Eastern Michigan Athletics
E-Club to Induct Seven Into the EMU Athletics Hall of Fame
1/21/2010 12:12:59 PM | General, E-Club
Ceremony set for Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Student Center
Click Here for More Information.
Click Here to Attend the Event.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University E-Club, a group of former EMU varsity athletic letterwinners, has announced the addition of seven new members into the Athletic Hall of Fame. The Class of 2009 will be honored at a Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, in the EMU Student Center on campus.
The Class of 2009 includes: Denise Allen (women's basketball), Charlie Batch (football), Jerry Cerulla (men's track), Angela (Springer) Johnson (women's track), Sharon McNie (women's gymnastics), Gary Patton (football), and Gary Strickland (athletic trainer).
This year's class will mark the 34th anniversary of the E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. followed immediately by a buffet luncheon. The Class of 2009 will then be honored at halftime of the EMU men's basketball game versus Northern Illinois in the Convocation Center at 2 p.m.
Tickets for the Hall of Fame ceremony and luncheon, which also includes a ticket for the EMU-NIU basketball game, are $45 each and can be purchased by calling the EMU Athletics Department at 734.487.1866.
Eastern Michigan University Athletics Hall of Fame 2009 Biographies
DENISE ALLEN - Graduated in 1982
Women's basketball: Four-year letterwinner...Finished her career as the 11th ranked scorer in EMU history with 1,049 points and her 573 rebounds is 10th...Played in 94 games for EMU, 73 as a starter...Averaged in double figures in all four seasons, with an 11.3 average as a freshman, a 10.9 mark as a sophomore, a 12.0 average as a junior and a 10.3 average as a senior...Helped the 1978-79 team upset Michigan, 75-74, at the Motor City Tournament...Was a starter on the 1980-81 squad that won two of three games at the SMAIAW women's state tournament.
CHARLIE BATCH - Graduated in 1997
Football: Enjoyed an outstanding career as the quarterback on the EMU football team and just completed his 12th season in the NFL with the Detroit Lions (1998-2001) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (2002-Present)...Earned four letters (1994, 95, 96, 97) for EMU football and graduated with virtually all of the school's passing records, including total offensive yards (7,715), single-season offensive yards (3,229 in 1995) and again in 1997 (3,390), career passing yards (7,592), and career touchdown passes (53)...Was named EMU's Most Valuable Player in 1997...Earned first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors in 1995 after leading the team to a 6-5 record...Drafted in the second round of the 1998 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions as the 30th overall selection... Was the starting quarterback for all four years with the Lions...Has played in 71 games during his NFL career with 819 completions on 1,461 attempts for 10,050 yards and 57 touchdowns...Member of the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl XL and XLIII Championship Teams…Was named the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2006 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year...Created Best of the Batch Foundation for youth in disadvantaged communities in the Pittsburgh area and has also established Project C.H.U.C.K, which stands for Continuously Helping Uplift Community Kids and is in the 10th year of hosting a youth basketball league in his hometown of Homestead, Pa.
JERRY CERULLA - Graduated in 1968
Men's Track: Won the 1968 NAIA outdoor national high hurdle championship as a senior after transferring from Utah State University where he was the NCAA indoor high hurdle champion and a competitor in the 1964 U.S. Olympic Trials...Became the No. 1 hurdler in the world in 1965...Qualified for and competed in the 1968 Olympic Trials...Teacher in the Huron Valley Schools for 39 years and is a prominent starter of college and high school meets...Went on to become an outstanding slow pitch softball player...Won the state championship in both the high and low hurdles at Wyandotter Roosevelt High School in 1962.
ANGELA (SPRINGER) JOHNSON - Graduated in 1988
Women's Track: Outstanding woman's track competitor from 1986-88...Won four individual and four relay titles in Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships...Captured the long jump in both 1987 (20') and 1988 (20' 3'), and won the 200-meter title in 1987 (:24.03), and the 400-meter title in 1988 (:52.69)...Also ran on MAC-winning relays in 1987 in both the 400-meter and 1600-meter relays and ran on the winning 1600-meter relay in both 1987 and 1988.
SHARON McNIE - Graduated in 1989
Women's Gymnastics: Outstanding member of the women's gymnastics team where she earned four letters...Won the MAC all-around title two consecutive years (1985 and 1986)...Broke two league records and won every event except the floor exercise in the 1986 MAC championship meet...Was an All-MAC performer three times (1985, 1986 and 1987)...Won four MAC individual event titles.
GARY PATTON - Graduated in 1988
Football: Earned four varsity letters, from 1984-87...Three-time All-Mid-American Conference selection...All-MAC first-team pick in 1986 and 1987...Associated Press All-American selection in 1986...Team's Most Valuable Offensive Player in 1986 and Co-Most Valuable in 1987...MVP of the California Bowl in 1987...Only player in school history to lead the team in a category for four years, topping the squad in rushing and all-purpose yards four times each...Career leader in touchdowns (31), all-purpose yards (5,533), rushing attempts (702), and rushing yards (3,497)...Third in career scoring (186)...The last of six players to score four touchdowns in a game...One of three players to have back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons...Drafted in the 7th round of the NFL Draft in 1988 by the New York Jets.
GARY STRICKLAND - Athletic Trainer
Athletics Administration-Trainer: Served the EMU Athletics Department in the training area from 1970 through 2000...Served as an assistant trainer from 1970-1986 and was the head trainer from 1986 until retiring in 2000...During his tenure at EMU athletic teams won 74 Mid-American Conference championships...Worked directly with the baseball team which made two appearances in the NCAA College World Series and the men's basketball squad that qualified for four NCAA Tournaments...Was also the head trainer for the 1987 football team that won the California Bowl in 1987...During his tenure the athletics program grew from 12 men's sports to more than 20 men's and women's sports...Also served as a staff instructor in the EMU HPERD Department...Was part of the HPERD committee that helped develope the EMU Sports Medicine major.
