Warrensburg, Mo. (Dec. 11, 2000) -- Ten individuals and two teams make up the 10th class of inductees for Central Missouri State University's Athletic Hall of Fame. This will be the largest number of individuals inducted in one class since the Hall of Fame was established in 1992.

The induction ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 17, at a 9:30 a.m. brunch in the University Union Ballroom.

Chosen by the hall of fame selection committee for induction in the student-athlete category are Rick Clear (men's track & cross country, 1973-77), Ron Collier (football, 1968-71), Susan Dixon (volleyball, 1984-87), Gordon McFarland (men's basketball, 1959-63) and Eric Stuckenschneider (pronounced STUCK-en-shnie-der) (baseball, 1990-94).

Chosen in the coaches' category are former Mules' wrestling coach Roger Denker (pronounced DENK-er) (1963-81) and former Mules' football coach Howard Mahanes (pronounced Muh-HANES) (1966-74).

Chosen in the special recognition category are the late W.B. Russell and his son, the late H.H. Russell, both of whom were longtime Warrensburg businessmen and avid CMSU supporters, and current athletics facilities custodial supervisor Richard Delap (pronounced Duh-LAP).

The teams selected for induction are the 1995 Mules' baseball team and the 1995 Mules' cross country team.

Clear came to Central Missouri from Warrensburg High School and became a six-time NCAA All-American in cross country and track and field. As a sophomore in 1975, he placed 21st at the Division II cross country championships and placed third in the three-mile run at the national track and field championships. The following year he placed fifth in the 5,000 meter run at the Division II championships.

He capped his CMSU career by winning the 10,000 meter run at the 1977 Division II Championships. In addition to winning the 10,000 meters, he placed fourth the next day in the 5,000 meters. He received the 1977 Vernon Kennedy Award as Central Missouri's outstanding senior male student-athlete.

Clear later returned to his alma mater and coached the cross country teams and the Jennies' track and field team from 1985 through 1986. One of his runners for the Jennies was Hall of Fame inductee Darla Moberly, who won a national championship in the 3,000 meter run in 1986.

Collier was a standout defensive back for the Mules under Howard Mahanes and played on two bowl teams. A graduate of Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Okla., he earned first-team all-MIAA recognition three straight years. He became a starter midway through his freshman campaign, shared the team lead in pass interceptions with four that season and played in the 1968 Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, Mo.

In each of the next three seasons, he led the team in interceptions and was a first-team all-MIAA selection. He was third on the team in tackles on the Mules' 1970 Pecan Bowl team that faced Arkansas State University in Arlington, Texas, and led the team in tackles in 1971. He finished his career with 22 interceptions, establishing the Mules' career record which still stands. As a senior, he was a second-team Kodak All-American, as well as a third-team Associated Press Little All-America choice.

McFarland teamed with inaugural Hall of Fame inductee Bud Vallino to give the Mules a potent scoring duo in the early 1960s. A graduate of Troy (Ill.) High School, he played his first two seasons at Central Missouri under Coach Earl Keth, averaging 12.6 points as a freshman and 14.2 points as a sophomore. He played his final two seasons under coach Gene Bartow.

As a junior, he averaged 20.8 points per game and was a first-team all-MIAA selection, as the Mules were 16-6. His 42-point performance against the University of Missouri-Rolla that season established what was then the Mules' single-game scoring record until Vallino broke it two seasons later with a 48-point effort.

As a senior, McFarland averaged 19.6 points per game, helped lead the Mules to a 17-6 record and was a second-team all-MIAA selection. He finished his four-year career with 1,262 points and a 17.8 career scoring average. His career point total ranks ninth in CMSU history. He also played on the Mules' baseball team.

Following his graduation, he coached for two years at Jacksonville (Ill.) High School, then returned to CMSU for his master's degree, during which time he served as a graduate assistant coach for the basketball team. After receiving his master's degree, he returned to Illinois and was a teacher and coach for 31 years before retiring in 1994.

Dixon was the Jennies' setter for four seasons and is their career leader in assists with 5,460. A graduate of Warrensburg High School, Dixon became the Jennies' starting setter in the third tournament of the 1984 season and held that position for the remainder of her career.

After earning second-team all-MIAA recognition as a freshman, she was a first-team all-MIAA selection each of the next three seasons and was the league's MVP as a junior and as a senior. She was the first Jennies' player to win MIAA MVP honors two straight years. She earned All-America honors as a junior and as a senior. She was also a second-team Academic All-America selection in 1987.

The Jennies compiled a record of 151-25 during her career, winning four MIAA titles and making four NCAA tournament appearances, including a runner-up finish in 1987 in which she was named to the Division II Championship All-Tournament Team. That 1987 team was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.

Stuckenschneider was a key member of the Mules' 1994 NCAA Division II national championship team, starting every game in center field and earning first-team All-America recognition. A graduate of Fatima High School, he hit .435 with nine home runs and 56 RBI in that 1994 season. He was second on the team in hits with 94 and set a Division II record that still stands by scoring 103 runs.

After a promising freshman season in 1991, he was stricken with a rare blood disorder that caused him to miss the entire 1992 season. He recovered and received a medical hardship ruling that allowed him to play three more seasons. He finished his career ranked in the Mules' top 10 in runs scored (1st), stolen bases (tied for 3rd), hits (5th), RBI (9th) and home runs (tied for 9th). He is one of only three players in Mules' history to surpass 200 hits and 200 runs scored in his career. His career batting average was .348.

Following his CMSU career, he played six seasons in the minor leagues with the Oakland A's and Los Angeles Dodgers' organizations. He played most of the 1998 season at the Class Triple-A level with the Dodgers' top farm team at Albuquerque, N.M., and for part of the 1999 season he was on the A's 40-man major league roster.

Denker guided the Mules' wrestling program to national prominence during his 17-year tenure as head coach. Highly respected as a coach, educator and administrator, Denker coached the Mules to seven MIAA championships and six top 20 finishes at the NCAA Division II Championships. Three times he was voted MIAA coach of the year. The Mules had 10 All-Americans and 63 national qualifiers under Denker. His 143 dual match wins are the most in Mules' wrestling history.

In addition to his wrestling coaching duties, Denker also was an assistant football coach for the Mules from 1963 to 1972 and taught in the physical education department. He also served as acting athletics director for the 1980-81 school year. He retired from coaching after the 1980-81 season and retired from teaching with the rank of professor emeritus in 1993. He has been previously inducted into the South Dakota Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Missouri Wrestling Hall of Fame. The Mules have one of their open tournaments each season named in his honor.

Mahanes directed the Mules' football program for nine seasons and is the only Mules' football coach to take teams to two bowl games. He came to Central Missouri in 1966 after five seasons as head coach at Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College. He took over a program that had endured nine straight losing seasons and had won as many as four games only once during that period.

After a 4-5-0 record his first season, Mahanes led the Mules to records of 6-4-0, 7-2-1, 5-4-0 and 9-2-0 in the next four seasons. His 1968 squad earned a bid to the Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, Mo. His 1970 squad was the first Mules' football team to win nine games in a season, shared the MIAA title, and earned a bid to the Pecan Bowl in Arlington, Texas. His nine-year coaching tenure is tied for third and he is third in career coaching wins among all Mules' football coaches.

W.B. Russell and his son, H.H., were longtime Warrensburg businessmen and avid sports boosters. W.B. Russell opened Russell Brothers' men's clothing store in Warrensburg in 1915. He retired as a traveling men's clothing salesman in 1938.

At a time when support for athletic teams by boosters was far more permissible than it is under current NCAA regulations, both Russells offered financial support for Mules' teams and even provided transportation to out of town contests on occasion.

W.B. Russell's enthusiastic support of the Mules and local high school teams earned him the title of "Sports Fan One" in Warrensburg. H.H. Russell lettered in football for the Mules in 1917 under inaugural Hall of Fame inductee Forrest C. (Phog) Allen and later served as mayor of Warrensburg. He continued the strong support for the Mules that his father had displayed.

For many years, he was the host for fall and spring athletic banquets for CMSU and high school football and basketball teams in honor of his late father, who died in 1950 at the age of 75. H.H. Russell died in 1984 at the age of 85.

Delap has been in his current position at CMSU since 1987. His countless hours of work, far beyond normal working hours, and tireless dedication to make all of CMSU's athletics facilities always look their finest have won him the respect and admiration of all who work with him. In addition, his willingness to help any individual or group with any problem at any time causes people to marvel at his ability to interact with a wide variety of people's interest.

A retired Air Force master sergeant who served in Viet Nam, Delap is a CMSU graduate.

The 1995 Mules' baseball team had the difficult task of following in the footsteps of the 1994 national championship team, which was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year. Gone from the 1994 squad were six regulars and three of the top four starting pitchers, as well as head coach Dave Van Horn.

Nevertheless, new head coach Brad Hill and the 1995 Mules established their own identity. They breezed through the MIAA schedule with a 19-1 record, then went through the MIAA Tournament undefeated. They also won the NCAA Central Regional in three straight games and earned a return trip to the Division II Championship in Montgomery, Ala.

After an opening game loss to Georgia College, the Mules rebounded with two more wins before bowing out to eventual national champion Florida Southern College and finishing third. Their 49-10 record was the second best in school history, topped only by the 51-11 mark of the previous year.

Senior pitcher Bob Poisal (pronounced POY-zull) had a sensational season, producing a 13-3 record with eight complete games and three shutouts. He received virtually every possible post-season honor. He was the MIAA MVP, Central Region pitcher of the year, a first-team All-America selection and a first-team Academic All-American. He capped his season by receiving the Ken B. Jones Award as the MIAA's male student-athlete of the year. Hill was voted Central Region coach of the year in his first season. The Mules set or tied 11 MIAA records and 19 school records.

The 1995 Mules' cross country team, coached by Kirk Pedersen, is considered one of the most dominant teams in the program's history. The Mules won the MIAA championship, starting a string of five straight league titles, with a team score of 20 (15 is a perfect score), the best winning team score in the MIAA in 22 years. They claimed the top four individual places [Jonah Melly, Alexandr Alexin (pronounced Uh-LEX-in), Eliasa Tanui (pronounced E-lee-AH-suh Tuh-NOO-ee) and Martin Fysh (pronounced FYE-sh)] in the MIAA meet and their fifth runner (Nate Stroot) placed 10th. Pedersen was MIAA coach of the year.

At the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, the Mules finished third to qualify for the Division II Championship at Spartanburg, S.C. Paced by four top 20 finishers (Alexin 5th, Melly 10th, Tanui 12th and Fysh 19th), the Mules placed second at the Division II Championship with 98 points. At the time, that was the best national finish ever for a Mules' cross country team. Since that 1995 season, the Mules also have had a second-place finish in 1997.

The Feb. 17 induction brunch is open to the public. Tickets are $12 and can be obtained by contacting the Central Missouri State athletics office at 660-543-4250 by Feb. 12. The 2001 inductees also will be introduced and recognized at halftime of the Mules' basketball game against Missouri Southern State College that afternoon.

To be eligible for selection to the hall of fame in the student-athlete or team categories, nominees must have completed their eligibility or competition at least five years prior to selection. Student-athlete nominees must have earned at least two varsity letters at Central Missouri. Qualifications and criteria are based primarily upon accomplishments at Central Missouri, but also may include accomplishments outside the university.

Nominees in the coaches category must have completed their service to Central Missouri at least five years prior to selection. Nominees in the distinguished service category can be selected without any restrictions on their dates of service.