Roosevelt Athletic Hall of Fame

On Friday, January 15th we are excited to induct the inaugural class into the Roosevelt Athletic Hall of Fame.  Theodore Roosevelt High School has such a rich tradition of excellence and we are thrilled to begin this new program.

How are you eligible?
There is a set criteria to be eligible to enter the Athletic Hall of Fame and you can see the criteria here.   We were very fortunate that a great deal of work was done several years ago by David Dorff.  Mr. Dorff put together an extensive list that included all of the All Staters and State Champions since Theodore Roosevelt High School came into existence in 1923.

Who selected the inductees?
A committee was formed and included the following people:

Todd Gordon - Activities Administrator
Joe McQueery - TRHS Boys Track Coach
Daryl Dotson - TRHS Wrestling Coach
Denny Donnelly - Rider Club President
Laura Leonard - Roosevelt Community Member
David Dorff - Roosevelt Community Member

This committee met in October and selected the inductees.

Who is being inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame? 
What a list we had to go over.  It was so much fun to look at the many names, hear the memories that so many of the potential honorees have given TRHS and the Roosevelt community.  There are, and will be, so many worthy candidates that will be honored.  After much discussion the following Roughriders were selected for induction into the Class of 2016.

Randy Duncan 

Randy Duncan graduated with the Roosevelt class of 1955 and from the University of Iowa 1959.  At Roosevelt Mr. Duncan was an all state football and basketball player as a Roughrider leading the 1954 basketball team to the state championship game.  In the fall of 1954 Randy led the Riders to an undefeated and state championship season and was named first team all state.  In the three years that he played at Roosevelt the Roughriders lost only two games.  

He continued at the University of Iowa where he had a stellar career.  During his time at Iowa he was named first team All-Big Ten. He was named the 1958 Big Ten MVP, was selected as a consensus first team All-American, won the Walter Camp Award and finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting.  From 1956-58 the Hawkeyes were an outstanding 24-3-2 with two Big Ten Titles, three top ten rankings in the final Associated Press poll, and two victories in the Rose Bowl.  Mr. Duncan is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. 

Duncan was drafted by the Green Bay Packers with the first pick in the NFL draft in 1959 but opted to go to play in the Canadian Football League for two years.  He then returned to the old AFL and signed with the Dallas Texans (now the Kansas City Chiefs). 

Dan Grimm

Dan Grimm is a 1959 graduate of Roosevelt High School and a 1963 graduate of the University of Colorado.  At Roosevelt Mr. Grimm was the first wrestling state champion for the Roughriders as he won the heavyweight division in 1959.  While Dan does say that his greatest memory from his time at Roosevelt was winning the state title he also found success on the football field.  After a storied career at Roosevelt he continued playing on the gridiron for the Colorado Buffalos from 1959-1963.  While at Colorado he helped the Buffalos win the Big 8 Championship, The Orange Bowl, and Dan competed in the prestigious Senior Bowl at the end of his senior season.  

After his college career Dan was drafted and played for the Green Bay Packers from 1963-1966; the Atlanta Falcons from 1966-69 and before retiring from the NFL after playing for the Redskins and Colts after the 1970 season.  His NFL career was highlighted with Green Bay in 1965 when the Pack won the NFL Championship (the year before the first Super Bowl). 

  

Eric Randolph

Eric Randolph is a 1975 graduate of Roosevelt High School and a 1979 graduate of the University of Iowa.  He continued his education at Iowa and received his law degree in 1982.  Mr. Randolph continued his career at the University of Iowa but was placed on the permanent injury list after surgeries during his freshman season.

At Roosevelt Mr. Randolph was a gymnast and in 1975 completed one of the most unbelievable feats in Iowa High School history.  During the state meet Eric won each of the six individual events and also won the team state championship while competing as the only member of the Roosevelt gymnastics team.  His greatest memories are working out above the gymnasium under Coach Earle Duggan with the girl’s gymnastics team and representing Roosevelt and himself throughout the gymnastic season and ultimately winning the State Gymnastics Championship.  

Tom Schulze

Tom Schulze was a 1966 graduate of Roosevelt High School and a 1970 graduate of the University of Iowa.  During his time at Roosevelt Mr. Schulze was a member of the 1965 Basketball State Championship team and was also a first team all stater.  In addition he was named the 1966 TRHS Man of the Year.  

Continuing his career from 1966-1970 as a Hawkeye at the University of Iowa he was a member of the men’s basketball team and was part of the one of the greatest four years in Iowa History.  During his time on the team the Hawkeyes won two Big 10 championships including an undefeated conference season in 1969-70 and a Sweet 16 appearance.  In addition, the 1969-70 team still holds the record as the highest scoring team in Big Ten history when they averaged an amazing 102.9 points per game.  

                                            Deb Stetson    

Deb Stetson is a 1970 high school graduate of Hoover High School.  She graduated in 1974 from the University of Idaho where competed in tennis, gymnastics, swimming, field hockey, and was also a cheerleader.  She then earned her master’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa.  

Mrs. Stetson coached boys and girls tennis at Roosevelt for 29 years with her father, Roger, a 1948 Roosevelt graduate, as her assistant coach as well.  During her time leading the Roughrider programs she amassed over 500 wins, won many state and conference championships and is the only coach in Iowa to win all four state titles in one season.  In 2009 the Riders won the Singles, Doubles, Co-Ed and Team championships in boy’s tennis. 

 
 How will they be honored? 

On Thursday, January 14, a reception will be held in the TRHS band room from 6:00-7:30 p.m.  At 6:45 we will introduce the inductees and look forward to them sharing a few words.  The induction ceremony will take place on Friday, January 15, at the conclusion of the girls game when the Riders host Hoover at approximately 7:30 p.m. 

We hope you will be able to come congratulate the Hall of Famers on Thursday night and then attend the game on Friday as they are officially welcomed into the Theodore Roosevelt Athletic Hall of Fame.  

Thanks for sharing some time with me. 

#bleedblue