June 10, 2011
2011 Hall of Fame Announcement Photo Gallery
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The National Iowa Varsity Club and the University of Iowa Athletics Department announced today the names of six individuals who make up the 2011 Athletics Hall of Fame Class. Five former University of Iowa student-athletes and one former coach will be officially inducted into the National Iowa Varsity Club Athletics Hall of Fame on September 3, the day Iowa football hosts Tennessee Tech in the 2011 home opener. This is Iowa’s 23rd Athletics Hall of Fame Class.
Keith McCanless (gymnastics 1967-69), Sherwyn Thorson (football 1959-61 and wrestling 1960, 1962), Tim Dwight (football 1994-97 and track and field 1996-99), Mary Koboldt (field hockey 1982-85), Joe Williams (wrestling 1994, 1996-98) and Duane Banks (baseball coach, 1970-97) represent Iowa’s newest group of Hall of Fame inductees.
The six were selected by a vote of all dues-paying members of the National Iowa Varsity Club. All former Hawkeye athletes who have won at least one major letter are eligible for the Hall of Fame. Athletes must have completed their eligibility at least 10 years and coaches/administrators at least five years prior to selection.
The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony banquet will be held September 3 at the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. The festivities will begin with a 5:30 p.m. reception followed by dinner and the induction ceremony. The HOF induction banquet is open to the public. Tickets may be purchased for $35 by sending your name and check to the National Iowa Varsity Club, ATTN: HOF Banquet, University of Iowa, 340 CHA, Iowa City, IA, 52242 by Friday, August 26. For more information please call the Varsity Club office at (319) 335-9438.
Heritage Era – Athletes
Keith McCanless — Keith McCanless was a three-year letterwinner and one of three seniors on the Iowa men’s gymnastics team that won the University’s first-ever team national title in 1969. He was a three-time all-Big Ten selection on the pommel horse while capturing two Big Ten titles on the apparatus. McCanless won NCAA individual titles on the pommel horse while being selected as a first team All-American in 1967 and 1969. He recorded the highest score at the NCAA Championship each year from 1967-1969, and became the first Hawkeye to win a team and individual National Championship in 1969.
Sherwyn Thorson — Sherwyn “Thumper” Thorson was a three-time Iowa letterwinner in football and a two-time letterwinner in wrestling. On the mat, Thorson was awarded All-America honors in 1960 as the NCAA heavy weight runner-up, as well as in 1962, when he claimed the NCAA title. As a guard on the football team from 1959 through 1961, Thorson contributed to three winning seasons and a Big Ten co-Championship in 1960 with Iowa finishing No. 2 in the AP poll. He continued his football prowess in the Canadian Football League as a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for seven seasons and was inducted to the Canadian Blue Bomber Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
Modern Era – Athletes
Tim Dwight — Tim Dwight, an Iowa City native, was a four-time letterwinner in both track and field and football for the University of Iowa. In 1997, Dwight was the lead leg of the 1998 Big Ten outdoor champion 4×400 relay team. An All-American in 1999, Dwight won the Big Ten outdoor title in the 100 meter dash. On the gridiron, he was selected as a first-team All-American in 1996 and consensus All-American in 1997. Dwight finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1997, receiving five first-place votes. The Atlanta Falcons drafted Dwight in 1998, and he went on to play 10 years in the NFL, retiring from professional football following the 2007 season.
Mary Koboldt — As a field hockey player, Mary Koboldt was a four-year letterwinner, four-time all-Big Ten selection and two-time All-American. She helped lead Iowa to two Big Ten titles, three NCAA Elite Eight appearances and a second place finish in the 1984 NCAA Field Hockey Championship, being selected to the all-Tournament Team. As a senior, she was named First-Team All-America in 1985, as well as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and was a nominee for the Broderick Award, which honors the top collegiate field hockey athlete. After Iowa, Koboldt continued her playing career as a U.S. National Field Hockey team member from 1987 through 1990 and was a member of the 1988 Olympic team.
Joe Williams — Joe Williams earned four wrestling letters from 1994 to 1998. As a true freshman, he finished the 1994 season seventh in the NCAA Tournament. He won Big Ten titles in 1996 and 1998 and won his third consecutive Midlands title in 1997, becoming only the sixth wrestler in 33 years to do so. He held the No. 1 ranking for his entire senior season, going undefeated and winning his third consecutive NCAA title. He was named Outstanding Wrestler of 1998 NCAA Tournament and became Iowa’s 14th four-time All-American, finishing with a career record of 129-9-0. Williams won the bronze at the 2001 and 2005 World Championships and was a member of the 2004 Olympic freestyle team.
Coach
Duane Banks — Duane Banks was named head coach halfway through the 1970 season, a position he held until he retired following the 1997 season. Banks led the Hawkeyes to its only College World Series appearance in 1972 and won Big Ten Championships in 1972 and 1990, as well as a share of the Big Ten crown in 1974. In 1981, Banks led Iowa to 44 wins, the most in school history. He earned Big Ten Conference and District Coach of the Year honors in 1990 and was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1991. Banks posted a career record of 901-585-4 as Iowa’s head coach, while coaching six All-Americans, 31 all-Big Ten selections, 33 Academic All-Americans and 57 players who signed professional contracts. In the fall of 2001, Iowa’s home field was officially designated as the Duane Banks Baseball Field.