|
Along with the 2005 Hall of Fame Class, long-time statistician Dan
Winberry will also be honored as the recipient of the Campbell
“Stretch” Miller Award. This group will officially be inducted
during the Hall of Fame banquet, which begins at 6 p.m. Friday,
following an hour-long reception. The four honorees will also be
recognized during halftime of the Illinois State-Murray State
football game the following day.
Tickets for the Hall of Fame ceremony are $25 per person and can be
purchased through The Redbird Club office. To order tickets for the
event or for more information, please call Annie Campbell at
309/438-3803.
“The Hall of Fame Banquet is another opportunity to showcase
Illinois State’s rich tradition and history,” said Illinois State
Director of Athletics Dr. Sheahon Zenger. “That strong history is
obviously apparent in this year’s class. The list of the accolades
and accomplishments that Linda, Kevin and Jodi compiled during their
respective Redbird careers is simply mind-boggling. I’m looking
forward to assisting in rolling out the red carpet as we honor these
three inductees, as well as publicly recognize the dedication and
service of Danny Winberry. It truly should be a memorable weekend.”
Kevin Bracken (Burbank, Ill./St. Laurence HS) lettered four years at
Illinois State and is the winningest wrestler in school history.
Bracken finished his collegiate career with a 123-31 overall record,
all at 142-pounds, including 36 victories as a sophomore. In 1993,
he was named the Illinois State Male Student-Athlete of the Year. He
qualified for the 1993, 1994 and 1995 NCAA Championships after being
named the NCAA West Regional Champion all three seasons. In 1994 and
1995, Bracken was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAA
West Regionals. Illinois State discontinued wrestling in 1996.
“I would like to thank Illinois State University for extending their
hand to one of their lost sons,” Bracken said. “This induction may
solidify the special accomplishments we achieved within our college
years representing ISU. I love the sport of wrestling and it would
be my pleasure to accept this honor on behalf of all wrestlers.
Honor is earned not given; I only hope that I have earned my place.”
After his collegiate career, Bracken was a nine-year member of the
United States national Greco-Roman wrestling team at 145.5-pounds.
He claimed five U.S. National Championships by winning the title in
1997, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003, while claiming the World Team
Trials Championship three times from 2001-03. In 2003, Bracken won
the Pan American Championships, the Granma Cup Championship in Cuba,
the Concord Cup Championship and his second Dave Schultz
International Championship. Bracken closed out his Olympic career by
placing sixth at the 2000 International Olympics in Sydney,
Australia. He was an alternate for the 1992, 1996 and 2004 USA
Olympic Teams.
In all, Bracken ended with 29 top five finishes in international
competition and 27 top five finishes in U.S. competition. He never
finished lower than fourth at the U.S. Nationals (senior level) from
1991-2004. In 2001, he was named the Greco-Roman Championship Belt
Series winner. He was also recognized as the Outstanding Wrestler at
both the Sunkist Kids International Open and the Colorado Open in
1998.
Prior to attending Illinois State, Bracken led St. Laurence High
School to the 1990 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State
Championship and placed third individually in the IHSA Greco-Roman
State Championship. He was also an honorable mention all-state
football player, and a conference champion pole vaulter.
Bracken currently resides in Colorado Springs, Colo., with his wife,
Stephanie, and their one-year-old son, Conner. He is a
pharmaceutical sales representative for Forest Pharmaceutical’s and
in his free time he enjoys fly fishing, golf, extreme camping and
spending time with his family.
Jodi Burch-Jansevanrensburg (Freeport, Texas/Freeport HS) was
Illinois State’s first softball all-American. The right-handed
hurler lettered four years with the ‘Birds, while collecting 62
career victories, which ranks No. 2 in school history. In 1993,
Burch-Jansevanrensburg ended her sophomore season by earning a spot
on the Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament Team.
She carried her success to her junior season en route to being named
to the All-Valley First Team, First Team All-Region and Illinois
State Female Athlete of the Year. In 1995, Burch-Jansevanrensburg
duplicated her All-Valley First Team, First Team All-Region and
Illinois State Female Athlete of the Year honors, but highlighted
her career by claiming Valley Most Valuable Player honors and
earning National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Third Team
All-America accolades.
Burch-Jansevanrensburg was nearly untouchable her senior campaign by
posting a 25-7 record, with her 25 wins ranking No. 2 in Redbird
history. She led the conference with 155 strikeouts on the season
and dominated league play with a 0.45 earned run average and 11
conference wins.
In addition to her individual accomplishments in 1995, Burch was
instrumental in the Redbirds winning a school-record 46 games. ISU
went on to win the Missouri Valley Conference championship and
advanced to the NCAA Tournament, ranking No. 23 in the final
national poll. The ‘Birds finished with a 46-14 record, highlighted
by a 22-game winning streak, and posted a 19-1 conference mark.
[to top of second column in this article]
 |
“I can't tell you what an honor being inducted into the Hall of Fame
is,” Burch-Jansevanrensburg said. “I never saw myself as being that
good of an athlete, when I was in college, to be receiving the
honors I received. But, I think it was because I knew that if I
hadn't had my teammates behind me, working as hard as they did, I
would have only been an average pitcher. My teammates really got me
out of some tough jams on the field. They just made me look better
than I was.”
In addition to her teammates, head coach Melinda Fischer also played
a major role in Burch’s success.
“Coach Fischer was the rock for the team,” Burch added. “She pushed
us hard and kept us in line and focused on our goals as a team and
as individuals -- whether it was on the field or in the classroom. I
definitely wouldn't have done as well as I did without her staying
on my rear-end when I got lazy.”
Currently, Burch-Jansevanrensburg resides in Houston, Texas, with
her husband, John-Henry, and their one-year-old son, John Christian.
She is a self-employed softball pitching coach for young girls in
the Houston area.
Dr. Linda Herman (Valparaiso, Ind.) recently completed her fourth
stint as Illinois State’s interim director of athletics. Including
2004-05, when she was brought out of retirement by University
President Dr. Al Bowman to serve as the interim director of
athletics, Herman dedicated 30 years of service to the Illinois
State Athletics Department. During her time as an administrator, the
Redbirds won 117 Missouri Valley Conference team titles and 16
conference all-sports championships.
“The Illinois State Athletics Hall of Fame and the list of
recipients of the Stretch Miller Award are comprised of wonderful
people who have greatly contributed and shaped our rich athletic
heritage at Illinois State,” Herman said. “Now, to become one among
the members of the hall, to be a part of this year’s class, and to
those future inductees, it is truly an honor I will always treasure.
I am proud to be a Redbird.”
Herman’s leadership skills earned her the 1996 ATALANTA Award from
Athletics Management magazine for her dedicated service and
leadership in college athletics. She also was the recipient of the
Bloomington/Normal YWCA Women of Distinction Award for outstanding
leadership and excellence in education in 1997.
A national pioneer for women’s athletics, Herman began her tenure at
Illinois State as the head volleyball coach. She finished her
seven-year coaching career with a 267-112 record, including a pair
of national finishes in the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
for Women (AIAW) Tournament highlighted by an eighth-place finish in
1977. Herman also made a national impact on volleyball while serving
seven years on the NCAA Volleyball Committee and two on the NCAA
Nominating Committee.
In December of 2003, Herman received the ultimate recognition for
her contribution to the volleyball community when she was inducted
in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s (AVCA) inaugural
Hall of Fame induction class.
Now enjoying her second retirement from Illinois State Athletics,
Herman spends her time traveling, visiting family and supporting
Redbird Athletics.
The 2005 Campbell “Stretch” Miller Award winner is Dan Winberry. The
award is named for Miller, a Redbird student-athlete who went on to
broadcast Illinois State games in the 1940s before joining the St.
Louis Cardinals broadcasting team. The award named in his honor
celebrates the contributions of those whose main services were not
playing or coaching, but important to the program’s success.
“I am extremely honored and humbled by this honor,” Winberry said.
“I remember when the award was established and I thought it was a
special way for Illinois State to recognize people whose
contributions didn’t come exclusively on the athletic field. But, I
never thought that I would do anything that would merit my own
consideration for this honor.
“To be placed in the same category as people like Don Munson, Art
Sievers, Steve Adams and Dave Colee, to name just a few people who
come to mind that I greatly admire, is very humbling. I consider
this award as much of a recognition of my loyalty to ISU, than to
anything I may have contributed to the athletics program.
Winberry has been a staple for 26 years as the chief statistician in
the Hancock Stadium press box or along press row in Redbird Arena
and Horton Field House. As an Illinois State student, Winberry’s
passion for Redbird Athletics developed at his first football game
as a freshman in 1969, but his statistics hobby originated when he
began recording points and fouls in the game program for men’s
basketball. His talents took the big stage when the Piggott, Ark.,
native was introduced to then-sports information director Roger
Cushman, who was short-staffed on a men’s basketball game night in
1979. Winberry recorded steals and turnovers that evening and when
the game was finished, Cushman asked him to become a regular on the
stats crew.
In 1980, Cushman’s successor, Tom Lamonica, asked Winberry to join
the football stat crew and he added women’s basketball in 1983.
Since his introduction to the world of Redbird statistics, Winberry
has only missed a combined six home games between the three sports.
The 1973 Illinois State graduate has worked for the U.S. Postal
Service in Bloomington, Ill., since 1971. He started as a part-time
postal assistant while attending school, and, upon graduation was
hired as a distribution clerk. In 1980, he was promoted to training
technician, a position he currently holds, as he coordinates and
conducts various training for the Postal Service.
[News release] |
Send a link to a friend 
