IU inducts 2nd most Hall of Famers

Current radio broadcaster for IU football and basketball Don Fischer called Friday evening's Hall of Fame banquet "the best night Indiana University puts on athletically." \nThe IU Varsity Club sponsored the IU Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame banquet Friday night as seven former standout athletes and coaches were recognized for their achievements in athletics. The seven 2005 inductees make it the second largest class of inductees since the Hall of Fame's establishment in 1982. Softball coach Gayle Blevins, football standout Gene "Pat" Gedman, tennis player Deborah Edelman Kane, former men's tennis coach Dale Lewis, former men's golfer Shaun Micheel, men's swimmer Fred Schmidt and former soccer player and football kicker Pete Stoyanovich will now have their pictures hanging on a wall next to other former IU legends such as Branch McCracken, Mark Spitz and Isaiah Thomas. \n"It's certainly something that I never dreamed about," said Micheel, winner of the 2003 PGA Championship. "The list is long and there are people that should be in the Hall of Fame that aren't. When I came to school here and when I left school, that wasn't one of my dreams at all. I just have this smile on my face, and I've had it the whole way up here."\nFor Blevins, the Hall of Fame induction not only recognized her accomplishments, but what her players did as well. \n"It validates all the women that had a chance to play during that time period to really know their contributions were recognized and appreciated by the university," she said. "It makes me feel very appreciative of the fact that their achievements were recognized."\nEach inductee spoke of trials and tribulations at IU, evoking tears and laughter from the audience with their memories from past days at IU. \nFighting back tears, Amy Doherty spoke for her father, Gene "Pat" Gedman: "IU gave my father the chance to not only play a sport he loved, but to get an education and gain experiences to thrive in the real world."\nFormer tennis great Deborah Kane provoked laughter from the audience when she called her husband "the best friend I've ever had, but the worst tennis player I've ever met." \nStoyanovich enjoyed a great career as a two-sport athlete at IU, but he endured some rough times along the way as he contemplated leaving IU after losing his mother after his freshman season. \n"The decision to stay wasn't easy," Stoyanovich said. "If it wasn't for the people I was surrounding myself with, I don't think my career beyond the collegiate level would have ever happened. I had a lot of strong people around me giving me a lot of support and great advice through some very difficult times. It's meant the world to me. It's very heartfelt, and I owe it to a lot of people."\nThrough all the laughter and tears, one theme ran rampant as each inductee spoke: pride and gratitude for their alma mater and former coaching ground. \n"IU will always have a special place in my heart," Blevins said. "This is where I had a chance to grow as a young professional. What a great University to be at and to coach for." \nStoyanovich ended the evening with a simple statement each inductee seemed to echo through their speeches: "I'm proud to be a Hoosier, and I'll always be a Hoosier"