TGFC - Hall of Fame Members - Class of 1996
Class of 1996 - Biographies
Charlie Grandjean, 1996
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: A 1976 graduate of North Canton Hoover High School where he lettered six times – three each in football and basketball…Earned All-Federal League, All-County and All-District accolades in his senior season…Named team captain and most valuable player as a senior…Led the Vikings to a 37-3 record on the gridiron…KSU CAREER: Earned two Varsity “K’s” for the Flashes (1980, 1981)…A first team All-Mid American Conference pick as a defensive back in both his junior and senior seasons…Was a unanimous first team All-MAC pick as a senior and was also an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American selection that year… Led Kent in interceptions with three in 1980 and six in 1981…Set the Kent record for most interception return yards in a single season with 136 in 1981…Scored two touchdowns on interception returns during his career…Earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing from Kent in 1981…POST KSU CAREER: Played for Birmingham Stallions in the United States Football League (USFL) in 1983…Was a team tri-captain…PERSONAL: Is Vice president of Haines & Company in North Carolina…He and his wife, Tamela, are the parents of two children, Amanda and Brock.
Don James, 1996
HIGH/COLLEGE SCHOOL CAREER: A 1950 graduate of Massillon’s Washington High School where he earned five varsity letters in baseball, football , and track…Earned a pair of varsity letters as a quarterback at the University of Miami, Florida…KSU CAREER: Served as Head Football Coach from 1971-1974…Led the Golden Flashes to their only Mid-American Conference Championship and a Tangerine Bowl berth in 1972…Guided Kent to its highest victory total (9-2) and a second best record in school history in 1973…Posted the third highest victory total and second best record winning percentage (25-19-1 / .567) in Kent football coaching history…Seventeen golden Flashes earned first-team All-MAC recognition during James’ tenure, with 44 players overall receiving All-MAC accolades in that span…Named MAC Coach of the Year and Ohio Coach of the Year in 1972…Coach of the North/South Shrine Game in 1973 and the Ohio Shrine Game in 1973 & 1974…POST KSU CAREER: Was named the head coach at the University of Washington…Named PAC-8 Coach of the Year in 1975…Led the Huskies to a PAC-8 Championship in 1977 and was named American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coach of the Year…Took the Huskies to six Rose Bowls and four PAC-10 Championships…Coached Washington to the 1991 Coaches Poll and CNN/USA Today National Championship…Inducted into the Florida Citrus Bowl Hall of Fame (1987), University of Miami Hall of Fame (1992), Rose Bowl Hall of Fame (1994), University of Washington Hall of Fame (1994)…Winningest coach in PAC-10 history…PERSONAL: Earned his B.Ed from the University of Miami in 1954 and his M.Ed from the University of Kansas in 1957…Served in the U.S. Army for two years…Is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa…Served as the President of the AFCA in 1989…Prior to coaching at Kent he served as an assistant coach at Florida State University, the University of Michigan, the University of Colorado, and freshman coach at the University of Kansas…Wife Carol…They have three children; Jeff, Jeni, and Jill (Woodruff) – who was inducted into the Varsity “K” Hall of Fame in 1995.
Ian MacEwan, 1996
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: A 1950 graduate of Cleveland John Hay High School where he earned a pair of varsity letters in wrestling…Two-time Ohio State Champion…Selected as John Hay’s outstanding graduating senior…KSU CAREER: One of Kent’s all-time great grapplers…Lettered in 1952, 1953, and 1954 for the Golden Flashes…Three-time Mid-American Conference Champ at 145 pounds in1952 and 157 pounds in 1953 and 1954…Posted the best winning percentage in Kent wrestling history (.957) on the strength of his 44-2 career mark…Was undefeated in dual meet competition…Won the prestigious 4-I Championship in 1953 and 104…Captured the NEO-AAU championship in those years as well…Held Kent single-season scoring record with 47 points…Twice named Kent’s Outstanding Wrestler…Served as team captain as a senior…Earned his bachelor of science degree in education and business administration…In 1970 he was recognized by the Kent wrestling team for his record of most dual meet victories without a defeat…PERSONAL: Served in the U.S. Army Transportation Department…Pass away on October 4, 1994…Survived by his wife, Elizabeth, sons Mark and Brian and daughter, Kathleen.
John O’Conner, 1996
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: Graduated from Xenia High School in Xenia, Ohio in 1983…Lettered twice each in football and wrestling as a prep…KSU CAREER: A four-year letterman for the Flashes (1986-89)…Captured the Mid-American Conference hammer title in 1987 and 1989 and finished second to teammate Angus Cooper in 1988…Three-time NCAA qualifier…Two-time All-American in the hammer throw; placing seventh at the NCAA Championships as a junior and third as a senior…Named MAC Track Athlete of the Week as a senior…Unleashed a personal best throw of 221-1 to finish sixth overall (the top throw by a collegian) at the TAC Senior Championships in 1989 and earn a spot on the World University Games roster…Captured firsts in the hammer at the prestigious Penn Relays and the Dogwood Relays as a senior…U.S. Olympic Festival qualifier on three occasions and a two-time Olympic Trials competitor…Earned his BA in Arts and Sciences from Kent in 1991…POST KSU CAREER: Continued to compete and qualified again for the U.S. Olympic Festival in 1993…Also enjoys weightlifting…Currently serving as the Assistant Track Coach at the Virginia Military Institute…PERSONAL: He and his wife, Amy currently reside in Lexington, Virginia.
Deanna Parks Huntsman, 1996
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: 1983 Graduate of Bethel Park Senior High School in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania…Three sport standout as a prep…Earned eight varsity letters in volleyball (2), basketball (3), and softball (3)…KSU CAREER: Won four Varsity “K’s” in softball (1984-87) and one in volleyball (1983) for the Flashes…Earned First Team All-Mid-American Conference and All-Mideast Regional accolades at shortstop in 1987…Was a MAC-All-Academic First Team honoree in 1986…During her career she either set or tied 16 Kent offensive records…She still holds single season records for triples (8) and walks (26) and career marks for homeruns (11) and walks (79), and ranks in the top 10 in nearly every offensive category…Earned her BS degree in journalism in 1988 and her MA in Athletic Administration in 1995…POST KSU CAREER: Remained active in Kent softball following her career, serving as a graduate assistant (1988-89) and assistant coach (1990-91)…Named assistant softball coach at Penn State University (1992) and head volleyball and softball coach at Salisbury State University in Maryland (1993)…Guided the Sea Gulls softball program to a school record 25 victories and a Capital Athletic Conference Championships in 1995…Was named CAC Coach of the Year…Her volleyball teams have posted a 69-55 record under her direction…Named the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament…Earned ASA First Team All-America honors at the Women’s Class C Fastpitch Nationals.
Sue Jensen Sweeney, 1996
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: Graduated from Gill St. Bernard in Gladstone, New Jersey in 1976 after earning an incredible 15 varsity letters in basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, softball, track, and volleyball…Named the 1976 Best Female Athlete…KSU CAREER: Lettered in each of her four seasons with the Golden Flashes (1976-79) and became Kent’s most prolific scorer…Set Kent standards for most goals in a season (26) and career (128), and most points in a season (52) and career (128)…Was the team’s leading scorer in her sophomore, junior, and senior seasons…Registered five goals in a game…Was also a member of the lacrosse and rugby clubs at Kent…Was a Kappa Sigma Little Sister…Earned her BS degree in physical education in 1980…POST KSU CAREER: Named to the Gill St. Bernard Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987…Remains active in athletics as a coach and founder/president of the Madison Women’s Softball League…Currently teaching at the Peck School in Morristown, New Jersey…Also coaches field hockey, softball, and volleyball and directs the schools’ summer camp program…PERSONAL: Married to Mark Sweeney they have two children; Suzanne and Shannon, their daughter Kelly Lynn died in infancy.
Karl Zoller, 1996
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: A 1981 graduate of West Geauga High School in Chesterland, Ohio…Earned three letters in golf and was named to the All-Chagrin Valley Conference Golf Team three times…KSU CAREER: Lettered four times for the Flashes (1982-85)…Named to the All-Mid-American Conference team in 1983, 1984, and 1985…Earned MAC Medalist honors in 1985…Was an honorable mention All-America selection by the Golf Coaches Association of America in 1985…Helped lead the Flashes to the 1984 MAC Team Championship…Team captain as a senior…Averaged 75.7 strokes for his career with a low score of 68…Won three consecutive Portage County Amateur Championships and also captured the Summit County Amateur title…Set Windmill Lakes course record with a 63 in 1986…POST KSU CAREER: Captured the 1985 Ohio Amateur Championship as well as the 1985 NEO Amateur Championship…Is beginning his third year on the Nike Professional Golfers Tour…Won the 1995 Nike Cleveland Open…Ranked 24th on the Nike Tour winnings list…PERSONAL: Currently resides in Summersville, South Carolina with his wife, Holly, and their three children.
