LET'S GO BIG RED
Three coaches among Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame inductees
The 2015 Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame class announced in July was honored in September and will be remembered forever in Big Red lore.
Eleven of the greatest names in school history – including three All-Americans, a two-time NCAA champion, and three of the most respected and successful teachers the Big Red sports world has had to offer – will join 576 past greats who already have been inducted.
Lauren May '05 is the Babe Ruth of Ivy League softball and became the school's first All-American in the sport. Sisters Jessica '05 and Shonda Brown '05 spearheaded a track and field dominance unprecedented in the Ancient Eight. Travis Lee '05 won NCAA wrestling titles as a sophomore and senior, captured four Eastern titles and became the first Cornellian to earn All-America honors four times in a sport the Big Red has dominated for decades. Two-time women's lacrosse All-American Erica Holveck '03 was a key member of the 2002 NCAA semifinalist squad that was the first Cornell women's team to make a Final Four.
Colin Farrell '05 was a three-time member of the U.S. national rowing team after posting the best record for a two-year lightweight stroke by any Cornellian in more than 50 years. Ka'Ron Barnes '04 was the ninth National Association of Basketball Coaches all-district selection in school history for men's basketball, while Karen Force '04 set the school's career assist record (men's or women's) and was the first Ivy women's player to record career totals surpassing 1,250 points and 400 assists.
The 38th annual event took place Homecoming Weekend, and included formal induction ceremonies and a recognition ceremony for the 11 greats at halftime of the Cornell-Bucknell football game.
Initiated in 1978, the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame became a reality through the generosity of the late Ellis H. Robison, Class of 1918, whose devotion, advice and financial support to his alma mater started immediately upon graduation from the university.
Three former coaches also were inducted.
Pete Noyes. Photo: Cornell Athletics Communications. See larger image
Pete Noyes spent 36 years wearing a variety of hats for Big Red football, engendering a goodwill among generations of Cornell student-athletes – and coaching some of the best defenses the Ivy League has ever seen. Despite never serving as head coach, Noyes is revered by the legions of former student-athletes he recruited and to whom he barked orders.
Pete Noyes. Photo: Cornell Athletics Communications. See larger image
His overall record vs. Harvard and Yale was 26-15-1 (20-15-1 as a defensive coordinator), including a school-record 11-game win streak vs. the Crimson (1986-96). During his 21 years of coaching at Cornell, Noyes recruited 18 captains and coached or recruited 25 first-team and 83 total All-Ivy selections. Among his recruits: Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame members Derrick Harmon '84, Scott Malaga '89, Chris Zingo '94 and John McNiff '91. He recruited 10 starters on the 1988 Ivy championship team and 14 starters from the 1990 championship squad. During his 10 years as recruiting coordinator, Cornell played for an Ivy League title three times, winning twice (1988 and 1990) and had an Ivy League record of 39-30-1 and 51-42-2 overall. In 1995, Noyes coached in his fourth Ivy League title game, the most of any Big Red football coach since the formation of the Ancient Eight.
One of his most significant contributions to the program came off the field – in the form of his leadership of the Cornell Football Association. He helped the CFA membership rise from 250 to 1,400, while the football program's annual fund grew fivefold. The Ben Mintz/CFA Golf and Tennis Outing he ran grew from 50 to 300 golfers, while funds raised rose by a factor of 40.
Lou Duesing. Photo: Cornell Athletics Communications. See larger image
Lou Duesing's tenure as head coach set a precedent for Ivy League and national success for women's cross country and track and field. Duesing's 21 years at the helm of the Big Red women's programs were marked by 26 Heptagonal team championships. In all, he was part of 30 Heps championship teams as an assistant and head coach. He was named USTFCCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year 10 times.
Lou Duesing. Photo: Cornell Athletics Communications. See larger image
Duesing coached 58 All-Americans in cross country and track and field (45 at Cornell), 209 Heptagonal Champions, three Penn Relays Champions, one NCAA champion and had five individuals place in the top 10 at the NCAA Cross Country championships. Two of his student-athletes, Morgan Uceny '07 (1,500 meters) and Jamie Greubel '06 (2014 bronze medal, bobsled), have been U.S. Olympians, and several others have competed in world championships in both cross country and track and field.
In 1989, Duesing was the head coach of the USA women's cross country team, which won a bronze medal at the IAAF XVII World Championships in Stavanger, Norway. He has also been a coach at the U.S. Olympic Festival.
Dick Blood. Photo: Cornell Athletics Communications. See larger image
Dick Blood accumulated an impressive 623-347-2 career record at the helm of the softball program, including a 208-113 mark in Ivy play. Though wins and losses weren't the only things that mattered, he signed more winning lineup cards than any softball coach in Ivy League history and posted more triumphs than any other Big Red coach had compiled in one sport. He saw Niemand*Robison Field built, maintained, renovated and expanded.
Dick Blood. Photo: Cornell Athletics Communications. See larger image
Blood's players were named to the All-Ivy first team 48 times, Ivy League Player of the Year four times, Ivy League Rookie of the Year four times and Ivy League Pitcher of the Year three times. Three of his players were named to the Capital One Academic All-America team, 12 earned Academic All-District nods and 20 captured NFCA All-Region accolades.
Blood set an Ivy League softball record 623 wins to go along with five Ivy League titles (1999, 2001, 2004, 2009, 2010). He was one of just three Ivy League coaches to surpass 600 wins in a sport in league history, but for Blood, it was always about the game and the kids. It was about teaching and learning, and winning the right way and losing with dignity. It was never about one game or one season.