in 1962. After graduating Oetting signed with the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League. He later played for Toronto and Vancouver of the Canadian Football League.

Sharon Holthus Zimmerman
Inducted: 1995
Athlete: 1977-81

Zimmerman became the first female athlete in Concordia's history to earn a spot on an NAIA All-America team when she placed fourth in the two-mile run at the 1981 indoor track and field national championships. Zimmerman also excelled at the 3,000 meters in outdoor track, and was one of the first women to participate in cross country at Concordia. She was named senior female athlete of the year in 1981, when she graduated.

John Suhr
Inducted: 1995
Athlete: 1956-60

A versatile athlete best known for his performance at quarterback for the Bulldog football team, Suhr established school records for completion percentage and punting average, set another school record in the high jump for the track team and also participated in tennis and basketball. He was named Nebraska college athlete of the year by the Omaha World Herald and the Lincoln Journal-Star and Concordia senior athlete of the year for 1959-60. He was also named to the Lutheran College All-America team for football.

Gary Pomerenke
Inducted: 1995
Athlete: 1979-83

Pomerenke was an NAIA Division II All-American selection at Nose Guard and an All-American Scholar-Athlete for the Bulldogs. He also earned spots on the NIAC All-Conference team and was named NIAC defensive player of the year by the Lincoln Journal-Star and the Omaha World Herald. Pomerenke was a cornerstone of the 1981 Bulldog team which compiled a 9-1 record and achieved a no. 10 ranking in NAIA Division II.

David "Gene" Brooks
Inducted: 1996
Athlete: 1986-91

Gene Brooks was the best pole vaulter in the NIAC, the District XI Region, and the NAIA during his collegiate career at Concordia. In 1990 he won his fourth consecutive Indoor Track National Championship in the pole vault, a feat no one has duplicated in any event. His individual indoor national championships in 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1990, along with his Outdoor Track National Championship in 1989, brought the total to five individual NAIA National Championships for his career. He earned All-American status eight times as a Bulldog and set the school record in the pole vault at 18'5" in 1989. He was awarded the Male College Athlete of the Year in 1989 by the Lincoln Journal-Star and again in 1990 by the Omaha World Herald. He was honored as the Male Athlete of the Year in 1991 by Concordia.

Carol Bailey-Moravec
Inducted: 1996
Athlete: 1986-90

Unquestionably the best female athlete in Concordia's history, carol Bailey-Moravec, during her four years at Concordia, earned All-American honors 22 times, set school records in 13 different events, won eight individual NAIA National Championships and set two NAIA National Outdoor Meet records in both the 100-meter spring (11.52 seconds) and the 200 meter sprint (23.52 seconds). In 1987 she was chosen as the Outstanding Female Performer at the French National Championships Meet. She was also chosen as the Outstanding Female Performer at the NAIA National Outdoor Meet in 1989. In 1990 she was chosen as the State College Female Athlete of the Year by the Lincoln Journal-Star.

Erich von Fange
Inducted: 1996
Athlete: 1940-44

Fullback on offense and linebacker on defense, Erich von Fange was part of the Concordia football team which was undefeated in 1943 and 1944, winning consecutive Nebraska Victory College League championships. In 1944 von Fange scored 69 of Concordia's 287 points and was credited with touchdown runs of 60 and 88 yerds, the latter becoing a long standing school record. As center on the basketball team, he helped lead theat team to a 12-4 record in 1941-42.

Willard Rathe
Inducted: 1996
Athlete: 1934-37

Willard Rathe was a versatile athlete, lettering in football and basketball all three years and baseball one year. Best known for his performance in football, Rathe scored numerous touchdowns for Concordia as quarterback. Noted for he "unerring foot," he kicked seven consecutive extra points against Nebraska Central College in 1935. In basketball he finished as a top scorer on a number of occasions throughout his career, was captain of the team that participated in the first All-Concordia Basketball Tournament in 1937 and was selected for the first All-Tournament Team. In 1982 Concordia College honored him with the "Master Teacher Award."

1944-45 Football Team
Inducted: 1997

The 1944-45 and 1945-46 seasons were excellent ones for Concordia College football. The 14 straight victories during those seasons will long be remembered as among the greatest accomplishments in Concordia's history. Concordia played six-man football during those years, as did other colleges who were short-handed because of the war. The Bulldogs averaged 38 points per game to their opponent's six-point average, or a total of 546 points to the opponents 77 points, capturing the conference championship both years. The 1944-45 team, Concordia's first six-man squad, played and won eight games under the coaching of Herb Meyer.

1945-46 Football Team
Inducted: 1997

The 1945-46 season saw Herb Meyer at the helm again, and Concordia's sex-man team completed a perfect 6-0 record. Again the Bulldogs played a swift, hard-driven brand of football, taking to the air on offense with remarkable results. The final game of the season saw Concordia defeat old-time rival Dana College 60-12 for the 14th straight victory.

John J. Seevers
Inducted: 2000
Athlete: 1948-52, Coach: 1963-93

John Seevers earned letters in four sports – football, baseball, basketball and track - at Concordia. The 1952 graduate was the captain of the football team his senior year and was named to the All-Central Collegiate Church Conference team. While an educator at Concordia Seevers taught physical education and coached a total of ten different sports. The Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star both named him the “State College Coach of the Year” in 1971 for his accomplishments as the head football coach of the 1970 team that compiled a record of 8-1.

At Concordia, Traub wrestled for three years and was named Most Valuable Player all three seasons. He won conference championships in 1974 and 1976. In 1976, he qualified for nationals and placed in the top 16. He set school records for the most two-point near falls in a season and in a career, and most three-point near falls in both a season and career. Since graduating from Concordia Traub has coached wrestling, football and soccer and various schools. In addition he coached the power lifting team at St. Xavier High School in Louisville, Ky. Under his direction they have captured three Teenage National titles.

In the first game of the 1970 season the Bulldogs ended the 36-game winning streak of Doane College, the longest in the nation at that time, with a 35-0 victory. The surprise result resounded across the country, and the Bulldogs, led by first-year head coach John Seevers, finished the season with an 8-1 record and a No. 12 national ranking among small colleges. In addition the squad was the Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference champions with a record of 5-0. The defensive line became known for the big, game-turning play; interceptions and fumbles from crunching tackles kept the momentum with Concordia.

The Bulldog men’s basketball team of 1990-91 finished 23-11 with a perfect season on their home court and the best record in the history of Concordia up to that date. They were the first Concordia team to compete in the NAIA national tournament, losing 80-77 to Oklahoma City University, the eventual national champion. The 1990-91 season was the last year all NAIA basketball teams competed in one division.

A glance at the Concordia women’s basketball record books reveals a heavy emphasis on the name of Lynda Beck. The records: 22 rebounds in one game (’91-’92); 421 rebounds in a season (’91-’92); 1,250 career rebounds; 715 career two-point goals. She amassed 1,720 points from 1988-92, a record at that time. She was the first player in Concordia’s history to earn NAIA first-team All-America honors and she added NAIA District 11 player of the year honors her senior year. The 1991-92 team was the first from Concordia to qualify for the NAIA national tourney.

Some people consider Dave Faszholz to be one of the best athletes ever to compete for Concordia. The three-sport athlete spent two years in the New York Yankee baseball farm system before his 1954-56 participation at Concordia. In 1956, Faszholz set the school single-season win record for pitching seven of the Bulldogs’ 11 baseball victories and batted .467. A pass receiver and punter in football, his average of 39.3 yards per punt was a season record. The 1955-56 All-Central Collegiate Church Conference basketball pick averaged 14.2 rebounds per game and scored 319 points in 21 games.

Ron Harms amassed some 220 victories as a football head coach and has sent more than 50 players to the National Football League. He coached for 22 years at Texas A & M University Kingsville until his retirement in 1999. During this period, the Javelinas had one of the most successful programs, not only in NCAA Division II, but in the entire collegiate ranks. While at Concordia the Bulldogs were 25-27-3 in his tenure as head football coach from 1962-69. Harms was a member of the Concordia faculty from 1962, when he also was athletic director and chair of the Physical Education Department.

The 1960 Concordia football team finished its campaign with a record of 7-1-1, earning the championship in the first year of the Tri-State Conference. The first game in the history of the conference ended in a scoreless tie between Concordia and Westmar. The Bulldogs, under Head Coach Ralph Starenko, set a school record of 452 yards of offense in a 32-6 win over Northwestern. The only loss of the season came to the Missouri Valley Vikings.

Martin Stork spent 42 years as “Voice of the Bulldogs,” the public address announcer at Concordia athletic events. His last year was 2000. “It’s an enjoyable service,” Stork said of his volunteer work at the microphone. “I thank the good Lord that He has given me enough years to do it,” said Stork, 80. That appreciation was shown in the closing remark at each game that became his trademark: “See you in church tomorrow.” Stork started at Concordia High School in 1934, finishing as a basketball co-captain at the college. He retired in 1986 as supervisor of student teaching at Concordia after joining the faculty in 1959.

Deborah (Fitzpatrick) Armbruster participated and lettered in four sports at Concordia – basketball, field hockey, track and softball. She qualified for districts in the javelin in track and was the basketball team’s MVP in 1975-76. The Long Island Lutheran High School graduate attended Concordia from 1974-78 earning a bachelor of science degree in education with a major in physical education and a minor in English. Since her time at Concordia Armbruster has coached sports on levels from grade school cross country to high school varsity basketball, softball, volleyball and cheerleading.

As a young Indiana native, Jim Wacker arrived in Seward in the fall of 1964 for his first college coaching job. He was the assistant football coach and defensive coordinator at Concordia for five years. During that time he also was the head wrestling and tennis coach. Wacker’s resume since that time is peppered with success. His Texas Lutheran teams won the NAIA national championships in 1974 and 1975 and his Southwest Texas State teams won NCAA Division II national championships in 1981 and 1982. Twice during his coaching career he was recognized as the National Coach of the Year. Other coaching jobs included Concordia High School (Portland), Augustana ( S.D.), North Dakota State, Texas Christian and Minnesota. In addition he served as a commentator for college games on CBS radio.

Karen Wittrock, who was in the first class of physical education majors at Concordia, remembers playing basketball at Concordia Teachers College in 1965-67. She was named athlete of the year and also participated in softball, field hockey and track. After her time at Concordia Wittrock went on to become the “winningest” basketball coach in Ohio women’s basketball history. She also initiated the girls sports programs at Lutheran West High School in Rocky River, Ohio. In 35 years, her basketball teams have accumulated a record of 572-154. She coached all sports for many years, including track, cross country, volleyball, softball and boys’ golf. Wittrock was certified to officiate basketball and volleyball and continued to referee in both sports until giving up basketball after 25 years.

Chris Bodley earned All-American honors in both indoor and outdoor track and field during his career at Concordia. The triple jumper was a two-time conference indoor champion as well as district indoor champion. He still holds the school’s triple jump records, 48’9½” for indoor competition and 48’7¼” for the outdoor season. After Concordia, Bodley has served as full-time pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Orlando, Fla., and has served as a chaplain for the U.S. Marine Reserves including doing volunteer service in Iraq.

Vance Hinrichs was a busy Bulldog between 1949 and 1953, playing tackle on both offense and defense and handling the kicking duties. From records available, Hinrichs kicked 16 extra points and averaged 60 yards on kickoffs in the 1952 football season, a year when Concordia won its second consecutive CCCC title. He also was noted as a sprinter in track, holding the school record of 22.4 in the 220-yard dash. Concordia always played a special part in the life of Hinrichs: he has been a student, a professor and an administrator, now serving on the school’s Board of Regents.

Andrea Janssen Smejkal started in all 130 games of her four-year Concordia playing career, averaging 5.17 assists per game and scoring 247 three-point goals as a point guard. Her career point total was 1,559 and she held eight school records. The Bulldogs were 88-43 during that period with the best showing of 25-7 in 1988-89 and qualified for NAIA postseason play twice. Smejkal went on to teach and coach at Columbus (Neb.) High School and Wausa (Neb.) High School.

Members of the 1964-65 and 1965-66 championship golf teams at Concordia include Lou Jander, Dan Juergensen, Ken Mangels and Mike Held. Jander, who lives in Houston, Texas, serves as a mission and ministry facilitator on the Texas District staff of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Juergensen, a native of Seward, recently completed a 35-year coaching career at Thompson Valley High School in Loveland, Colo., where he earned nomination to the Colorado’s coaching hall of fame with a record that included five state wrestling championships. Mangels, who lives in Orange, Calif., is dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Concordia Irvine, where he has served since 1984. Held, who is retired, spent 32 years in teaching and music ministry, the last 16 at Trinity Lutheran in Houston, Texas.

1951 Football Team
Inducted: 2005
Team: 1951

The 1951 Concordia football team went into the season with modest expectations: “The overall squad is lighter, and with a tough eight-game schedule, the Bulldogs will be fighting hard all the way to keep Concordia on the winning side” (preseason publication). The Bulldogs did stay on the winning side, compiling a record of 8-1, the best in Nebraska and good enough for the championship of the Central Church Conference. Their only loss came to McPherson, Kan. The ’51 squad averaged a robust 35.9 points per game.and held their opponents to only 9.3 points per game, shutting out half of their foes.

Despite only competing at Concordia for two years, Sidney Mines was able to leave his mark on Bulldog basketball. A transfer student from Alabama Lutheran Junior College, he became one of Concordia’s top scorers and rebounders and was recognized as an NAIA All-District selection along with being named team MVP. Perhaps more impressive is what Mines has done since leaving Concordia. He went on to play and coach professionally in Australia until 2002, playing for a number of different teams. He set an Australian club record with 76 points and 37 rebounds in one game. In addition, in 1997 at the age of 41, Mines recorded a triple double, making him the oldest CBA player to accomplish that feat.

Omar Dittmer compiled an impressive 19 letters while at high school and college at Concordia. During his high school days he lettered three times in basketball, football and track and field. At the college level he continued his success, earning four letters in track and field and three each in football and basketball. Dittmer has fond memories of the wide-open six-man football games in high school and playing in the Apple Bowl, which was held in Nebraska City and was the highlight of high school football. He also played in the first all-Concordia basketball tournament (CIT).

Phyllis Luedders Mol
Inducted: 2005
Athlete: 1975-79

Phyllis Luedders Mol made an impact in all three of the sports she played (volleyball, softball and track & field) at Concordia. Luedders Mol holds the school record in the javelin to this day. at 145’9”. A pitcher for the Bulldog softball team, she was named the team’s MVP during each season she played and in 1978 she had an impressive .428 batting average. After Concordia, in 1982 during her tenure at Detroit West Lutheran High School, she led the track team to a Class C championship and a pair of runner-up finishes in 1980 and 1981. Luedders Mol was named Michigan Track coach of the year in 1983.

Tricia Kindle Pinneo
Inducted: 2005
Athlete: 1990-94

Tricia Kindle Pinneo was a member of the Bulldog basketball team from 1990-94 at Concordia. Pinneo averaged 11.5 points and 4.6 assists during her career. A model of consistency, Pinneo scored 443 points in both her junior and senior seasons. She also earned all-conference, all-district and NAIA All-America Honors. The guard shot over 40 percent from the field and led the team in assists each year of her illustrious career. The four-year letterwinner led the Bulldogs to more than 60 wins over her career. In the past she taught for David City Public Schools, Columbus Middle School and Centennial Public Schools.