SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Four former Tiger athletic greats were added to Wittenberg's Hall of Honor during Homecoming weekend ceremonies, October 27-29, 2000. The new inductees were Ron Murphy '60, Bob Rosencrans '58, Brenda Shaw Dewitt '89 and Jim Walsh '50.

Ron Murphy '60

Few people better embody the excellence of Wittenberg athletics than Ron Murphy, a Springfield native who went on to a record-setting, two-sport collegiate career and a great deal of success as a high school and college coach.

As a student-athlete, Ron was a four-year letterwinner in football and a two-year letterwinner in track & field. A fleet-footed halfback, Ron's name still regularly appears in the Wittenberg football record books in a variety of categories, including rushing yards and scoring. And on the track, Ron specialized in the 220 and 440-yard races.

A 1960 Wittenberg graduate who also earned a master of education in 1965 from the university, Ron served as an assistant to Hall of Fame coaches Bill Edwards and Dave Maurer on the football field before taking the helm in 1984. He carried on the tradition of gridiron success well as head coach from 1984-88, capping his career by leading Wittenberg to an Ohio Athletic Conference championship and into the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. The team's 9-3 record that year included a playoff upset of heavily favored Dayton, 35-28, and he was recognized as the Ohio college and American Football Coaches Association district coach of the year. Ron's record as a head coach was 34-17, and he was an assistant on teams that won 143 games, eight OAC championships and two national titles in 17 years.

Ron, who started his coaching career at Northeastern High School with the football, track and basketball teams, also coached Wittenberg's track & field and men's tennis teams to much success. The track & field team achieved a record of 88-32-4 in dual meets during his 16 years, including a string of 20 straight OAC wins in the early 1970s, and the men's tennis team won six consecutive OAC championships in the late 1980s. He also was a respected associate professor in Health & Physical Education from 1967-95.

He retired from Wittenberg in 1995, and he is now a realtor with Realty II in Springfield. He and his wife Mary Jo, have two children, Greg and Lysa. Ron lists the great coaches, Maurer and Edwards, as some of the Wittenberg people who had the greatest influence on his life.

Ron will be presented for induction by Jack D. Neal '59.

Wittenberg Memories . . .

"Coaches like Bill Edwards and Dave Maurer and Academic Advisers Dr. Melvin Laatsch and Dr. Red Maurer."

---

Bob Rosencrans '58

There is a commitment to winning - the right way - at Wittenberg University that Bob "Rosy" Rosencrans epitomizes. Over the course of more than 30 years, Rosy was a fixture in and around the university. So was winning. A Columbus, Ohio native, he lettered three years in football, swimming and track & field before graduating from Wittenberg in 1958 with a bachelor of science in health & physical education. He also earned a master of education in administration and supervision in 1962 at a time when he was teaching and coaching at several area high schools.

Rosy coached and taught at various levels for 37 years, including 29 years in football. As an assistant at Wittenberg, he was part of the school's two national titles, in 1973 and 1975, as well as the two national runner-up squads in 1978 and 1979. Rosy also coached at nearby Springfield Shawnee and Kettering Fairmont East High Schools before returning to Wittenberg, and he had short stints at Denison University and Kent State University before coming back to the home of the Tigers for good in 1970.

Along with coaching football, Rosy also coached the wrestling team in 1971 and 1972, the swimming team in 1973 and the golf team from 1971-84 and 1992-95. It was on the links that he had his greatest successes outside of football, guiding his teams to several Ohio Athletic Conference titles and placing his players on the national scene repeatedly. And to top it all off, some of his greatest contributions to the university were made as athletic director from 1982-92.

During his years of coaching and working as an administrator, he was elected to the NCAA Council in 1992, was a chair of the NCAA Division III All-American Golf Committee and Ohio Conference Men¹s Athletic Directors, a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics executive committee, a member of the American Golf Coaches Association Board of Directors, Tournament Director of the NCAA Division III Men¹s Basketball Final Four from 1989-92, and Tournament Director of the NCAA Division III Golf Championships in 1976 and 1981. But retirement in 1995 hardly slowed Rosy down. Since then, he has been a member of the Springfield Recreation Board of Directors, the Miami Valley Golf Association, and co-owner and vice president of Mike & Rosy's Deli Inc.

Rosy pays special thanks to his wife Sharon '58, and their three daughters, Amy, Beth and Julie. He will be presented for induction by former player and 1992 inductee Gene Laughman '68.

Wittenberg Memories . . .

"The events and memories of all the students, faculty and staff are too numerous to list. Certainly, playing for and coaching with Bill Edwards and Dave Maurer stand out as an opportunity few people have been fortunate enough to have experienced. I am also appreciative of many other coaches I have been associated with ... and also the staff personnel I came in contact with - great people who gave, have given and continue to give everything they have for the university, including Marilyn Kissell, Don Perkins, Everett Coffie, Sam Staten, Betty Barnes and many others. These are the doers that have done so much for Wittenberg."

---

Brenda Shaw DeWitt '89

It is that rare athlete who is so excellent, so dominating, so important to the total team effort that he or she is named Most Valuable Player in a season at any level. It is that much more unusual to come across an athlete who was his or her team¹s MVP three years in a row. But that's exactly what Brenda Shaw DeWitt was during her years at Wittenberg.

Brenda competed in almost every event possible for the Wittenberg University women's swimming team from 1985-89. She lists her specialty events as no less than the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyle, the 100- and 200-yard backstroke, the 200- and 400-yard Individual Medley and relays. Still, she was so good - that aforementioned unusually gifted athlete - that she really may have had that many specialties.

The team's captain for the 1988-89 season, Brenda earned team MVP honors three times, and in each of those three seasons, she earned NCAA Division III All-American status in the 100-meter backstroke. Brenda also was an All-American in the 400-yard Individual Medley in 1987 and an All-American in the 200-meter backstroke and 200-yard Individual Medley in 1989. She was Honorable Mention All-America in seven other events during her collegiate career. She also set four individual and one relay pool record during her Wittenberg career, and she established six individual and four relay records - astounding totals that will be difficult to match.

A native of Zanesville, Ohio, Brenda was described in 1989 as "the most versatile and talented swimmer in the history of the women's swimming program at Wittenberg" by her former Wittenberg swimming coach Pat Holly Clouse. "Brenda handles success as well as defeat with dignity," Clouse added. "She is willing and not afraid to accept a challenge and does not make excuses for any shortcomings."

Now a wife and mother, Brenda lives in Delaware, Ohio.

Brenda is also an Administrator, Scholarships & College Services with the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges Inc., an organization representing 35 independent colleges and universities (including Wittenberg) in Ohio in fund-raising efforts for unrestricted and scholarship purposes at the member colleges. She takes pride in her various activities and achievements in the 11 years since she departed Springfield for the last time as a student - not the least of which is her successful marriage to current Ohio Wesleyan University Men's Basketball Coach Mike DeWitt and raising their daughter, Regan.

Brenda will be presented for induction by her coach Pat Holly Clouse ¹64.

Wittenberg Memories . . .

"There are so many people and memories of Wittenberg that have had an influence on my life. One of Wittenberg¹s hallmarks is that of the personal relationships between the faculty, staff and students...Obviously Coach Clouse was and continues to be a very influential person in my life. She has been very successful in a profession that is dominated by men, and I look up to her as an example of what women can do, not just in coaching, but in any chosen profession."

---

Jim Walsh '50

Specialization. In today's world, that is the norm.

But in the era in which Jim Walsh donned the Red & White and stormed the gridiron as part of the Wittenberg University Tiger football team, specialization was anything but the norm. Jim, who attended Wittenberg from 1946-50 and earned a bachelor of science, did a little bit of everything for the Tigers as a center, linebacker and the best punter in the Ohio Athletic Conference. And, just for good measure, Jim was a mainstay on the mound as a pitcher with the Wittenberg baseball team each spring.

Following graduation, Jim held football coaching positions at Clark Junior High and Springfield North High School. He later joined Springfield Federal and Loan, where he enjoyed a 24-year career. He retired in early 1991. In more recent years, Jim has spent his time selling homes, as a representative of Goodrich and Vereen Realtors.

"As a lifelong resident of Springfield, I have always lived in the shadow of Wittenberg's campus," Jim says. "The many cultural and athletic events were great to experience. I had many opportunities to work fund-raising events for new buildings, as well as alumni giving. Working with the alumni board has been a positive experience."

Jim served as a trustee for the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity for 25 years, and he has also been a member of the alumni board and Awards Committee. Jim was a trustee with the Miami Valley A.A.A, the Springfield Teachers Credit Union Board, Volunteer Service Board, YMCA Board, Springfield Recreation Board and the University Club. He served several of those organizations in leadership capacities as well.

Jim married 1957 Wittenberg graduate Diane Huston. They have three children, Sarah Elizabeth, James Huston and Samuel Stewart. Along with his adoring family, Jim lists past Wittenberg presidents Tullis and Stoughton as two "great personalities" who influenced his life. In addition, "My ATO brothers and members of the class of 1950 have been and continue to be important people to me," he says.

Jim will be presented for induction by former teammate George Winkhouse '50.


Wittenberg Memories . . .

"As a lifelong resident of Springfield, I have always lived in the shadow of Wittenberg¹s campus. The many cultural and athletic events were great to experience. I had many opportunities to work fund-raising events for new buildings, as well as alumni giving. Working with the alumni board has been a positive experience."

---