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2008 Hall of Fame Inductees
Clifford Weeks, Jr. (1978 graduate)
Track and Field
Clifford Weeks, Jr. excelled in track and field and was a
four-year letterman at Adrian College from 1975-78. Cliff made his
presence known right from the start by breaking the school record
in the pole vault as a freshman. Under the coaching of Rock Haines,
by the time he reached his junior season that record grew to a
height of 14-feet, six-inches in 1977. The feat was all the more
impressive when you consider that it stood for over 20 years at the
College. Weeks also was a member of the 400-meter relay team that
set a school record which lasted for 31 years before being broken
in 2007. Cliff was a two-time All-MIAA selection in 1976 and 1977
and also qualified for the NCAA Division III Nationals for three
years from 1976-78. In his bio, Cliff stated there were too many
memories to tell but one impression he embraced from his coach was:
to have a "work hard" attitude but don't take yourself too
seriously. Weeks earned his bachelor's degree in 1978 and received
an MBA in 2001. He also completed the UTC Emerging Leaders Program
at the Darden Graduate Business School, University of Virginia. He
has kept himself active in the community of Enfield, Connecticut,
where he calls home along with his wife, Julie, and their four
children - Clifford III, Christopher, Caitlin and Cameron. Cliff is
currently working and traveling the world for Hamilton Sundstrand,
a Division of United Technologies Corporation, as a Director of
Quality Assurance in the Industrial Division.
Bryan L. Epple (1983 graduate)
Football Bryan Epple was a mainstay on the offensive line during
his playing days at Adrian College. Epple won three letters as a
member of the football team from 1980-82 and was named First Team
All-MIAA three times as part of a successful Bulldog program in the
early `80s. The Bulldogs went 9-0 in 1980 scoring more than 17
points in every game. The following year the squad posted an 8-1
record under head coach Tom Heckert. He was named Most Valuable
Lineman in 1981 and 1982. In 1982, Bryan's final season, he served
as a team captain, was named MIAA Player of the Week and at the
conclusion of the season was named an All-American. Bryan was an
integral part of Adrian's 7-2 record under first-year head coach
Ron Labadie. He was also a major reason the team had 24 wins and
just three losses in a three-year span. One memory stood out for
Bryan -- the 1980 football team's 9-0 season. Bryan earned his
bachelor's degree in 1983 and is working for Jel Sert which is
located in West Chicago, Illinois. He is currently living in
Phoenix, Arizona, and has two sons - Michael and Marcus.
Elizabeth Ruhl Quinn (1993 graduate)
Softball and Basketball
Liz Ruhl Quinn was a two-sport athlete at Adrian College
participating in softball and basketball. She was a three-year
letter winner in softball from 1991-93 and also lettered for two
years in basketball during the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons. She was
inducted as a member into the Hall of Fame for the 1990-91
basketball team in 2006. On the diamond, she was named Second Team
All-MIAA in 1991 and 1993 and helped lead the Bulldogs to the 1993
MIAA Championship. Liz had an incredible career batting average of
.375 and hit .385 during MIAA games. She led the conference in
triples and ranked fifth in total bases and seventh in runs batted
in during her senior year. She was named to the All-Tournament Team
of the NCAA Midwest Regionals and was a Second Team Academic
All-American selection. In addition, Liz was named an All American
Scholar Athlete by the National Softball Coaches Association and
Adrian College Woman of the Year by Champion Sportswear. She was
nominated by former coach, Doug McDaniel, who was truly impressed
by her dedication and drive to excel. Just as impressive have been
her contributions off the field after graduating from Adrian
College in 1993. She earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in Molecular
Medicine and Genetics from Wayne State University in 1998 and did a
Post-doctoral Research Fellow at Stanford University in 2001. Quinn
has had the privilege of having some of her research findings
published in various journals around the country and currently
works for DiscoveRx Corporation as a product manager in Fremont,
California. She resides in Sunnyvale, California with her husband,
Tom, and their two children - Joshua and Rebecca.
Audrey Seymour (1994 graduate)
Softball and Basketball
Audrey Seymour had a very successful athletic career at Adrian
College having played basketball and softball for the Lady
Bulldogs. Seymour earned nine varsity letters wearing the black and
gold and was chosen as First Team All-MIAA five times between the
two sports. She started all four years on the basketball court and
currently ranks second in the MIAA modern day record books in field
goal percentage making 60.7 percent of her shots during her career.
Audrey was named All-MIAA from 1991-93 and scored 1,454 points
which ranks third in school history. She led the team in scoring
and rebounding during all four years. Audrey was mentored by what
she called, "awesome coaches" including Dana Munk, Kathy Lee
Morris, and Doug McDaniel. Audrey was also an asset on the softball
field and enjoyed their success along with teammate Liz Quinn and
other excellent athletes. She was named First Team All-MIAA in 1991
and 1993 in softball and was a part of three MIAA titles in four
years during her playing career. Audrey earned her bachelor's
degree in 1994 and then served as a graduate assistant women's
basketball coach at Central Michigan University. She moved on to
Ferris State University and was an assistant basketball and
softball coach from 1995-97. Audrey returned to the MIAA in 1998 as
the head women's basketball coach and assistant softball coach at
Olivet College. She is currently a health and physical education
teacher at Fowler Public Schools and served as the varsity softball
head coach at Fowler from 2001-07.
G. Aaron Klotz (1998 graduate)
Football and Baseball
Aaron Klotz is one of the most decorated athletes in Adrian
College history. Klotz was a standout in football and baseball for
the Bulldogs and was a four-year letterman in both sports. He
played football from 1994-97 and received numerous accolades during
his junior and senior year. In 1996, Klotz was named First Team
All-MIAA and Second Team All-North Region. He also recorded six
interceptions which stands as the third-most in a single season at
Adrian College. In 1997, Aaron served as a team captain for the
MIAA champion Bulldogs. He was recognized during the preseason as
an All-American by the Sporting News and Street and Smith's
Magazine. He again was named First Team All-MIAA and was selected
to the Detroit Free Press All-Small College Team. Klotz was named
Third Team All-American by USA III Football and earned Second Team
All-North Region honors. At the conclusion of the season he was
named the team's Most Valuable Player and invited to play in the
USA Martin Luther King Holiday All-Star Classic. He currently ranks
fourth in school history with 11 career interceptions and first
with 31 pass deflections. Klotz also was up to the task on the
baseball diamond playing from 1995-98. He was the first player in
school history to be selected First Team All-Mideast Region as a
junior in 1997. Aaron was named First Team All-MIAA in 1997 and was
Second Team All-Conference in 1995 and 1998. The 1997 season proved
to be a special one as Klotz was also named MIAA Most Valuable
Player in baseball. He was listed as one of the top 50 players in
Division III as a junior and senior in Collegiate Baseball Magazine
and was team MVP in both those years. Prior to the 2008 season,
Klotz ranked in the top 10 in nine different career statistical
categories including the most triples in school history with 12. He
was named Adrian College Senior Athlete of the Year for the 1997-98
school year and served as the MIAA student representative for
Adrian College for four years. Klotz has also served the College in
the coaching ranks upon receiving his bachelor's degree in 1998. He
has served the baseball staff since his graduation until the
present and also coached football from 1999-2006. Aaron is
currently employed as a Program Manager for Venchurs, Inc. in
Adrian and is married to the former Alison Eggly, a 1999 graduate
of Adrian College. She stated in a note, "I am extremely proud of
Aaron - as an athlete, as a coach, as a husband and now as a Hall
of Fame inductee. But I've never been prouder, as I am today as
I've watched him become an extraordinary father to our children. "
They have two children, Logan and Alexis.
1979-80, 80-81 Women's Basketball Teams
The sport of women's basketball was in its infancy stages in the
MIAA in the late `70s and early `80s, but that did not stop Adrian
College from being a powerful championship program. The 1979-80 and
1980-81 teams under the tutelage of head coach Nancy Walsh and
assistant coach Norma Gladu were a force to be reckoned with on the
hardwood during the days of the Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics for Women (AIAW) at the regional and national level. The
1979-80 squad mixed it up with current Division I programs like
Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan in the early games
and even picked up a 64-47 win against the University of Toledo.
The Bulldogs had a dominant run against teams from the MIAA
including very lopsided wins against Kalamazoo (102-29 and 92-25)
on their way to a perfect 12-0 league mark averaging 85.7 points
per game. The team went 22-6 overall and allowed just 56.9 points
per game during the season. The team still holds a school record
with a 19-game winning streak and beating their opponents by an
average of 18.4 points per game. The Bulldogs were ranked ninth in
the nation and were Midwest Region and State of Michigan
runners-up. Adrian set league records that are still standing today
including best field goal percentage at 49.5 percent and best
rebounding average at 50.3 per game. The 1980-81 squad posted an
overall record of 15-10 but once again tore through their MIAA
opponents with a record of 11-1. Jamie Van Arsdalen was the premier
scorer in the MIAA during her career and as a senior in '79-'80
averaged 23.0 points per game to win the scoring title. She is the
all-time leading scorer in the history of Adrian College finishing
with 1,699 career points. In addition, her 24.0 points per game
average in MIAA games is tops in the history of the conference.
Laura Knapp was just a freshman on the '80-'81 team but by the time
she left the College she had scored 1,262 career points which is
fifth all-time in school history. Marcia Faber was another key
contributor to the success of the program scoring a total of 1,088
career points from 1977-81.
1983 Football Team
The 1983 football season was arguably one of the best seasons in
the long storied history of Adrian College. The team under the
direction of second-year head coach Ron Labadie compiled an overall
record of 8-2. The Bulldogs won a MIAA championship and advanced to
the NCAA Division III Playoffs for the first time in school
history. The year began with a 9-7 win over Otterbein and then the
Bulldogs ran off a pair of impressive non-conference wins against
Wooster (34-7) and St. Norbert (52-14). The MIAA schedule was just
as tough 25 years ago as it is today and Adrian College got the
best of all five opponents allowing a total average of 11 points
per game. Though a true team effort several players led the way to
victory - Mike Farrell led the team in scoring making all 17 of his
extra points and 12 field goals en route to a total of 53 points.
Steve Motte ran the ball 210 times for 868 yards and six
touchdowns. Ron Roosevelt carried the ball 83 times for 469 yards
and one score. Mike Johnson gained 364 yards on 94 carries and also
scored one touchdown. Steve Dembowski completed 110-of-184 passes
for 1,346 yards and seven touchdowns. Mark Leidholdt was the team's
leading receiver with 35 catches for 575 yards and four touchdowns.
John IaFolla led the stingy Bulldog defense with 120 tackles
including 70 solo stops at linebacker. Greg Pscodna ranked second
on the team as a defensive tackle with 79 tackles. Free safety Jim
Martin led the secondary with 71 tackles and also had two
interceptions. Former Detroit Lions great Alex Karras had his son,
Alexander, on the 1983 squad and he finished with 11 tackles and
three kickoff returns. Current athletic director Mike Duffy was a
member of the coaching staff as a volunteer assistant in 1983. The
postseason opponent was Augustana and AC gave them all they could
handle in a 21-20 loss. For the season, Adrian outscored their
opponents, 184-96; a strong second-quarter team scoring 67 points.
The team rushed for 1,673 yards and passed for an additional 1,361
yards for a total of 3,034 yards.
