TGFC - Hall of Fame Members - Class of 1999
Class of 1999 - Biographies
Jim Cullom, 1999
Three-year letterman for the Flashes on the gridiron in 1951…All-MAC First Team selection as a fullback in 1953…Set Kent rushing in 1952 with 822 yards…Averaged more than five yards per carry during his career…Led the Flashes in receiving, scoring and total offense as a junior…Rushed for 2, 146 yards in his career and scored 18 touchdowns…Was a teacher and coach at Green High School for 17 years…Voted Summit County Coach of the Year in 1968 after leading the Bulldogs to a 10-0 season…Passed away on August 24, 1972.
Doug Dake, 1999
Graduated from Westlake High School, Westlake, Ohio, in 1980…Earned his bachelor of arts degree in industrial arts in 1986…Lettered in 1984 and 1985 for Ron Gray’s grappers…Team captain in his junior and senior seasons…Ranks fifth of Kent’s all-time winning percentage list (.864) with a 60-9-1 record…Posted third-highest Kent single season victory total with 36 wins as a senior…Mid-American Conference champion at 177 pounds in 1984…All American at 177 pounds after placing seventh at 1984 NCAA Championships…Winner of the Joe Begala Memorial Award in 1985…Wrestling coach at Lansing High School…Previously served as assistant wrestling coach at Ithaca College (1988-90) and Cornell University (1990-92).
Ron Gray, 1999
Graduated from Eagle Grove High School in Eagle Grove, Iowa, in 1955…Earned three varsity letters at Iowa State University (1957-59)…Captured two NCAA titles and a runner-up finish…Voted outstanding wrestling in the United States in 1959…Received his bachelor of science degree in biology and physical education from Iowa State in 1959…Earned his M.Ed from Eastern Michigan in 1965…Served as head coach of the Golden Flashes for 25 seasons (1972-96) and added one season as assistant coach (1997)…Posted a 233-112-5 mark for a .673 winning percentage…Guided the Flashes to nine Mid-American Conference team championships – including six consecutive title from 1977-1982…Named MAC Coach of the Year five times…His Kent wrestlers won 46 individual MAC titles and earned all-America accolades six times…Served two terms on both the NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee and the NCAA Wrestling Executive Committee…He is a member of the Eagle Grove High School Hall of Fame, the Iowa High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame, the Iowa State University Hall of Fame, and the NCAA Helms Hall of Fame.
Mike Gulan, 1999
Majored in marketing while at Kent…At Kent he started 157 games and earned three letters as a third baseman for the Flashes (1990-92)…Team captain in 1992…Unanimous All-Mid-American Conference First Team pick in 1992 after being a second-team selection in 1990 and 1991…MAC Player of the Year in 1992…American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Region IV First Team in 1992…ABCA and Baseball America All-American Second Team Selection…Mizuno-Collegiate Baseball All-American Third Team choice in 1992…Three-time MAC “Hitter of the Week”…Hit .420 in 1992 – fourth highest single-season mark in Kent history…Set Kent records for total bases (169), RBI (68), runs (65) and hits (89) that season…Batted .360 for his career, amassing 196 hits in 545 at bats…Ranked in Kent’s top 10 in seven categories for his career…Drafted in the second round by the St. Louis Cardinals…Played in the Cardinals’ minor league system for five seasons and was named Minor League Player of the Year in 1995…Registered the game – winning RBI in his major league debut for the Cards in 1997…Currently playing for the Florida Marlins organization.
Russ Hedderly, 1999
A 1997 graduate of Cheyenne, Wyo., East High School…Graduated from Kent State University with a BS in education in 1984…Earned three letters in football Flashes (1980-83)…Team co-captain in 1982…Named All-MAC First Team in 1981; second team in 1980 and 1983…Honorable mention choice by Associated press in 1981…Won team’s “Alumni Newcomer Award” in 1980…Joins Jack Lambert and Jack Lazor as the only players in Kent history to lead the team in tackles for three seasons…Ranks third, behind Lazor and Lambert, on Kent’s all-time tackles list with 548…Was runner-up for MAC Defensive Player of the Year in 1981.
Matt Landress, 1999
Graduated from Hudson Catholic High School in Hudson, Mass….Earned his bachelor of arts degree in technology in 1994…Earned four letters on the gymnastics team (1990-93)…Team co-captain as a senior…Nominated for the George Nissen Award as a senior…Set Kent record on the pommel horse (9.80), parallel bars (9.75), high bar (9.85) and all-around (57.30)…Captured 12 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Gymnastics League individual and all-around titles during his career…Won six National Independent Gymnastics Championships titles…Three-time NCAA Championships qualifier…Posted team-high scores on five events and the all-around as a senior…Led Golden Flashes to three GLIGL team titles and three NIC championships during his career…Placed 17th on high bar and 23rd in the all-around at 1992 NCAA Championships.
Rob Moss, 1999
Earned four Varisty “K’s” in golf for the Flashes from 1987 to 1990…Team captain as a senior…Three-time All-Mid-American Conference First Team Selection in 1988, 1989, 1990…MAC Tournament medalist in 1988…MAC Sportsman of the Year in 1990…Named All-District in 1988 and 1990…Three-time MAC All-Academic First Team choice…GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-District pick in 1990…Golf Coaches Association of America All-America Scholar-Athlete in 1989 and 1990…Helped the Golden Flashes to an 18th place tie in the national rankings as senior…Flashes captured six team tournament titles during his career…Averaged 76.1 strokes in 118 rounds as a collegian…Earned his bachelor of science degree in finance and business management from Kent in 1990…Merle Wagoner Award recipient in 1990.
Darby Seegrist, 1999
A 1988 graduate of Marion Catholic High School in San Diego, Calif….Earned bachelor of science degree in community health in 1993…Earned four letters as a pitcher (1989-92)…Led Flashes to a 43-9 record along with their first and , to date, only women’s College World series appearance in 1990…Led Kent to the MAC Championship and NCAA Regional title in 1990…Set School record with 36 complete games and a 39-7 record…In 1990 pitched 248 innings (the second most in Kent history) and recorded an all-time Kent record of 16 shutouts…Named First Team All-Mid-American Conference, First Team All-Mideast Regional and Third Team all-America in 1990…Ranks second in Kent history in completed games (71), victories (54), shutouts (25) and winning percentage (54-30/.643), is third all-time in innings pitched (550.2) and fourth in strikeouts (230).
