Hammond Sports Hall of Fame - The Inductees Class of 2003

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Hammond Sports Hall of Fame
The Class of 2003 Inductees

2003 Program

Rodney Dennis	Richard R. (Dick) Eggers	Mike Farkas
John Fetzko	Richard Haack	Timm W. Lamb
Sharon Meier	David Mueller	Ray Papach

John Quinn

Sara Vine Reed

Year 2003 Program

The inductees are: 1980s Hammond High and Purdue football player Rodney Dennis, 1940s Clark and Northwestern University football player/wrestler Richard “Dick” Eggers, former WJOB sportscaster and Bishop Noll graduate Mike Farkas, pre-1940s five-sport Clark athlete John Fetzko, 1940s Hammond Tech multi-sport athlete and professional baseball player Richard “Dick” Haack, 1960s Hammond High distance runner Timm Lamb, 1970s Gavit and Indiana State University multi-sport athlete Sharon Meier, 1960s Hammond High and University of Illinois football end David Mueller, 1970s Clark and Hillsdale College basketball player Ray Papach, longtime Gavit and Bishop Noll football coach John Quinn and multi-sport Clark athlete Sara Vine Reed.

Also during the induction program, the 1993 Hessville Girls 14 & Under World Series qualifying team will be recognized, and 2002 high school graduates Leslie Tyburski and Chris Riley, both of Gavit, will receive the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame's 12th annual Jean Anderson Peterson Distinguished Athlete Award. The award recognizes two previous-year, student-athlete graduates of a Hammond high school who depict the qualities on which the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame is based: ability, dedication, contribution, citizenship and service.
Tyburski earned 10 varsity letters competing in basketball (4), volleyball (3), softball (2), and track and field (1). She graduated as Gavit’s all-time leading basketball scorer with 1,367 points, earning all-state, all-region, all-Lake Athletic Conference and academic all-conference honors. She also earned all-conference and academic all-conference honors in volleyball and softball. The 3-time Gavit basketball MVP and captain also was selected Lake Athletic Conference Athlete of the Year. She was an honor student in high school and was active in numerous school organizations. She is attending Georgetown (D.C.) University on a basketball scholarship.

Riley also was a multi-sport athlete at Gavit, earning nine varsity letters in football, basketball and baseball. He earned all-state honors in football, all-conference recognition in football and basketball and academic all-conference in all three sports in which he competed. He also was MVP and captain of his football, basketball and baseball teams and was named Gavit’s boys athlete of the year during 2001-02. He, too, graduated as an honor student.

The inductees:

RODNEY DENNIS
(Hammond resident)
This 3-sport Hammond High standout went on to play college football at Purdue, where he earned honorable mention all-Big Ten honors (1992-93) as a wide receiver. His first collegiate reception was a touchdown grab against Notre Dame. Previously, the 1989 Hammond High alumnus starred for the Wildcats as an all-state and all-area football receiver, all-area basketball forward and track & field high jumper. The gifted multi-sport star also received recognition as The Times’ Athlete of the Year. He works as a bio-med coordinator.

RICHARD R. (Dick) EGGERS
(deceased)
He starred in football and wrestling both at Clark High School (Class of 1943) and Northwestern University (’49) before embarking on a 40+-year career as a medical doctor. At Clark, he was a 2-way lineman (tackle) and 3-time state wrestling champion at heavyweight. He also was an honor student. At Northwestern, he competed on the Wildcats’ 1949 Rose Bowl squad and the ‘Cats’ wrestling team. As a freshman, he wrestled for the Big Ten heavyweight championship. After graduating from Northwestern Medical School, he practiced in Crawfordsville, Ind., where he served as team physician for Wabash College teams. He died in 1996.

MIKE FARKAS

(West Fargo, N.D. resident)
During much of the 1980s and ‘90s, this 1974 Bishop Noll graduate was “the voice” of Calumet Region high school sports. He served 16+ years as sports director/sportscaster for Hammond radio station WJOB. He did play-by-play for 1,000+ local high school football, basketball and baseball game broadcasts, as well as Purdue University Calumet basketball games. His personality also endeared himself to listeners as host of the station’s Saturday morning “Sports Talk” and weekday “Sports Talk Plus” programs. Between 1990 and ’95, he was one of just four Indiana radio sportscasters invited to co-host the statewide network broadcast that previewed the Indiana state boys basketball tournament finals. The former Noll baseball player and Moorhead State (Minn.) University is sports and program director for a Fargo, N.D. radio station.

JOHN FETZKO
(Munster resident)
This 1938 Clark graduate was a remarkable 5-sport athlete for the Pioneers—competing in football, basketball, track & field, wrestling and baseball. He was the first Clark Pioneer to letter in football (quarterback) and track & field as a freshman. In track & field he held various records in the 60-yard dash, low hurdles, high jump and long jump. He went on to coach CYO basketball in Munster and also served as an assistant track & field coach at Munster High School. He is retired.

RICHARD HAACK
(Noblesville, Va.)
A guard on Hammond Tech’s 1940 state championship basketball team and inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, this 3-sport standout also played baseball (outfield/3rd base) and football (end) for the Tigers before graduating in 1941. He also played all 3 sports at Bradley University. In addition, the 1949 graduate was inducted that year into the Bradley Hall of Fame. He went on to play professional baseball in the Chicago Cubs organization as a pitcher (1946-52). He is retired.

TIMM W. LAMB
(Ft. Madison, Iowa resident)
An all-conference cross country runner and state finalist as an 880-yard racer in track & field, this 1968 Hammond High graduate also won sectional titles in the 880 in 1967 & ’68. Additionally, he ran on the Wildcats’ record-setting mile relay team in ’68. He continued his career at Drake University, where he captained both cross country and track & field teams and earned all-conference honors in 1971 & ’72. He also set a university record in the 3000-meter steeplechase and was inducted into the Drake Distance Runners Hall of Fame. After earning his degree in ’72, he embarked on a distinguished high school coaching career in track & field and cross country, during which he has coached numerous state champions and finalists.

SHARON MEIER
(Hammond resident)
She earned an incredible 30 varsity letters competing on high school and college teams. The 1974 Gavit High School graduate excelled in five sports for the Lady Gladiators, earning 18 varsity letters in volleyball, basketball, field hockey, bowling and track & field. She helped lead the Lady Gladiators to regional titles in volleyball and district championships in basketball. She also was a state finalist in bowling and ran on state finalist relay teams in track & field. Continuing her career at Indiana State University, she collected 12 more varsity letters participating in field hockey, badminton and softball. She competed on two College World Series softball squads, was an individual state badminton champion, and was invited to try out for the 1976 U.S. Olympics women’s field hockey team. Following her college career, she went on to coach several sports at Gavit, earning various Coach of the Year honors.

DAVID MUELLER
(deceased)
An all-state, all-conference and all-region football end at Hammond High, he played on the Wildcats’ 1960 mythical state championship team. He continued his gridiron career at the University of Illinois, graduating in 1965 and earning Academic All-Big Ten honors as an end. At Illinois, he played on the 1964 Illini Rose Bowl-winning squad. In high school, in addition to serving as co-captain of the football team, he was a varsity letter winner in basketball and baseball. He died in 1987.

RAY PAPACH
(Whiting resident)
After a standout basketball career at Hammond Clark, he went on to star in college. While at Clark, this 1974 graduate earned all-conference, team MVP, Scholastic All-America and various other honors. He also pitched for the Pioneers’ baseball squad. After high school, he continued his basketball career at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, where he was all-conference and MVP of his team. He transferred to Hillsdale (Mich.) College and was named all-district, all-conference and team MVP. He graduated as Hillsdale’s all-time leading rebounder and was among the national leaders in NCAA Division II. He also competed on Hillsdale football (defensive end) and baseball (pitcher) teams and was captain of all three teams.

JOHN QUINN
(Hammond resident)
His love for football and those who played it translated into an outstanding coaching career of nearly 50 years. This 1939 East Chicago Roosevelt graduate and former gridiron Rough Rider coached at Bishop Noll for 13 years—5 as head coach—and 13 at Gavit High School, heading the Gladiators’ program for 10 years. He earned Coach of the Year honors in 1973 after leading the 10-0 Glads into Indiana’s first high school playoff series. He also coached on junior college and junior high school levels. He also played high school baseball and independent football and basketball following high school. He is retired.

SARA VINE REED
(Topeka, Kan.)
This versatile 4-sport standout at Clark High excelled on Lady Pioneer volleyball, basketball, softball and track & field squads, earning 11 varsity letters before graduating in 1987. In addition to competing on numerous conference championship teams, she set 5 school basketball records as a point guard. She also played on the 1986 Indiana 16-18-year-old state softball championship team. She continued her softball career in college as a centerfielder/shortstop at Butler University, graduating in 1991. She also is a U.S. Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete Award recipient. She is an elementary school teacher.