Six individuals, one team will be enshrined in September
The Saginaw Valley State University Cardinal Athletic Hall of Fame (Committee) announced its inaugural class today (June 2). Over the past two years, the Cardinal Hall of Fame Committee was faced with the difficult task of creating the guidelines for the hall of fame and choosing the inaugural class. After a long and drawn out process, the committee landed on seven inductees for the inaugural class. The 2010 inductees include: Robert T. “Bob” Becker, Steve Brady, Gail Goestenkors, Eugene Marve, Norwaine Reed, Frank “Muddy” Waters, and the 1982 Men’s Indoor Track and Field Team.
UNIVERSITY CENTER --
The 2010 Class
Robert T. Becker was a 1953 graduate of Arthur Hill High School and worked for 30 years during SVSU’s formative years, seeing the school grow from about 400 students when he arrived in the business office in 1968, to a school with 400 student-athletes when he retired as the Athletic Director at the end of 1998. He was the head coach of the Saginaw Valley State College men’s golf team from 1969-1989 and guided the Cardinals to 14 NAIA National Tournaments, including a runner-up finish in 1984. He was selected as the “National Golf Coach of the Year” in 1980, and was inducted into the NAIA Men’s Golf Hall of Fame in 1986. As Athletic Director at SVSU, Becker oversaw 63 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles in 12 sports and five national championships. Becker played an influential role in the development of the Ryder Center and remodeling of the Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium. He was instrumental in luring the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Lions to Saginaw Valley State to conduct their training camps during the 1990’s.
Steve Brady competed in men’s golf at Saginaw Valley State from 1977-80. A two-time all-conference, all-district selection and three-time team MVP, Brady earned All-American honors in the 1980 season. He would go on to have a stellar professional career as well, becoming a three-time medalist at the U.S. Open local qualifier and medalist at the U.S. Open Sectional qualifier in 1987. Brady played in 10 PGA Tour Buick Open Tournaments, and was the medalist at the Buick Open qualifier four different times. Brady played in the U.S. Open in 1984 at Winged Foot Golf Club (Mamaroneck, New York), while competing in three PGA Championships. He was named Michigan’s PGA “Player of the Year” in 1995, and set the PGA Tour record for a nine-hole score (30) at the 1984 Buick Open. Brady is a two-time Michigan PGA Champion and three-time Michigan Open Champion.
Gail Goestenkors was a member of the Saginaw Valley State women’s basketball team from 1981-85. Goestenkors was selected as an NAIA All-American in 1984 and 85 and was named the GLICA “Most Valuable Player” after the 1985 season. She played in 126 career games as a Cardinal, scoring 1,158 points, while recording 469 assists and 348 steals in her career. Goestenkors was an outstanding student as well, earning Academic All-Conference honors. SVSU posted an 114-13 record during her playing tenure, highlighted by an NAIA National runner-up finish in 1984-85, as well as a third-place finish in 1983-84. Goestenkors’ career as a head coach spans over 18 seasons with Duke University (1992-2007) and the University of Texas (2007-present). In her 18 seasons at the helm of the Division I powers, she has led her teams to the last 16 NCAA Tournaments, highlighted by runner-up finishes in the 1998-99 and 2005-06 seasons with Duke. Goestenkors, a seven-time ACC “Coach of the Year”, has also been named the Associated Press National “Coach of the Year” (2007), USA Basketball “Coach of the Year” (2006), Naismith National “Coach of the Year” (2003) and WBCA/Rawlings National “Coach of the Year” (2003) to go along with many other honors. Her overall record as a head coach is 460-134 (.779).
Eugene Marve was a member of the Saginaw Valley State football team from 1978-81. Marve was selected to the All-GLIAC team in 1979, 1980 and 1981, and was named an NAIA First Team All-American in 1980 and 1981. He ended his career with 299 tackles, 124 of which came in the 1981 season, and nine sacks. Marve was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 1982 NFL Draft. He played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Bills (1982-87), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1988-91) and San Diego Chargers (1992). Marve played in 156 games during his career, starting 126 and collecting eight sacks, eight fumble recoveries, and three interceptions.
Norwaine Reed was a member of the Cardinal men’s basketball team from 1969-72 after earning All-State honors as a prep at Detroit Southwestern High School. Reed earned All-American honors at then Saginaw Valley State College, averaging just under 30 points per game in his final two seasons. As of 2010, Reed is fourth in school history in scoring, third in field goals made, fourth in free-throws made and seventh in career rebounds. In 1983, he began coaching Buena Vista High School, where he helped lead the Knights to four Class “B” State Championships and three runner-up finishes and a 346-79 (.814) record over the course of 22 seasons. His teams won 55 consecutive games over a two-year span, as well as 10 District Championships, eight Regional Championships and four State Championships. No other boys’ high school coach in Saginaw County has won more state titles than Reed.
Frank “Muddy” Waters was the man charged with building the football program at Saginaw Valley State in 1975. Prior to accepting the position, Waters had set a Division II record for consecutive wins at Hillsdale College with 34. Waters was selected as the 1957 NAIA “Coach of the Year,” as his team was recognized by the Washington D.C. Touchdown Club as the nation’s Outstanding Small College Football Team. At Saginaw Valley, he led his team to its first GLIAC Championship in the 1979 season, just five year into its inception. In that year, he was voted the Michigan “Coach of the Year” for the eighth time in his career. During his time at Saginaw Valley, he also served in the capacity as Athletic Director. Waters was a four-time Chairman of the NAIA Football Coaches’ Association. He is enshrined in the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame, NAIA Football Hall of Fame, the Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.
The 1982 Cardinal men’s indoor track and field team captured the University’s first National Championship. A well-rounded and talented team that was led by head coach Doug Hansen put the, then Saginaw Valley State College, track and field program on the national scene. The 1982 team had 10 athletes recognized as All-Americans, and had six records, of the many records, that were established that season, stand the tests of time and remain the program’s standards to this day.
The inaugural class will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame on September 17, 2010 at a dinner ceremony, and will be honored the following day at halftime of Saginaw Valley's football game against Lake Erie College.
Induction Dinner - September 17th at 6:00 PM
Football Game Ceremony - September 18th at Noon
