The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Hall of fame

  • Humboldt State Hall Of Fame Inductees

    Humboldt State Hall Of Fame Inductees

    Hall of Fame nominees for class of 2020 and class of 2021 announced

    Humboldt State University’s Department of Athletics announced the Hall of Fame nominees for the classes of 2020 and 2021.

    The class of 2020 inductees are Laura Champ, Heather Johnston, Scott Peters, Lisa Petty, Lyndon Rowells and Chrissy Stalf.

    The class of 2021 inductees are Nicholas Bawden, Bridget Berg, Dan Collen, Katie Harris, Staci Self, Anetra Torres, Zack Weinberger and the 1976 Men’s Cross Country team.

    Chrissy Stalf, softball, 2010, was very excited and felt honored to be inducted into HSU’s Hall Of Fame.

    “There are many great athletes in the Hall Of Fame as we speak and being considered one of them is an honor,” Stalf said in an email.

    Stalf is upset her head coach, Frank Cheek, would be unable to attend the induction ceremony due to his recent passing. Cheek recalled how a few years after finishing her career at HSU, Cheek was going to write her a nomination for the Hall Of Fame. She felt honored to hear that from him.

    Stalf enjoyed playing softball in the middle of the Redwoods and felt no other campus could compete with the surrounding view while playing. The town would come out to support the softball team, win or loss.

    “When you walked around town, they knew who we were,” Stalf said. “I am proud to say I am a Lumberjack Alumni!”

    Lyndon Rowells, football, 2010-2011, felt humbled and honored to be recognized for all the hard work he put into playing the sport he loves. Rowells found out that he was being inducted into the Hall Of Fame. Rowells said his favorite thing to do while playing football was winning.

    “Scoring a touchdown was fun and all but it meant nothing if we didn’t get the victory,” Rowells said in an email.

    Lisa Petty felt honored to be inducted into the 2020 HSU Hall of Fame after being a member of the women’s basketball team. It reminds Petty that the work ethic she put into playing basketball was worth it.

    “Athletes spend countless hours practicing and working towards their goals so to be recognized for one of the greatest achievements in sports, is truly humbling to me,” Petty said in an email.

    Petty found out a couple of weeks ago when former HSU Interim Athletics Director Tom Trepiak gave her a call. During one of her final press conferences of her career at Humboldt, Trepiak was the one who had mentioned to Petty that maybe one day they will see her in the Hall of Fame. Petty thought it was a joke.

    “To get the news from him, someone who cheered me on during my entire career, was a gift,” Petty said.

    Petty’s favorite thing when she played at HSU was the camaraderie with her teammates and coaching staff. She said she made lifelong friends and connections at Humboldt.

    “During games, we went to war together,” Petty said. “We battled and left everything we had on the floor and that’s the one thing I always look back on and am beyond grateful for.”

    Petty is grateful for the opportunity to play competitively for the Lumberjacks.

    “I am competitive in nature,” Petty said. “It didn’t matter if it was practice or in a game, I was out to win and I would do whatever I could to get the job done. But again, over the years, the relationships and the friendships I developed are some of my most cherished memories.”

  • Hall of fame speech stirs up emotion

    Hall of fame speech stirs up emotion

    By | Diego Linares

    Todd Eagle stands before a podium, drawing back tears during parts of his speech, he receives his hall of fame plaque and walks into a crowd standing for his ovation.

    As a former defensive lineman for the Humboldt State University football team, he said that the program changed his life. During his speech, Eagle talked about his troubled past, the current condition of the football program; as well as, the impact it has had on students.

    “I wanted to touch some people based on what’s going on with athletics now at HSU,” Eagle said. “So, what better way to talk about all the things that I’ve been through, and how HSU was a part of that net to keep me from falling down.”

    HSU honored six former athletes and one administrator by welcoming them into the Athletic Department’s Hall of Fame on Friday in the Kate Buchanon Room within the University Center.

    Former Athletic Director Chuck Lindemenn, two-sport athlete Tom DiMercurio, defensive lineman Eagle, softball shortstop Terry Marroquin, track and field runners Megan Rolland and Jasper Peach, as well as softball catcher Marissa Slattery all spent time with the microphone sharing stories and jokes.

    Marroquin was another athlete who spoke about having a tough past before leaving home to be a student at HSU. Coming from Los Angeles, Marroquin said that she was raised by the streets and found a welcoming environment when making the trip to Northern California.

    “You’re not sure where you fit in,” Marroquin said . “It’s totally the opposite. You come here, you see cows and redwood trees.”

    Marroquin went from being named to the Los Angeles Times Softball All-Star selection in 1995, to receiving a hall of fame induction from her alma mater on Friday. She now works with foster youth as a social worker in Humboldt County.

    Lindemenn took time during his speech to comment on the condition of the football team. The former athletic director, and first ever Axe Major for the HSU marching band, even made light of the situation.

    “If you drop football, what the hell are the Marching Lumberjacks going to do?” Lindemenn said.

    As soon as Lindemenn was done with his speech, the doors swung open and in came the Marching Lumberjacks to make a cameo appearance to honor the hall of famer.

    Current interim athletic director Duncan Robins said that the inductees were spectacular in their time and that it was of importance to be able to enjoy and reflect on their storytelling.

    “In any institution, it’s really important to have history and to celebrate that history. That’s how you start to build culture and understand who you are,” Robins said. “So, to have them come back here and tell what it was like in the past – and the values they had when they playing – and reflect on that is really important.”

    Among the athletes’ accomplishments were national titles, countless personal awards, records and achievements, as well as one being the smartest male athlete to graduate from HSU.

    Eagle graduated Humboldt State having the highest grade point average of any male athlete at 3.902. He said that student athlete just have to embrace the grind.

    “I knocked on doors during office hours, even if that door was shut. Then I sat there and made sure they saw me. If they didn’t want to see me, I gave them my number. If they didn’t want to call me, I emailed them. So, I just kept going,” Eagle said.

    The inductees were also honored at midfield during halftime of the homecoming football game between Humboldt State and Azusa Pacific University.