On Saturday, Sept. 6, the MTSU Varsity Club inducted five former MTSU athletes into the Hall of Fame.
According to Varsity Club member Jim Simpson, selecting athletes for the Hall of Fame is a “trying process” in which the Varsity Club attempts to represent “every decade, every sex, every sport.”
Varsity Club President Michael Jordan says, “This is a tremendous class of athletes,” regarding the 2008 inductees.
Jordan, who played football for MTSU with new inductees Joe Campbell and Kelly Holcomb, asserts, “Joe and Kelly were team leaders on and off the field.”
Campbell, a running back who finished with the Raiders in 1991 as the all-time career leader in rushing yards (3,823), touchdowns (45) and scoring (272 points), was Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year in 1990.
“I have done a lot of public speaking engagements, but the induction ceremony was the first time I was truly nervous,” admits Campbell. He tells me he appreciated his time at MTSU, and it means so much to be recognized by the university.
Holcomb was a quarterback and four-year starter for MTSU, who led the team to the OVC Championship in 1992. Holcomb left MTSU as the career passing leader with 7,064 yards, despite the run-oriented offense.
Holcomb went on to play for the NFL, serving stints with the Colts, Browns, Bills, Eagles and Vikings. He announced that he would retire from the NFL on July 7, 2008, and will become a radio reporter for MTSU football.
Holcomb’s former head coach Boots Donnelly says he was a “really special athlete.” As head coach of both Campbell and Holcomb, Donnelly adds, “They were voted into the Hall of Fame because of their character as well as their athletic abilities.”
John DoDoo was also inducted into the Hall of Fame for track and field, in which his record in the OVC outdoor triple jump of 54 feet 1/2 inch is yet to be broken even though it was set nearly 30 years ago. In 1977, DoDoo was named the OVC outdoor track Athlete of the Year.
DoDoo explains, “I was the first Ghanaian to attend MTSU and the first African in the Hall of Fame.” He tells me his time at MTSU, his athletic scholarship, and his dedication to education certainly made him a “better man.”
Paul Goebel was the first MTSU tennis All-American, who had a record of 18-5 in doubles play and was team captain during the 1993 – 94 campaign. He was all conference for three of his years at MTSU. He is now head coach at the University of Memphis.
Goebel says, being inducted was a very “humbling experience,” and “it’s nice to feel I had a part in bringing the tennis program to a national level.”
Jerry Beck was also inducted for his accomplishments on the basketball court. He won the OVC Player of the Year award in 1981 and 1982, and led MTSU to their third-ever NCAA appearance. Later Beck was drafted to the NBA, but chose to play basketball in the Netherlands until he retired at 42. Beck currently resides in Amsterdam.
