IU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass announced Monday morning the induction of six former Hoosiers to the IU Athletics Class of 2019 Hall of Fame.
Eric Anderson, Kay Burrus, Chris Gartner, Jeff Overton, Rose Richmond and Donnie Thomas will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a dinner Sept. 20 and will be recognized at halftime of the IU football game against University of Connecticut on Sept. 21.
The IU Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 1982, making this the 38th class. The total inductees is now at 237.
"Each of these Hoosier legends made an indelible mark on Indiana University athletics and their respective programs, and we are thrilled to welcome them into the IU Athletics Hall of Fame," Glass said in a press release.
Eric Anderson (men's basketball, 1989-92)
Anderson is one of the most prolific players in IU basketball history.
He ranks 11th in scoring in program history with 1,715 points, eighth in rebounding with 825 and eighth in blocked shots with 136. He is one of only four players in program history to score more than 1,700 points and pull down at least 800 rebounds.
IU went 101-31 during his four seasons. After graduating, Anderson spent two years in the NBA with the New York Knicks from 1992-94.
Anderson died in December of 2018 at the age of 48.
Kay Burrus (field hockey coach, 1962-74 and 1975-76; women's basketball coach, 1963-67)
Burrus was one of the pioneers for women's athletics on the IU-Bloomington campus.
After coming to IU in 1962, she joined the Women's Physical Education program. Burrus then started the women's field hockey team and served as its coach from 1962-74 and then again from 1975-76.
In addition to those responsibilities, she also served as the basketball coach for the women's extramural team from 1963-67, which was the first IU-associated women's basketball team to travel and compete against teams from other universities.
Burrus died in June of 2018 at the age of 80.
Chris Gartner (football, 1970-72)
Gartner, who is from Gothenburg, Sweden, was an All-Big Ten, All-American and record-setting kicker for IU during his player career.
He earned first-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior in 1972 when he established new program records for single-season field goals with 14, field goals in a game with a four and longest field goal at 52 yards.
In a 35-34 win against the University of Kentucky his senior season, he kicked both a 51 and 52-yard field goal, making him the only kicker in IU history with two 50-plus yard field goals in a single game.
Gartner had a brief career in the NFL, playing 11 games for the Cleveland Browns in 1974.
Jeff Overton (men's golf, 2002-05)
Overton won nine tournaments in his college career with IU and was a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year winner in 2004 and 2005.
To this day, he remains at the top of the program's all-time list for both single-season scoring at 69.97 in 2005 and career scoring at 71.72.
Overton joined the PGA Tour in 2006 where he had success. He was a member of the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup team, had four runner-up finishes on the tour and climbed as high as No. 47 in the world golf rankings in 2010.
Rose Richmond (track and field, 2000-03)
Competing mainly in the horizontal jumps and sprint relays, Richmond won seven Big Ten titles and earned five All-American awards in her IU career.
She was the NCAA Indoor runner-up in the long jump in 2003 and remains the school record holder in both the indoor and outdoor long jump events as well as in the 4x100-meter relay.
In 2004, Richmond earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. In 2005-07, she had numerous top-three finishes in the long jump at the U.S. National Championships, which got her a spot on the U.S. World Championship team.
Donnie Thomas (football, 1973-75)
Thomas was named first-team All-Big Ten and third-team All-America in 1975 after leading the Hoosiers in tackles with 137. He also led the team in tackles in 1973 with 98 and was named the team's Most Valuable Player in both 1974 and 1975.
At the linebacker position, Thomas racked up a career total of 369 tackles, which still ranks third in program history.
Thomas was drafted in the 11th round of the NFL Draft to the New England Patriots, where he only played three games before deciding to return to his hometown of Michigan City, Indiana, to teach and coach.
Thomas died in 2017 at the age of 64.
