Friday, September 8, 2006 11:18 PM CDT
Six will be honored at EIU for athletics contributions
By the JG/T-C
sports@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON n Four former athletes, a former athletics director and a friend of athletics are joining Eastern Illinois’ Athletics Hall of Fame today.
This six are to be honored this afternoon in a ceremony and then also recognized at halftime of tonight’s EIU-Indiana State football game which is to kick off at 6 p.m. at O’Brien Stadium.
LARRY ANKENBRAND
Friend of Athletics
Larry Ankenbrand, who has volunteered his services at numerous EIU athletic events for nearly three decades, is being inducted as a ‘Friend of Athletics’. He is a past president of both the Panther Club and EI Club, and 10-year member of the Panther Club Board of Directors.
For over 25 years he has served as a bench official for men’s and women’s basketball, sideline marshal at football games, track and cross country timer, head marshal at IHSA state track meets and meet director for the Special Olympics.
Ankenbrand also served three years as assistant golf coach. Currently a professor in physical education, he formerly was dean of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, associate dean of the College of Education and chair, Department of Physical Education. Ankenbrand joined Eastern’s staff in 1977 after previously teaching at Illinois, Missouri and Chicago State.
He’s also a certified IHSA official in four sports. A 1959 EIU graduate, he earned a master’s from Indiana State (1966) and doctorate from Missouri (1972) with advanced doctoral work at Illinois State. He graduated from Mount Carmel High School in 1954 where he was team captain in three sports.
MIKE MULLALLY
Athletics Administrator
Mike Mullally’s administrative efforts as director of athletics in 1975-79 led the department’s 10 men’s sports to unparalleled success as the best athletic program in NCAA Division II during his tenure in the late 1970s. He also initiated the concept of community volunteer fund raising “teams” that significantly advanced the athletic department’s development program resulting in the current Panther Club spring fund drive model.
His greatest administrative achievement occurred in 1978 with a national championship team in football, which had been a long suffering sport at EIU. Panther teams recorded more “Top 10” finishes at NCAA II events than any other program during this time. Under his leadership, besides football, cross country won a national championship and finished third on three occasions, basketball had two third place trophies and five straight tournament appearances, track and wrestling were runners-up nationally, swimming and soccer recorded third place honors and baseball finished fifth at the College World Series.
Mullally was instrumental in the formation of the Mid-Continent Conference and served as the first chairman of the league. He currently is director, Major Gifts at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
AL ORDONEZ
1972-75 athlete
Al Ordonez was a three-time NCAA Division II All-American wrestler placing third at 150 pounds in 1973 and back-to-back fourth place finished at 150 and 158 pounds respectively, in 1974 and 1975. He won 61 matches during his final two seasons and 96 overall in a four-year career to rank 10th on EIU’s all-time career wins list.
He was also a two time team co-captain. Ordonez is currently a trial lawyer in Miami having graduated with honors from the University of Miami School of Law and also finished course work for a doctorate in International Private Law at the University of Barcelona. He has tried cases in Florida, California, Arizona, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Louisiana and Pennsylvania. Ordonez has litigated cases in Latin American countries, Spain and France.
AUGUSTINE ORUWARI
1978-81 athlete
Augustine Oruwari, who qualified for the 1976 and 1980 Olympics as a member of the Nigerian national team, was an EIU national champion All-American hurdler winning the 1981 NCAA Division II 110 high hurdles in 13.9 seconds. He also earned All-American honors as a freshman in 1978 placing sixth in the high hurdles.
Oruwari still ranks sixth on the all-time EIU list in the 110 hurdles and second in the indoor 60 meter hurdles, and at one time held both the Lantz Fieldhouse and school record in the indoor hurdles.
Oruwari also competed in soccer in the 1980 season. He has been a longtime benefactor for Eastern student-athletes through his involvement in the Panther Club, and is a major contributor to the Academic Services wing being constructed at Lantz Arena. He originally is from Port-Harcourt, River’s State, Nigeria. Oruwari resides in Mattoon, and is president/founder/owner of Charleston-based entrepreneurial Graywood Enterprises.
He was chosen 2006 Illinois Businessman of the Year by the National Republican Congressional Committee Business Advisory Council.
STAN ROYER
1986-88 athlete
Stan Royer was a major league first-round draft pick by the Oakland Athletics in 1988 and the 14th pick overall, the earliest Panther ever selected in baseball.
He was an infielder with the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox for four seasons (1991-94). In 1988 Royer was chosen the Oakland A’s Minor League Player of the Year.
Royer represented the United States in 1987 as one of 20 athletes selected to play Cuba in the Intercontinental Cup series.
At Eastern, he was Co-MVP of the Mid-Continent Conference in 1988. Playing three years for the Panthers (1986-88), Royer still ranks third in EIU career RBIs (151) and fourth in home runs (34), and finished with a .316 career batting average.
His 17 home runs in 1988 and 59 RBIs in 1987 are tied for third and fourth, respectively, for most in a single season. Royer was also named to the Alaskan Summer League All-Star team in 1987.
He was a three-sport athlete at Charleston High School graduating in 1985.
Royer lives in Columbia where he is co-founder and president of AMD Financial Services, an investment advisory firm.
JERRY WRIGHT
1981-84 athlete
Jerry Wright, a 1985 free agent signee by the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earned three All-American honors as a four-year letterman at wide receiver for Panther NCAA playoff teams in the early 1980s. In his senior year in 1984, Wright was named First Team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association for I-AA and Third Team All-American by the Associated Press.
He was an AP Honorable Mention All-American in 1983, and three-time All-Mid- Continent Conference. He still holds the single season record for most pass receptions (76) and is third in receiving yards (1029), both in 1984.
Wright is third in career receiving yards (2522) and fourth in pass receptions (150). He’s tied for fourth in single game pass receptions with 12 vs. Indiana State in 1984. Wright led the team in pass receptions three straight years (1982-84) and in receiving yards twice (1983-84). He also had NFL free agent tryouts with New England in ‘85 and the St. Louis football Cardinals in ‘86.
Wright was head coach at Aurora Christian high from 1997 to 2000. He currently is director of Student Support Services at Northern Illinois University and pastor of the Rock Christian Church in DeKalb.
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