TGFC - Hall of Fame Members - Class of 1995
Class of 1995 - Biographies
Jim Coll, 1995
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: Graduated from South Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1944…Earned 12 varsity letters (baseball, basketball, football, and track) as a prep…KSU CAREER: Earned six Varsity “K’s” for the Flashes, four in baseball and two in football (1946-49)…Was co-captain of the 1949 baseball team and a member of Kent’s famed “Murderer’s Row”…A first baseman, he hit for a .379 average in 1949 and started every game for three seasons…Played left end in football…Caught a pair of TD passes against Central Michigan and had a third called back because of a penalty…Received his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education in 1950, his masters’ degree in school administration in 1957 and his superintendent’s certification in 1962…Was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity, HPE Club and Phi Epsilon Kappa Honorary…POST KSU CAREER: Coached and taught at Twinsburg High School and led them to the Ohio Class B State Football Championship in 1952…His basketball and baseball teams won Summit County titles in 1951 and 1952 respectively…Coached Ravenna Township High School to the Portage County League Football Championship in his own athletic career as a member of the VFW Post 1055 and Havre Chevrolet baseball teams and played basketball in the Portage County Amateur League as well…Served as a teacher and administrator for the Ravenna school system, including 12 years as superintendent, until his retirement in 1982…PERSONAL: Born on December 21, 1925 in Pittsburgh, PA…Served in the United States Air Force as an engineer…Was active in numerous community and service organizations…Inducted into the Portage County Sports Hall of Fame in 1984 and also served on its Board of Directors…Earned Kent State University’s Special Achievement Award in 1980…Was named Ravenna JayCee’s Citizen of the Year and earned this Jefferson Award for Community Service in 1982…Married the former Lorie Postlethwaite, they had three children; Jim III, Lorie, and Rob.
Dick Merschman, 1995
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: A graduate of Delphos St. John High School in Delphos, Ohio…Earned eight varsity letters; four each in football and basketball…Was the 12th leading rusher in the USA…KSU CAREER: Earned three Varsity “K’s” as running back for the Golden Flashes (1960-62)…Team rushing leader in 1962…Was a second team All-Mid American Conference pick as a junior and a first team selection as a senior…Led team in rushing as a senior…Named to the Williamson First Team All-America squad in 1962…A business major at Kent…PERSONAL: Currently serving as a production superintendent with Ford Motor Company at the Walton Hills Stamping Plant…He and his wife Barbara, have been married for 28 years…They enjoy traveling, particularly to Las Vegas and are avid fans of the Cleveland Browns and Cavaliers.
Ron Michael, 1995
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: Graduated from Lower Dauphin High School in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania…KSU CAREER: Earned four Varsity “K’s” for the Golden Flash wrestling team (1976-79)…Captained the team as a senior…Two-time Mid-American Conference Champ at 158 pounds…Posted the third best winning percentage in Kent wrestling history…(.853) on the strength of his 66-11-1 career mark…His 19 career pins place him fifth on the all-time Kent list…Logged an impressive 25-1 dual match record as a sophomore (1976-77)…Won the prestigious Joe Begala Award in 1979…Earned All-American status with a fourth place finish at 158 pounds in the 1978 NCAA Championships…PERSONAL: Currently resides in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania.
Jerry Muske, 1995
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: A 1969 Graduate of Dearborn High School, Dearborn, Michigan…KSU CAREER: One of Kent’s all time top swimmers…four time NCAA qualifier…Swam for Frank Vicchy and Todd Boyle at Kent…Won nine Mid-American Conference individual event and relay titles during his career…Helped Kent capture MAC team titles in 1972 and 1973…Won three individual championships and two relay titles at the 1973 MAC Meet…Captured three consecutive titles in the 200 yard backstroke…Set MAC Championship records in the 100 yard (:53.70) and 200 yard backstroke (1:57.40) and 400 yard individual medley events as a junior…Voted MAC Swimmer of the Year that season…Teamed with fellow Hall of Famer, Jim DeVincentis along with Jeff Horvath and Pat McGinnis to win the 400 medley in 1972 and 1973…Honored as the MAC Senior Swimmer of the Year by the Miami Men’s Aquatic Club…Team captain in both his junior and senior seasons…PERSONAL: Currently resides in Grass Valley, California
Roy Pinyoun, 1995
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: Graduated from Cleveland Shaw High School…Played baseball and basketball as a prep…Led his baseball team to the Lake Erie League championship…KSU CAREER: Lettered three times in basketball and baseball for the Flashes (1936-38)…Led the basketball team in scoring three consecutive years…Played 61 consecutive games…Led the Ohio Conference in scoring as a junior…Team captain as a senior…Pitcher for the Kent diamond squad…The Cleveland Plain Dealer summed up his career by printing, “Perhaps one of the best basketball and baseball players in Kent State history.”…Graduated in 1938 with a bachelor’s degree in education…POST KSU CAREER: Coached and taught in Cleveland school system…Signed a professional baseball contract with the Cleveland Indians…Played for Raleigh Capitals in the Carolina League for five seasons…Set a Carolina League playoff record when he pitched four complete games in nine days…Tossed a pair of shutouts, struck out 32 batters and allowed just three earned runs during this span…PERSONAL: Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio…Authored a book “Greener Pasteurs:…Enjoys golfing and writing.
Eric Wilkerson, 1995
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: Graduate of Cleveland Central Catholic High School…Lettered in both football and track (4 years) as a prep…Rushed for nearly 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior…Finished fourth in the state track meet in the 400 meters…All-Conference and All-Scholastic pick…KSU CAREER: Four year letterman for the Flashes (1985-88)…Two-time Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America choice – 1987 and 1988 (one of only four Kent players to accomplish this feat)…Led the nation (NCAA Division 1-A) in all-purpose yardage as a junior (188.5 yards per game) and ranked third as a senior (172.7 y/g)…His 2,074 all-purpose yards in 1987 set a Mid-American Conference record…Awarded the Vern Smith Trophy as the MAC Player of The Year in 1987…MAC Offensive Player of the Year, 1987…Voted to the All-MAC First Team three times, twice a unanimous pick…Led the MAC in scoring as a senior (90 points)…Named MAC Player of the Week five times in his career…All-time Kent leader in rushing yards, 3,830…POST KSU CAREER: Chosen to play in the prestigious East-West Shrine Game following his senior year…His uniform #40, was retired on March 1, 1989 and is one of only three Kent numbers to be retired: Jim Corrigall (79) and Jack Lambert (99) are the others…Signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers and saw action during the regular season and playoffs in 1989…Also played in the NFL with the Detroit Lions…Became the all-time rushing leader in the World League while playing for the New York-New Jersey Knights…Led the World League in scoring with 13 touchdowns in 1991…Played indoor arena football for the Cleveland Thunderbolts…PERSONAL: Born on December 19, 1966…Nicknamed “Silk”…Son of Mrs. Fraces Fowlkes.
Jill (James) Woodruff, 1995
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: Was graduated from Kent Roosevelt High School in 1975…Three year member of the Rough Riders’ field hockey team…KSU CAREER: Transferred to Kent from Everett Community College in Everett, Washington…Earned five Varsity “K’s” in field hockey (3) and tennis (2)…Became an instant success for the Lady Flashes field hockey team coached by current Kent Associate Athletic Director, Judy Devine…Named offensive Player of The Year in each of her three seasons…Team captain in 1977 and 1978…Set, and still holds, Kent records for goal in one season (22), points in a season (44), goals in a career (56) and point in a career (112)…Team MVP as a senior…Led Kent to a second place finish in the state tournament (behind Ohio State) and a wild card berth in the Midwest Regional Field Hockey championships…Kent averaged 12 wins a season during her career…Devine described her former standout by saying, “Jill was the kind of athlete every coach dreams of having, she gave everything, yet demanded nothing…popular and respected as a player, leader, and person. Her hard work, leadership, and level of play elevated the performance and effort of her teammates.”…Earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Therapeutic Recreation with a minor in coaching in 1979…Graduated Cum Laude…PERSONAL: Daughter of former Kent and University of Washington head football coach Don James…Married to former Kent football letterman Jeff Woodruff (’78) of Ravenna…They have three children; Jared, Jessica, and Jordan…Enjoys coaching her children’s baseball, basketball, and soccer teams…Recently returned to competitive athletics and is playing in a women’s soccer league.
