Athletic Hall of Fame grows by six

On Saturday, October 20, 2007, the Rose-Hulman athletic department added six new inductees to its Hall of Fame in a ceremony held in Hulbert Arena. These inductees included Todd Harris, Samuel Hulbert, Jose Penaloza, Greg Rosinski, Eric Tryon, and Paul Wagner. The Hall of Fame consists of 142 athletes, coaches, and staff members who made extraordinary contributions to Rose-Hulman athletics, and this year marked the 15th Hall of Fame ceremony.

Rose-Hulman has a rich tradition of athletics despite the fact that students at Rose-Hulman are primarily focused on their education. Rose-Hulman president, Jerry Jakubowski stated, “Division three athletics is not about winning. It’s about success in the classroom. Division three athletes are true student athletes.” Jakubowski continued, “We want them [the students] to develop as a whole person through athletics.”

A surprising number of students either participated in athletics in high school or at Rose. A startling 50 percent of this year’s freshmen class participated in at least one varsity sport in high school. Thirty percent of Rose’s students participate in varsity athletics on campus while 90 percent participate in intramurals. The six inductees stood out as truly exceptional among these many athletes.

Todd Harris graduated from Rose in 1997 with a degree in Civil Engineering. As a three year starting quarterback, Harris led Rose to a 13-7 record and produced 4,384 all-purpose yards. He also ranks sixth all-time with 20 touchdown tosses and passed 2,685 yards. During his senior year, he rushed for 819 yards and 10 touchdowns. His other accomplishments include earning team Most Valuable Player and first-team all-conference.

Samuel Hubert was the president of Rose-Hulman from 1978 until 2004. During this time, he helped gain the support to build the Sports and Recreation Center and assisted in rewriting the athletic department record book. He was an avid supporter of all of the Rose-Hulman sports teams, often sitting on the bench during many athletic events. During his acceptance speech, Hulbert explained that while he did not hold any actual athletic records, he claimed, “Two things I do hold records for, the most technical fouls and the most games getting kicked out of.” After the ceremony, Hulbert could be found in his characteristic spot on the bench at the Hall of Fame football game. Hulbert felt that the Hall of Fame ceremony was “a very memorable, touching event that was exceptionally well done.”

Jose Penaloza also graduated from Rose in 1997 with a degree in Civil Engineering. A native of Bolivia, Penaloze completed his first year of college at Tri-State before transferring to Rose-Hulman. Penaloza holds nearly all of the men’s tennis records and held an outstanding 61-14 career mark. In 1995, he finished 25-5 in number one singles, and, in 1996, he was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and earned a place on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Academic All-American Team.

Graduating from Rose in 1997 with a degree in Chemical Engineering, Greg Rosinski was an offensive lineman for the Engineers. Rosinski helped Rose rush for 3,109 yards in 1994 for a school record, and followed that in 1995 with 2,897 yards. Rosinski explained, “I think it [the ceremony] was done wonderfully. Coach Jenkins and Coach Prevo did a great job. Overall, it was a pleasant day.”

Eric Tryon was a 1997 Mechanical Engineering graduate. Tryon broke a number of baseball records with 331 career strikeouts and 29 pitching wins. He helped to lead Rose to the 1996 NCAA Division III Tournament after winning the Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference title. Tryon was not only a great pitcher but also an exceptional batter hitting .325 with 23 doubles and seven career home runs. After graduating, Tryon went on to play in the minor leagues. Tryon commented on the ceremony, “The whole thing is very special. I really appreciate the work that everyone put into it. Rose has been a part of my life ever since.”

Paul Wagner graduated in 1982 with a Mechanical Engineering degree. While at Rose, Wagner played center on the basketball team. Wagner earned a career 900 points and 749 rebounds. As a sophomore and junior, he recorded double-double season averages, and, as a senior, he averaged 13.6 points and 9.7 rebounds. He ranks second in career blocks with 113. His most famous basketball moment was when he made a last second 35 foot shot to beat Wabash University 83-82.

The Hall of Fame ceremony was well attended by current and past Rose athletes and supporters. The ceremony allowed attendees to become aware of the inductees’ past and present triumphs in both Rose athletics and their current careers. Athletic Director Jeff Jenkins stated, “I think it’s always such a great event to be able to honor this part of their time at Rose-Hulman.”