Aaron Craft, Shawn Springs, Tom Tupa, Logan Stieber Among 15 To Be Inducted Into Ohio State Athletics Hall Of Fame
Ohio State announced on Tuesday afternoon the 15 former Buckeyes that will be inducted into the athletic department’s Hall of Fame as part of its class of 2022.
The group includes Bill Ray Anders (football), Greg Bice (men’s lacrosse), John Bluem (men’s soccer coach), Charles W. Bolen (football and men’s basketball), Joel Brown (men’s track), Aaron Craft (men’s basketball), Adam Crompton (men’s fencing), Jenna Harris Griffin (women’s track), Alayna Markwordt (women’s lacrosse), Russ Nagelson (baseball), Shawn Springs (football), Logan Stieber (wrestling), Jonathan Sweet (baseball), Tom Tupa (football) and Dan Whitacre (wrestling).
Created in 1977, the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame has inducted 458 student-athletes, coaches and administrators. That includes 128 football players, 45 men’s basketball players and 30 head coaches, regardless of sport.
This year’s inductees, whose biographies were provided by the athletic department, will be inducted during a dinner at the Covelli Center on Sept. 9. They will then be recognized during Ohio State’s game against Arkansas State on Sept. 10.
Billy Ray Anders
Football, 1965-67
Remarkably, Anders never played football until he tried out for the Ohio State team in 1965. Not only did he make the team, but he was a three-year starter and a three-year letterman (1965-66-67) for Ohio State football teams coached by Woody Hayes.
Although Hayes’ teams didn’t throw the football much, Anders was the most productive receiver Hayes ever had, catching a school-record 55 passes in 1966 and also setting the school career record with 108 receptions and 1,318 yards for his three-year career. His single-season record stood for 19 years, or until Cris Carter broke the record with 58 in 1985, while his career receptions and yardage records stood until 1983 when John Frank broke both with 121 for 1,418 yards.
Anders was a first-team All-Big Ten Conference performer and an Ohio State team captain in 1967. He started every game between 1965-67, 27 in all.
Greg Bice
Men’s Lacrosse, 2001-04
A four-year starter from 2001-04 as a member of the men’s lacrosse team, Bice is one of the best defensive players to ever put on the scarlet and gray. A two-time USILA All-American, he was named the Great Western Lacrosse League co-Player of the Year as a senior in 2004 when he led the Buckeyes to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. His play helped Ohio State to a 38-20 record from 2001-04 and back-to-back GWLL regular season titles in 2003 and 2004. Bice was a three-time first-team All-GWLL selection and following his senior season in 2004 was chosen to play in the North/South All-Star Game.
Following his Ohio State career, Bice went on to play professionally for 13 seasons. He was a four-time Major League Lacrosse All-Star and twice was the New Balance Sportsman of the Year while playing for five different teams, including the hometown Ohio Machine.
Today, Bice remains involved with the game of lacrosse and helping others. He is a color commentator for BTN’s coverage of Big Ten lacrosse and is on the advisory board of the non-profit organization Lacrosse the Nations, which is an “international humanitarian organization that utilizes sport and play to foster education and the development of critical life skills for children living in impoverished communities worldwide.” He and his wife, Emily, spent time teaching at the orphanage in Honduras.
John Bluem
Men’s Soccer Coach, 1997-2017
Bluem is the most accomplished men’s soccer coach in Ohio State history. In 21 seasons in Columbus, Bluem guided the Buckeyes to 206 wins and five Big Ten championships. During his tenure, Ohio State appeared in the NCAA Tournament 10 times and advanced to the College Cup finals in 2007.
In 27 seasons as a college head coach, his teams won 292 matches and advanced to the NCAA tournament 14 times. The Big Ten Conference named Bluem its coach of the year four times, giving him a total of seven conference coach of the year accolades. He won the honor three times while at Fresno State (1991-96).
Not only were Bluem’s teams successful on the pitch, they were equally as productive in the classroom and community. During his tenure, four Buckeyes were named All-Americans, two earned Senior CLASS Awards, six were Big Ten Distinguished Scholars, 31 earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, 191 were Academic All-Big Ten honorees and 17 were Major League Soccer draft picks.
Bluem attend Hartwick College in New York. While there the team made three trips to the NCAA Championships, advancing to the final four in 1974. The Hartwick Hall of Famer (Class of 2002) was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rowdies, who won the 1975 Soccer Bowl.
Charles W. Bolen
Football, 1915-17, Men’s Basketball, 1916-18
Bolen was a three-year letterman on three of Ohio State’s outstanding early-1900s football teams. Ohio State went 20-1-2 between 1915-17 and won consecutive Big Ten Conference championships in 1916 and 1917. The Buckeyes were 5-1-1 in 1915, 7-0 in 1916 and 8-0-1 in 1917 and had a 17-game winning streak at one point, along with a 19-game unbeaten streak.
An end on teams that featured Chic Harley, Bolen was a consensus All-American in 1917 and a first-team All-Big Ten Conference performer.
He also played basketball for the Buckeyes and lettered for three seasons (1916-18). He was team captain in 1917-18 and was a two-year starter. After graduation, Bolen coached football and basketball at Ohio Northern University and is credited with starting the school’s intramural sports program.
Joel Brown
Men’s Track and Field, 2001-04
Brown’s speed as a Buckeye still holds as his career had a lasting impact on the Oho State track and field program. Brown holds the program record in the 55m hurdles (a since retired event) and the 110m hurdles. He held the 60m record for more than a decade and currently ranks third in program history.
Brown was a four-time Big Ten champion, winning the indoor 60m hurdles title in 2003 and outdoor 110m hurdles crowns in both 2003 and ’04. He was also part of the 4x400m relay championship team in 2001. In 2003, Brown earned first-team All-America honors in the 60m hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships. He was a three-time outdoor All-American – in the 110m hurdles in 2003 and ’04 and the 4x400m relay in 2001. He also captured the 2004 NCAA Mideast Regional title in the 110m hurdles.
Following the conclusion of his collegiate career, Brown earned sponsorships from Nike and Adidas as he competed worldwide and in the Olympic Trials. He was the national champion in the 60m hurdles in 2005 and finished sixth at World Championships that same year. Brown was a member of the world record breaking shuttle hurdle relay team in 2008 at the Penn Relays. In his Olympic Trials appearances, he finished ninth in 2004, 12th in 2008 and 11th in 2012.
Brown returned to Ohio State after graduation as a volunteer coach with the program. In 2014, he earned a full-time role as an assistant coach for sprints and hurdles and has since been promoted to track and field associate head coach. Brown is a four-time USTFCCCA Great Lakes Assistant Coach of the Year and has personally coached more than 25 All-Americans and 20 school records. He has helped lead the Buckeyes to nine Big Ten team championships.
Aaron Craft
Men’s Basketball, 2011-14
Craft is one of Ohio State men’s basketball’s all-time greats. He is the program’s career leader in both steals (337) and assists (694) as he led the team in both categories in each of his four seasons from 2011-14. Craft’s 337 career steals are the most in Big Ten history and, at the time of his induction, are 15th-most in NCAA history.
The Findlay, Ohio, native was a four-time Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection and was twice named the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year. He was also the NABC National Defensive Player of the Year in 2014.
Craft played in 148 games over his four seasons, second-most in Ohio State history, and was a part of 119 victories which is tied with classmate Lenzelle Smith Jr. for most by a Buckeye. He scored over 1,300 points and is one of three players in Big Ten history with 600 assists and 300 steals. Craft led the Buckeyes to Big Ten regular season titles in 2011 and 2012 and the Big Ten Tournament title in 2013 where he was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Craft was just as big a star off the court. He was a three-time CoSIDA first-team Academic All-America. He was twice named the Division I Academic All-American of the Year in men’s basketball (2013, 2014) and was a four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete. In 2012, he received the Elite 89 Award Winner for highest GPA in the 2012 NCAA Final Four. As a senior in 2014, he was Ohio State’s Big Ten Medal of Honor winner.
Adam Crompton
Men’s Fencing, 2003-06
Crompton captured three NCAA men’s sabre titles during his four-year Ohio State career from 2003-06. He was the national champion as a freshman in 2003 and defended his title in 2004, closing out his collegiate career with his third crown in 2006. Crompton was a four-time All-American, with three first-team nods and a second team honor after finishing seventh at the 2005 NCAA Championships.
Crompton was part of the Buckeyes’ 2004 NCAA championship squad, with three other Top 4 team finishes, and four Midwest Collegiate Conference team championships, as well as four conference men’s team champions and men’s sabre squad winners. He won the conference men’s sabre crown in both 2004 and ’06. In all, Crompton notched a 105-05 regular season record in the Scarlet and Gray.
A native of Newark, N.J., Crompton also earned many accolades on the international level and was ranked in the Top 10 in the U.S. Senior Division. He won gold medals for U.S. National and Pan American squads.
Jenna Harris Griffin
Women’s Track and Field, 2004-08
Harris Griffin earned all-conference honors each of her four years as a member of the track & field program at Ohio State with three first-team selections. The 2008 Big Ten Medal of Honor winner was one of the top sprinters of her era, winning four individual Big Ten Championships (60m in 2005 and 2007, 100m in 2005 and 2008) and one relay championship (4x100m relay in 2008) during her collegiate career.
Harris Griffin became an All-American during the indoor season in 2007 in the 400m. She also earned All-America honors in 2008 during the outdoor season in both the 400m and 4x400m relay. Harris Griffin was the women’s 400m program record holder, both indoors and outdoors, during her Ohio State career. In the classroom, her grades put her on the Academic All-Big Ten team four times and she was also a five-time OSU Scholar Athlete.
After graduating from Ohio State, Harris Griffin completed a graduate certificate in human nutrition at Iowa State. She is currently studying for her doctorate in clinical nutrition, human nutrition and functional medicine at the University of Western States. Harris Griffin is the founder and CEO of Generations Nutrition & Wellness – a wellness and fitness service in Atlanta.
Alayna Markwordt
Women’s Lacrosse, 2009-12
Markwordt is the all-time leader in goals (181) and points (314) and ranks third in assists (133) for the Ohio State women’s lacrosse program. She is the only Buckeye with more than 300 points and her 4.60 points per game average is among the Top 30 in NCAA history.
The native of Woodbine, Md., was a two-time Second Team All-American and a four-time All-Midwest/West Region honoree. The 2009 American Lacrosse Conference Rookie of the Year, she earned first-team All-ALC honors in 2011 and ’12 and second team all-conference accolades in 2009 and ’10. Markwordt ended her career on a program-record 65-game point streak, as she notched 90 points as a senior in 2012, the third-most points in a single season in school history. She started all 68 games over her four-year career and led Ohio State in goals, assists and points in 2011 and in scoring in 2012. She had three games with nine-plus points, including a school-record tying 11 against Johns Hopkins in 2009.
A four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Markwordt earned her master’s degree in medical dietetics from Ohio State and is a medical dietician in Washington, D.C. She signed a multi-year endorsement contract with Brine after her collegiate career.
Russ Nagelson
Baseball, 1964-66
Nagelson was a three-year letter winner on the baseball team from 1964-66. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native played a key role in helping lead the Buckeyes to the program’s only College World Series title in 1966. He was named to the All-College World Series team that year and collected a pair of hits and a team-high three RBI in the championship game victory over Oklahoma State.
Nagelson appeared in 84 games for the Buckeyes over his three seasons. He had a career average of .253 with 69 hits and 12 home runs. Nagelson led the team in runs batted in each of his final two seasons with 29 in 1965 and 30 in 1966. He finished his career with 68 total RBI.
Nagelson was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 14th round of the 1966 draft and went on to play in parts of four seasons in the big leagues for Cleveland and Detroit.
Shawn Springs
Football, 1994-96
Springs is one of the great cornerbacks in Ohio State history. In his junior season of 1996, he was one of the dominant players in college football and was named the Big Ten Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year despite not recording an interception all season.
Teams simply chose not to throw at Springs, who still led the team with a then-school record 15 pass break-ups and 39 tackles. He was a consensus All-American that year as well and was named first-team All-Big Ten for the second consecutive year.
Springs was a three-year starter for the Buckeyes and played in 37 games. He totaled 152 career tackles, including 112 solo stops, and 24 pass break-ups along with six interceptions. His 24 pass break-ups total was a school record and it still ranks sixth in school history.
Springs was selected in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft, the No. 3 pick overall, by the Seattle Seahawks. Springs is the highest drafted cornerback in school history, tied with Denzel Ward, who was the No. 3 overall pick of the first round in the 2018 NFL Draft, by Cleveland.
Logan Stieber
Wrestling, 2012-15
Stieber is one of the most accomplished collegiate wrestlers in the history of the NCAA. As a Buckeye he won four NCAA Division I national championships, four Big Ten Conference championships and the Dan Hodge Trophy.
Stieber became only the fourth wrestler in NCAA history and the first in the Big Ten to win four individual national championships, winning his fourth title March 21, 2015. That same year, he led Ohio State to the first wrestling national championship in school history.
Stieber finished his NCAA career with a record of 119-3, boasting the highest winning percentage (.975) in school history. Two of his NCAA titles were at 133 pounds (2012-2013) and two were at 141 pounds (2014-2015). As a senior, he was 29-0. Over four years as a Buckeye, 96 of his wins were bonus point victories and 50 of those were by fall. He ended his collegiate career on a 50-match win streak.
As a high school wrestler at Monroeville, he won four Ohio High School Division III individual titles and helped the Eagles to the team title in 2010. Internationally, Stieber was a freestyle world champion in 2016 as well as a World Cup and Pan American Champion in 2018.
Stieber is currently an assistant coach with the Buckeyes.
Jonathan Sweet
Baseball, 1992-94
Sweet was a three-year letter winner on the baseball team from 1992-94., He earned Second Team All-America honors after batting .390 in his final season in Columbus in 1994. The 1994 Big Ten Player of the Year captained the Buckeyes to one of the best seasons in program history when the squad was a nation’s best 49-9 and won the Big Ten title.
As a sophomore in 1993, Sweet appeared in 63 games and batted .341 while helping the team to a Big Ten title and a runner-up finish at the NCAA regional. Sweet also earned freshman All-American honors in 1992 after hitting .291 with 26 RBI.
At the time of his induction, Sweet ranks 14th on the all-time list at Ohio State with a .351 career batting average and eight triples. His remarkable 1994 season still stands out as one of the best individual years by any OSU hitter, as he ranks in the Top 20 in a single season in batting average (.390), hits (87), doubles (21), RBI (56) and runs scored (63).
Sweet was drafted in the 19th round of the 1994 amateur draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He would play six seasons of minor league ball, advancing to Triple-A Nashville in 1998.
Tom Tupa
Football, 1984-87
Tupa was a two-way player for the football Buckeyes while lettering four years between 1984 and 1987. He held six Ohio State punting records at the conclusion of his career, including single season and career average with 47.1 in 1984 and 44.7 for his career. He still holds the two best single season marks, including 47.0 in 1987. His 9,564 career yards still rank second all-time and his 2,963 yards in 1987 rank third. Tupa was a 1987 consensus All-American as a punter.
Tupa was 6-4-1 as Ohio State’s starting quarterback in 1987 with his most important win coming in Earle Bruce’s last game as coach, 23-20, at Michigan. He threw for 2,252 passing yards and still ranks 23rd on Ohio State’s career yardage list.
Tupa had an 18-year NFL career as a punter, playing for seven teams between 1988 and 2005. He was first-team All-Pro in 1999, was named to the New England Patriots All-1990s decade team and he won a Super Bowl in 2002 with Tampa Bay.
Dan Whitacre
Wrestling, 1925-27
Whitacre competed at heavyweight for Ohio State in wrestling from 1925-27. He was a two-time Big Ten Champion (1926, 1927) and the second Buckeye to win multiple conference titles in Ohio State history.
A three-time letter winner, Whitacre was a pioneer Ohio State wrestler. The team first competed in 1921 and there were only three Ohio State wrestling teams before he entered school.
After earning his undergraduate degree from Ohio State, Whitacre attended and graduated from the Ohio State University Medical School and was a Columbus physician for the rest of his life. He provided free medical care for Ohio State wrestlers for many years. His son competed and was a captain for the wrestling Buckeyes in the 1950s.
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