Shannan Ritchie
Track & Field 2013

 Shannan comes from a very athletic and large family. He is the tenth sibling of the 16 “Running Ritchies" clan. Fourteen of the 16 competed in track and cross country competitions in both high school and college. Five received college scholarships including Shannan who garnered one from Ohio University.

Shannan started running early and fell in love with the distance races. At the tender age of seven, he demonstrated his athleticism, competing in age-restricted track meets and cross country competitions in both the mile and half-mile events. Sponsors were track clubs in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

When he entered Walsh Jesuit High School, he came under the wing of brother Pat Ritchie, coach of both track and cross country. An outstanding performer in high school, Shannan set the school record in the mile of 4:15, which still stands today.

On to Ohio University in 1985 where he lettered four years in track and three in cross country. Knee surgery in 1987 prevented him from competing in cross country that year. During his four years at Ohio, he won a number of honors. He was selected an All-American in cross country in both his junior and senior years, All-Mid America Conference in track in both the 5K and 10K events, and he holds the Bobcats 5K record of 14:10.

He was a two-time All-Ohio Champion in cross country--- a competition that pits all of the major colleges and universities in the state. No one had ever won three titles and in his senior year Shannan was narrowly beaten by Mark Croghan of Ohio State, a future Olympian in the steeplechase and a member of the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame.

Shannon was inducted into the Walsh Jesuit and Ohio University Hall of Fame. He and his wife Amy have seven children and reside in Brecksville.

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Mike Foote
Official, Basketball 2013

Little did he know, but when Mike Foote was assigned an eighth and ninth grade basketball doubleheader in 1978 at Ross Junior High School in southwestern Ohio, it would kick off a distinguished officiating career that would span more than three decades at nearly every level of amateur basketball.

His notoriety on the hardwood began with a standout prep career at Newark High School. Foote then went on to letter three seasons at Kent State University under head coach Frank Truitt, serving as the captain of the 1970-71 squad. Following his initial officiating assignment at Ross, Foote moved up to the high school level in 1980, eventually working the Ohio High School Athletic Association boy’s state finals in 1991-92. At the same time, he began officiating at the collegiate level in the winter of 1983, both in the NAIA and various Division III conferences. Foote quickly moved up to the Mid-American Conference in November of 1985 – his first Division I assignment.

From there, the sky was the limit, as he worked in a wide variety of prominent conferences, including the Big East, Atlantic 10, Horizon League and GLIAC (Division II). He was selected to officiate the Men’s NCAA Division I Tournament six times, twice advancing to work at the NCAA Regional level. In addition, he has 13 National Invitation Tournament appearances to his credit, and the 2005 NCAA Division II national title game. Foote’s talents also extended to the softball field, where his award-winning amateur career led to his induction into the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America Hall of Fame (1982), the Summit County Softball Hall of Fame (1993) and the Ohio ASA Slow Pitch Hall of Fame (2003).

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LeShaunte Edwards
Track & Field 2013

This elite athlete came to The University of Akron with high hopes from Cleveland Rhodes High School where he had captured the 1997 Division I Ohio High School Track Championship in the 200 meter sprint. LeShaunte Edwards didn’t disappoint anyone as would go onto becoming the most decorated sprinter in UA track history during his four-year career from 1999 to 2002.

As a freshman he set the stage for his outstanding career by setting a new UA mark in 100 meter dash with a clocking of 10.23 for a second place finish in the Mid-American Outdoor Track Championship. He also finished third in the 200 meter sprint and ran the leadoff leg of Akron’s MAC champion record-setting 4 x 100 relay race. In 2000 Edwards came out of the blocks blazing, establishing UA indoor records in the 55, 60 and 200 meter sprints. In the MAC Outdoor Championships he won the 200 meter sprint and was voted the first of three Most Valuable Performer Awards. He went on to earn the first of three All-American accolades by finishing 7th in the 200 at the NCAA I Track Championships and was voted UA’s Male Athlete of the Year, which he would also earn in 2001 and ’02.

In 2001 Edwards placed 8th in the 200 and 11th in the 60 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championship to become the first male student-athlete at UA to earn All-America honors three times. In the MAC Outdoor Track Championship he would capture the 200 in 2001 and win the 100 meter in 2002. All told, he won 10 MAC events, set UA records in every sprint 200 meters and under and today still holds seven of those records.

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Richard Rudgers
Basketball 2013

When he entered Bowling Green State University in 1965, freshman were not allowed to play varsity sports so Dick Rudgers had to settle for being a three-year letterman on the Falcons basketball team. The 6’2” guard played a major role during his junior year when BGSU won the Mid-American Conference title with a 19-4 record. They represented the conference in the NCAA tournament, losing in the first round to Marquette University.

Two of the six seniors on the squad went on to play professionally—one in the ABA and the other in the NBA. In his senior season, Rudgers was named captain and paced the team in scoring at 16.1 per game. He was also voted in as Varsity Club President—an organization that included all athletes who competed in any sport for BGSU.

He joined the Akron Public School system upon graduation and entered the coaching ranks, serving 17 years as head basketball coach at both North and Firestone High Schools. At North (1972-83) his teams won a sectional championship and reached the district semifinals. During his six-year stint at Firestone (1983-89) he captured a sectional title.

Rudgers served 30 years in the Akron schools as a teacher and in administration. He attended Akron Central as a prep student and his career came full circle when he served as principal at Central-Hower. He retired in 2002 and he and his wife live in Akron.

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Courtney Pruner
Softball 2013

Perseverance has nothing on Courtney Pruner. The Akron native left an indelible mark on the softball diamond at every level she competed on, from travel, to high school, to college. She bookended her travel career with a national title at the NSA “B” Nationals in 1998 and a runner-up finish at the ASA “A” Nationals in 2005, leading her team to a 48-3 mark that year.

She was a three-sport standout at Ellet High School, racking up individual accolades in softball, volleyball and basketball. The all-time leader in home runs in Ohio High School Athletics Association history, Pruner was named the 2005 Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year. She was a three-time All-Ohio selection, garnering first team accolades as a senior, and led Ellet to four consecutive city and sectional titles – hitting .434 with 11 home runs as a senior, while posting a 21-5 record with a 0.78 ERA in the circle. She also collected honorable mention All-Ohio honors her final campaign on the volleyball court.

Pruner picked up right where she left off after matriculating to The Ohio State University. Despite being hampered by multiple surgeries on both hips, her tenure with the Buckeyes was marked by both individual and team accomplishments. A two-time first team All-Big Ten performer (2008 & ‘10), she also garnered a second team nod in 2009. Pruner was named the team’s most improved player in 2007 and earned the Coaches Award in 2009. She helped lead Ohio State to the program’s first Super Regional berth and finished her career fourth on the school’s career list for both home runs and RBI. Pruner has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Cleveland State University.

 

Harvey H. Glover
Basketball 2013

Although a native of Akron, OH Harvey Glover had to be recruited by Hall of Fame basketball coach Wyatt Webb out of Orange, NJ to play basketball at The University of Akron. It was a fortunate move for Webb and the Zip basketball program since Glover, a first team All-New Jersey honoree, became a prime reason for UA’s resurgence back to national prominence in the early 1970’s.

While earning four letters during four winning seasons, the 6-5, 190 pound forward began his career as a part-time starter, but was best known as UA’s "super sub”. As a sophomore in 1970-71 he came off the bench to key wins on 14 occasions, scoring in double figures in seven of those games. During his last three campaigns that included three trips to the NCAA College Division Basketball Tournament and Mideast Regional crowns in 1972 and ‘73, UA captured 68 of 84 games for a .809 winning percentage. In that 1971-72 season, Glover started in all 31 games as UA won an all-time record high 26 games and finished national runner-up to Roanoke College. As a fulltime starter his last two seasons, Glover averaged 11.3 points and 9.8 rebounds a game. His personal highs came in the 1973 contest with St. Vincent College (PA), 25 points and 17 rebounds and he ended his 102-game career with 801 rebounds, eighth on Akron’s all-time career list.

In 1993, Glover was inducted into UA’s Sports Hall of Fame. Also joining Glover in his alma mater’s Hall of Fame are 1971-72 starters Len Paul (a 1981 SCSHOF inductee), Larry Quarles, Will Schwarzinger and Randy Anderson, as well as, Nate Barnett, a 1972-73 teammate.

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Mark Gangloff
Swimming 2013

One of the top swimmers to ever come out of Akron. Gangloff led the Firestone High School swim team to a state championship in 2000, his senior year, before entering Auburn University, where he continued to shine. In total Gangloff has captured eight gold medals during his swimming career in Olympic, World Championship and Pan-American Games competition.

At Auburn he helped the Tigers to NCAA championships in 2003 and 2004, four Southeastern Conference titles and 12 All-American honors. Individually, Mark won SEC titles in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke and was a member of the winning 200 and 400 medley relay teams in 2004. As a senior, Gangloff served as captain of the swim team. His crowning achievement came in his final year when he qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games, in Athens, Greece winning a gold medal as part of the 400 medley relay team. In a tight race , he just missed capturing another medal as he finished fourth in his favorite individual competition, the 100 breaststroke. Four years later he again qualified for the Olympics which were held in Beijing, China. And again he won a gold medal as a member of the 400 medley relay team, to become a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

During his time at Auburn, Gangloff also competed in World Championship competition, capturing three gold medals in the 400 medley relay. After graduation, he continued to compete in the World Championships, finishing second in the 50 breaststroke in 2005, third in 2009 and sixth in 2011. He served as team captain for the 2009 and 2011 teams.

Additionally, he participated in the Pan-American Games in 1999, 2003 and 2007, garnering gold medals in the 400 medley relay in both 2003 and 2007. Also in 2003, he won the gold in the 100 breaststroke, and as a high school senior captured a bronze in the 200 breaststroke in 1999.

Gangloff graduated from Auburn in 2005 and is currently the Assistant Swimming and Diving coach at the University of Missouri. He and his wife Ashley, a former national champion diver at Auburn, have one daughter and reside in Columbia, Missouri.