Indiana Athletics Hall of Fame Inducts Six New Members in Class of 2023
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Indiana Athletics Hall of Fame held an induction ceremony for the class of 2023 on Friday night at Memorial Stadium’s Henke Hall of Champions.
Don Fischer, the play-by-play voice of the Hoosiers, emceed the banquet ceremony one year after joining the illustrious group himself. The upbeat Fischer poked at Indiana men’s basketball coach Mike Woodson, as the 1992 inductee initially stayed seated and waved to the applause. But Fischer eventually coaxed Woodson into standing, which drew another ovation.
The inductees for this year’s class – Derek Drouin, Aleksey Korol, Christina Loukas, Tina McCall-Waters, George McGinnis and Dr. Larry Rink – garnered cheers and laughs from the crowd as they took the podium with self portraits displayed behind them.
It was a special night for Indiana athletics, welcoming six new members to its Hall of Fame. Here's a deeper look into what each accomplished during their careers, as well as stories they shared during their induction.
George McGinnis
Men’s basketball, 1970-71
In his lone season at Indiana, McGinnis was the first sophomore to lead the Big Ten in scoring and rebounding. McGinnis first signed with the American Basketball Association’s Indiana Pacers and gathered two championships. In 1976, he transitioned to the NBA and was named an All-Star three times in seven seasons. Through his 11-year professional career, McGinnis scored 17,009 points.
“In 1987, [Bob Knight] treated me to the greatest three days of my life," McGinnis said. "He invited me down to the 1987 Final Four in New Orleans, where Indiana would play Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) in that first game … It took forever to wait 'til Monday night to play a really good Syracuse team … That was one of the greatest college games of all time with Keith Smart getting that last shot.”
“It’s still etched in my mind. So, fast forward to three, four weeks ago, when it was announced I was going to be included in this year's class of inductees. One of the first calls that I received was from Keith Smart. So, it was very nice to hear from him. And that's really what makes the game special to me, is that that we have these memories, the game, the players … In my life, I've been fortunate to have enough people around who have helped me along the way … No matter how successful we get individually, we don't get there by ourselves.”
Derek Drouin
Men’s track and field, 2010-13
Drouin is the lone collegiate high-jumper to win five NCAA titles. He also won seven Big Ten titles to go along with being named an All-American seven times. In his senior season, he was awarded the Bowerman Award, given to the most outstanding track and field collegiate athlete. Representing Canada in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Drouin won bronze and gold medals in the high jump, respectively.
“I first stepped foot in Bloomington on a recruiting trip 15 years ago," Drouin said. "And, after coming home from that visit, I was sick to my stomach worrying and thinking about if it would work out for me to become a Hoosier. After a few days of moping around the house, my mother finally asked me, ‘What's wrong with you? Did you fall in love down there or something?’ I wasn't sure what it was about this place, the people or the tradition, but I knew I wanted to be a part of it. From the day I ran from campus as a shy 18-year-old, IU Athletics welcomed me and embraced me with open arms.”
“Thank you to the athletic trainers, coaches, athletic directors and everyone in between. Your standard of expertise and tireless dedication is genuinely second to none. The success I experienced throughout my career and the success of our athletics as a whole is a testament to the quality of character and professionalism that this community offers. Track and field is typically considered an individual sport. But my time in Bloomington taught me the importance and joy that can come from a team-environment. Although I didn't realize it at the time, my mom was right.”
“I had fallen in love on that recruiting trip.”
Aleksey Korol
Men’s soccer, 1996-99
Indiana was 82-9-3 during Korol’s four years with the team, which resulted in Big Ten titles and Final Four berths each year. It culminated in back-to-back national championships in 1998 and 1999. Korol’s 12 goals and five assists in 17 NCAA Tournament games make him the all-time leading scorer in Tournament history. He was named to Soccer America’s Team of the Decade for the 1990s.
“First thing I want to say, if some of you guys may have a hard time understanding me, I've been in this country for 30 years and I’m trying to lose this accent, but it's not going well," Korol said. "Raise your hand and I'll explain it to you afterwards. Sometimes when I’m nervous I start speaking two different languages. Anyway, I'm humbled and honored to be here. When Scott Dolson called, I didn’t even know what to say … I was speechless for a second, just understanding how big of an achievement it is.”
“What that loss [to UCLA in the 1997 semifinals] is everything, I think, for the guys who remained on the team when we come back for next year. We were untouchable. Nobody could touch us. The destination was the championship. That’s how we felt and that’s how we performed on the field.”
Christina Loukas
Women’s diving, 2006-09
Loukas is the lone collegiate female to win four Big Ten Diver of the Year Awards. She was an All-American 11 times, was an NCAA runner-up three times and won an NCAA Championship her senior year. Loukas also appeared in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic games in three-meter diving.
“My goal tonight is to get through this without crying, but we know that’s not going to happen," Loukas said. "I have to start by saying thank you to everyone that has joined me here tonight. If you haven't noticed, my family travels in packs, and it's clearly a large one.”
“Someone told me during my college recruiting days that you will just know when you find a college you want to go to. And, after seeing how Indiana diving seemed like one big family and as you saw in that video, it is what made me instantly feel at home and made my decision so easy.”
“People may think it came easy. But no one sees the bruises from trying new dives, waking up from nightmares about diving 10-meter, which still happens to this day. The paralyzing fear I felt with certain dives, mental blocks that almost ended my career, or all the tears, and there were lots and lots of tears, like in the 10-meter platform. I have to thank my teammates and the staff for helping me get through the day-to-day obstacles.”
Tina McCall-Waters
Women’s tennis, 1978-81
McCall-Waters was the first Black female to receive an athletic scholarship at Indiana. McCall-Waters was a two-time First-Team All-American and was awarded First-Team All-Big Ten three times, coinciding with three Big Ten titles. She won the Leanne Grotke Award in 2020 and was inducted into the American Tennis Association’s Black Tennis Hall of Fame that same year.
“I called my daughter one day and said, 'Tara, go to school and tell her friends to come out and learn how to play tennis,'" McCall-Waters said. "Now, let me be honest, I miss tennis and I wanted my daughter to play tennis, but I was committed in helping others succeed … On the first day of practice, there were 42 kids on two tennis courts. I was shocked at the outcome.”
“I knew my children had friends, but my God. I didn’t think they had friend that wanted to come and play tennis … Out of the original 42 kids who signed up for the tennis program, 12 continued to play tennis every day for eight years. Other kids came and went but there was an elite group of 12 who became the founding members of the Denton Johnson Tennis Program that I developed in 2001.”
“As of today, this program has touched the lives of 700 kids. Twenty-five of these kids received college tennis scholarships. Others have attended college, many graduated from college with degrees and later entered the workforce in various fields. I give my two kids credit… for making my dream come true.”
Dr. Larry Rink
Men's basketball team physician, 1980-Present
Rink graduated from the IU School of Medicine, and is a practicing physician in cardiology and sports medicine in Bloomington. Rink served as the Team USA physician at the 1992 Summer Olympics, and has held that same position at past Olympic Trials, World University Games and more.
“You know, it's not the honor, it’s the journey," Rink said. "And I’ll have to say my journey has been incredible. I mean, I've gotten so much more out of Indiana University than they’ve gotten out of me. But for me, the award is also special. I look out there and I see some of the recipients. I’ve known some of these people; I worked with Olympic athletes. I know how hard it is. I know how hard it is to win a national championship and just know whatever you people do.”
“The loss of my daughter in May of 1995, and Scott lost his sister. But it pertains to this award and what’s going on here in this room, it really does. There are three things that made me understand that Indiana University sports are bigger than the game. They say it’s just a game but it’s not just a game, it’s not just a sport. They gave our family support, they helped us get through this, the University did.”
“We see kids and somebody with cancer and they’re down and out or they’ve lost a relative or something. What do they do? They want to come to an Indiana football game or an Indiana basketball game and we give them something. It’s more than whether we win or lose. Woody, I’ve seen you spend time with some of these people and you just don’t know how much it helps … They never know when they’re gonna touch somebody or what it means, but I’ve seen it happen so much.”
“For me personally … whenever I take care of one of our kids, I took care of Woody once, I was the doctor when he was playing. But I vowed after that, that I would treat them like my own child and I really think I have and I try to do that. Honestly, that’s true for all of the doctors we have here and the trainers that we have here… I appreciate you for giving me this award.”
