Eastern Michigan Athletics
EMU Inducts Five into Hall of Fame
10/18/2019 10:21:00 PM | General, E-Club
The 2019 class will also be recognized during halftime of the football game Oct. 19
Watch the Complete Ceremony.
Photo Gallery.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University E-Club Alumni Chapter, a group of former EMU varsity athletic letterwinners, welcomed five new members into the E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend. The Class of 2019 was honored at the Hall of Fame ceremony Friday, Oct. 18, in the ballroom of McKenny Hall.
The Class of 2019 included: Mike Calhoun (Men's Track), Morris Ellis (Men's Track), Ron Fernandes (Football), Stacy Graham (Volleyball), and Kevin Walter (Football).
In addition to the Hall of Fame inductees, the E-Club presented Jessica S. Nietrzeba with the Ron Oestrike Distinguished Service Award. The award, named after former EMU baseball-coaching legend Ron Oestrike, was first presented at the 2008 Hall of Fame ceremony to Oestrike. The award is voted on by the E-Club Executive Board and is presented to individuals that have been instrumental in assisting the E-Club. Nietrzeba currently serves as the Director of Engagement and Outreach for the EMU Alumni Relations Office.
Photo Gallery.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University E-Club Alumni Chapter, a group of former EMU varsity athletic letterwinners, welcomed five new members into the E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend. The Class of 2019 was honored at the Hall of Fame ceremony Friday, Oct. 18, in the ballroom of McKenny Hall.
The Class of 2019 included: Mike Calhoun (Men's Track), Morris Ellis (Men's Track), Ron Fernandes (Football), Stacy Graham (Volleyball), and Kevin Walter (Football).
In addition to the Hall of Fame inductees, the E-Club presented Jessica S. Nietrzeba with the Ron Oestrike Distinguished Service Award. The award, named after former EMU baseball-coaching legend Ron Oestrike, was first presented at the 2008 Hall of Fame ceremony to Oestrike. The award is voted on by the E-Club Executive Board and is presented to individuals that have been instrumental in assisting the E-Club. Nietrzeba currently serves as the Director of Engagement and Outreach for the EMU Alumni Relations Office.
Mike Calhoun
Men's Track: Graduated in 1986...Won five Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships and five MAC Outdoor titles...Earned NCAA Division I All-American honors in the Indoor Distance Medley Relay in 1982...Led off the medley relay team in 1984 with a time of 47.7 seconds, en route to a time of 3:18.94 to break the world indoor record at the Western Michigan Relays...The time still is both an EMU program record as well as a world indoor collegiate standard...Holds the EMU outdoor record in the distance medley relay with a mark of 9:35.88 set in 1983...Took home the MAC's 600-yard dash title in 1982 and 1983...Won the 400 meter dash in 1984, and part of the 1600 meter relay winning teams in 1983 and 1985 at the MAC Indoor Championships...Finished first in the 400 meter at the MAC Outdoor Championships in 1985 and helped EMU sweep the 1600 meter relay in 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985...His 400 meter indoor time of 46.87 in 1985 still ranks ninth in program history...The 1985 1600 meter relay time of 3:09.86 still ranks eighth in EMU program laurels, while the 1984 time of 3:10.08 is ninth...His 30.79 mark in 1984 in the 300-yard dash is 10th-best at EMU, while his time of 33.94 in 1985 is fifth...His 200 meter time of 21.34 is ranked 10th in EMU program laurels...In 1984, notched a 1:09.56 in the 600-yard for fourth, and followed it up with a 1:18.34 in the 600 meter...Posted the seventh-fastest time outdoors at EMU in the 400 meter with a 46.38 in 1982...Had four outdoor rankings in the EMU top-10 in the 1600 meter relay (3rd - 3:06.04 in 1983; 4th - 3:06.14 in 1985; 8th - 3:08.37 in 1985; 10th - 3:08.74 in 1985).
Morris Ellis
Men's Track: Graduated in 1990...Won five individual Mid-American Conference championships...Earned NCAA Division I All-American honors in the decathlon in 1989...Won the 1988 and 1989 pentathlon titles at the MAC Indoor Championships...Holds the EMU pentathlon record...Won three straight MAC Outdoor decathlon titles from 1987 to 1989...Still ranks 10th in EMU history in the heptathlon with a point total of 4,951 in 1988...Held the EMU outdoor record in the decathlon with a total of 7,510 in 1990 until 2016...On the EMU All-Time outdoor list in nine events.
Ron Fernandes
Football: Earned three football letters from 1970 to 1972 and was a three-year starter...Outstanding defensive lineman for the EMU football team...Totaled 219 tackles (111 solo, 97 assist) and five fumble recoveries in his EMU career...One of EMU's stars in the 1971 Pioneer Bowl with nine tackles and two pass deflections...Led EMU in tackles in 1972 with a total of 101, which included 47 solo stops and 54 assists...Made six tackles for a loss as a senior and led the team in tipped balls with four, and tied for the most fumble recoveries with two...Drafted in the 10th round of the 1973 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins, spent the last five games on the New England Patriots Taxi Squad...Was the 10th Eastern Michigan football player ever selected in the NFL Draft...Played for the New England Patriots and Detroit Wheels of the Word Football League in 1974...Coached the EMU Freshman Team in 1975...Played for the NFL's Baltimore Colts from 1976-79...Played in 40 career games with the Colts, starting in seven games in both 1977 and 1979...Played for the Washington Federals and New Jersey Generals in 1983.
Stacy Graham
Volleyball: Graduated in 1991...Earned four varsity volleyball letters from 1988 to 1991...Ranks fourth in EMU's record book in block solos (93) and seventh in block assists (288)...Posted 50 block solos in 1990 and 29 in 1991 for third and ninth, respectively, in a single season at EMU...Named First-Team All-Mid-American Conference in 1990 after finishing second in the MAC in kills...Led the team in attack percentage in 1990...Helped lead the 1990 team to a 30-5 overall record and the school's first-and-only appearance in the Women's Invitational Volleyball Championship (WIVC) tournament... Recorded the fifth-most aces in a single-match with five against Michigan on Oct. 29, 1991...Paced EMU in kills (339), blocks (165), and aces (23) during the 1991 season...Had a team-high 165 total blocks during the 1990 season.
Volleyball: Graduated in 1991...Earned four varsity volleyball letters from 1988 to 1991...Ranks fourth in EMU's record book in block solos (93) and seventh in block assists (288)...Posted 50 block solos in 1990 and 29 in 1991 for third and ninth, respectively, in a single season at EMU...Named First-Team All-Mid-American Conference in 1990 after finishing second in the MAC in kills...Led the team in attack percentage in 1990...Helped lead the 1990 team to a 30-5 overall record and the school's first-and-only appearance in the Women's Invitational Volleyball Championship (WIVC) tournament... Recorded the fifth-most aces in a single-match with five against Michigan on Oct. 29, 1991...Paced EMU in kills (339), blocks (165), and aces (23) during the 1991 season...Had a team-high 165 total blocks during the 1990 season.
Kevin Walter
Football: Four-year football letterwinner as a wide receiver...Finished his EMU career with five school records, including career receiving touchdowns (20), career receptions (211), career receiving yards (2,838), single-season receptions (93 in 2002), and single-season receiving yards (1,368)...Has the best three-year receiving total in EMU history in 2000 (721), 2001 (748), and 2002 (1,368)...Holds three of EMU's top-13 single game records for yards receiving...Had 12 games with 100-or-more yards receiving, including seven as a senior...Finished his career ranked in the Mid-American Conference record book for passes caught (4th - 211), receiving yards (6th - 2383), single-game receptions (2nd - 93), and single-season receiving yards (4th - 1,368)...First Team All-MAC pick as a junior and senior...Named EMU's Most Valuable Player in 2002...Hauled in nine catches for 225 yards and a pair of scores against Akron (Oct. 5, 2002), the second-most yards in a single game in EMU history...Drafted in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the New York Giants...Went on to play 11 years in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, and Tennessee Titans...Played in 152 NFL games and earned 93 starts...Caught 356 passes as a pro for 4,379 yards with 25 touchdowns.
Football: Four-year football letterwinner as a wide receiver...Finished his EMU career with five school records, including career receiving touchdowns (20), career receptions (211), career receiving yards (2,838), single-season receptions (93 in 2002), and single-season receiving yards (1,368)...Has the best three-year receiving total in EMU history in 2000 (721), 2001 (748), and 2002 (1,368)...Holds three of EMU's top-13 single game records for yards receiving...Had 12 games with 100-or-more yards receiving, including seven as a senior...Finished his career ranked in the Mid-American Conference record book for passes caught (4th - 211), receiving yards (6th - 2383), single-game receptions (2nd - 93), and single-season receiving yards (4th - 1,368)...First Team All-MAC pick as a junior and senior...Named EMU's Most Valuable Player in 2002...Hauled in nine catches for 225 yards and a pair of scores against Akron (Oct. 5, 2002), the second-most yards in a single game in EMU history...Drafted in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the New York Giants...Went on to play 11 years in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, and Tennessee Titans...Played in 152 NFL games and earned 93 starts...Caught 356 passes as a pro for 4,379 yards with 25 touchdowns.
2024 E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Saturday, September 21
E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame - Gina Tempro
Thursday, September 19
E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame - Matt Shoemaker
Thursday, September 19
E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame - Tavelyn James
Thursday, September 19