TGFC - Hall of Fame Members - Class of 1981
Class of 1981- Biographies
William (Bill) Wesley Asbury, 1981
Born Feb. 22, 1943 in Crawfordsville, GA…Graduated for KSU with a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1965 (M.A. in sociology in 1973)…Presently employed at Penn State as Asst. to Provost…A 1961 graduate of Cincinnati Princeton High School…A prep standout in track, football, baseball, and basketball…Was named All-City and All-Country as a senior in football…Earned three varsity letters in football and two in track as a Golden Flash…During his three-year gridiron career, he totaled 1,400 yards in 343 carriers for an average of 4.0 yards a carry…Missed the 1964 season after suffering a near-fatal kidney disorder…Returned to the team in 1965 and let team in rushing with 988 years in 238 carries…Was named First Team All-MAC and chosen MAC’s “Offensive Player of the Year”…Also received All-America honorable mention from Associated Press…As a member of the Flashes’ track team he broke the shot put record, that stood then, with a toss of 51-41 ¼…An honor student at KSU, he was a member of Varsity “K” (letterman’s club) and Blue Key (National Scholastic honorary)…Played three years of professional football with the Pittsburgh Steelers…Married to the former Leslee Swift of Cleveland, Ohio.
Loreto Gabriel George, 1981
Born Jan. 4, 1925 in Yorkville, Ohio…Graduated from KSU (bachelor’s Health and Phys. Ed. and major in mathematics: master’s in 1956 in Elementary Administration and 1965 in Secondary Administration)…Principal of U.L. Light Junior High School in Barberton…Prepped at Warren Consolidated High school and a native of Tiltonsville…Played football for three years and was halfback on a high school team that won 26 straight over a three-year period…Also lettered three years in basketball and four times in golf…Played and captained the KSU Golf team four years (1947-50)…Led Flashes to their first Ohio Conference golf title in 1950 after 15 years…Fired a 70 on Alliance Country Club layout which was KSU record in 1949…Assistant football and basketball coach at Warren Consolidated (1950-55) and coach Pittsburgh Pirate great Bill Mazeroski…He won numerous public and club golf titles and at one time held three course records…Married to the former Dorothy Kowalski of Wheeling, W.VA…”Bado” as he is nicknamed, is considered one of the best pressure golfers to ever attend KSU.
Leslie P. Hardy, 1981
Born Jan. 4, 1904 in Akron, Ohio…Graduated from KSU in 1928 (mathematics major)…Attended Central High in Akron and graduated in 1921…Participated in track and basketball and earned a varsity letter in track in 1921…At Kent he earned letters in basketball in 1922, 1923, and 1928 (cq), track (1922-23), and baseball (1922-23)…Teach/Coach for several year in junior high and high school…Began long administrative career at the University of Akron in 1934, including period as athletic director (three years, 1939-42)…Retired from Akron in 1964 after 40 years service in public education…Besides his athletic accomplishments at Kent, he was sports editor of the campus newspaper (1927-28) and president of the senior class…He served as chairman of the 50th Anniversary Reunion Committee in 1978 and established the “Golden Fifty Scholarship and Loan Fund” at KSU…Married to the former Marjorie Wilmont of Chardon, Ohio.
John (Jack) Harold Lambert, 1981
Born July 8, 1952 in Ravenna, Ohio…Attended KSU from 1970-73…Considered by many as one of the greatest football players in KSU history…His jersey (No.99) was retired on May 5, 1977…Came to KSU as quarterback, moved to defensive end in 1971, then put at middle linebacker by then head coach Don James in 1972…Had banner year in 1972 in leading KSU to the school’s first MAC football championship…Named MAC’s “Defensive Player of the Year” in 1972 as he led the league in tackles with a total of 233…Also named MVP at the 1972 Tangerine Bowl…Twice named First Team All-MAC in 1972 and 1973...Was squad captain of the 1973 team that finished with most wins (9) in school’s history…Finished KSU career with 593 tackles, second highest total in school’s history…Played in 1973 All-Ohio Shrine game in Columbus, 1974 North-South game in Miami, Fla., and 1974 American Bowl in Tampa, Fla…Selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 1974 NFL Draft…Has been cornerstone of Steeler defense that led team to record four Super Bowl triumphs since 1975…Twice selected United Press International (UPI) Defensive Player of the Year (1976 & 1979)…Named All-Pro six times and played in the 1980 Pro Bowl in Hawaii for the American Football Conference (AFC)…Also named top defensive player by Associated Press in 1976 and was AP’s Rookie Defensive Player of the year in 1974…Was the first recipient of the Cleveland Touchdowns Club’s NFL Player of the Year Award in 1977…Native of Mantua where he was a three-sport letterman in football (3), baseball (4), and basketball (2) at Crestwood High School…Returned to the school in October 1980 for dedication ceremonies as community named football facility the “Jack Lambert Stadium”.
Leslie “Swede” Netzen, 1981
Attended high school in Batavia, N.Y. and was coached by Ray Movotny there as well as at Kent…Became an outstanding track and football performer at Kent and averaged an incredible 25 points a meet during his three year career…Nicknamed “Swede”…Placed sixth in the U.S. National Decathlon Championships that determined the team for the 1940 Summer Olympics which were later cancelled due to World War II…Also lettered three times in football from 1937-39 and was team captain for the 1939 squad under coach Donald Starn…Once recorded 28 points himself in one track meet at Kent…Retired Emeritus Director of the KSU School of Art.
Leroy Thompson, 1981
Born Sept. 5, 1925 in Sharon, PA…Graduated from Kent in 1950 with a degree in Business Administration…Kent’s all-time fourth leading scorer with 1,120 points in three years…A three-year varsity letter winner who still owns single-game rebounding record with 31 against Case Western Reserve on Dec. 12, 1948… …At one time owned the single-game scoring record when he tallied 35 points as the Flashes beat Adrian college of Michigan, 84-30 …Selected All-Ohio conference for three years…Ranked among the nation’s top small college scorers during the 1949-50 season…Played 1950 through 1954 with the Goodyear Wingfoot team in the Industrial League…A graduate of Akron Ellet High School where he helped lead team to the 1944 Class B state championship team and a record of 22 wins and three losses…Received numerous honors in high schools including Akron All-City (1943 and 1944), All-Metropolitan First Team three times (1942-44)…Was named to 1944 Associated Press All-Tournament First Team…Following high school, he served 2 ½ years in Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and received the Purple Heart…Married to the former JoAnn Holland of Akron (Ellet High School).
Gerald Alexander Tinker, 1981
Born Jan. 19, 1951 in Coconut Grove, FL., a suburb of Miami…Standout two-sport athlete in football and track who is best remembered for winning a gold medal at the 1972 Olympics in Munich as a member of the U.S. 4x100 meter relay team…In track at KSU was outstanding in dash and relay events and is still the co-holder of the Mid-American Conference record in the 100-yard dash with a time of :09.6…Was timed at :09.2 for the best time (although wind-aided) and was the MAC individual champion in the 1973 100-yard dash (:09.9) and 200-yard dash (:21.0)…Also member of Flashes 440 relay team that set the MAC record with time of :40.7 in 1973…Named the MAC’s Outstanding Performer after 1973 outdoor track and field championships…Captured 60-yard national title in 1973 with a six-flat timing in NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship in Detroit…A few months later, he placed second in the 220 and received All-America recognition…In football he was one of the MAC’s top speedsters at wide receiver and was a First Team All-MAC pick on the All-Academic Team in 1972…Was one of nation’s premier return specialist, finishing fifth in 1972 and 13th in the nation in 1973 …Broke and 87-yard punt return for a touchdown against Toledo in 1973 to set a school record…Overall, still owns four KSU records…Played in 1973 Blue-Grey Game and caught three passes for 40 yards…Also played in 1973 All-Ohio Shrine Game in Columbus…Picked in the second round of the NFL Draft in 1974 by the Atlanta Falcons …Played with the Atlanta Falcons for two years before being signed as a free agent by Green Bay in 1976…Was a three-sport star at Coral Gables High School…A high school All-American and was named the state’s Most Outstanding Athlete in 1969…Married to the former Bonni Stoner, Asbury Park, NJ…Resides in Miami, FL and employed by Eastern Airlines.
John C. Welser, 1981
Graduated from Kent in 1921…Retired teach and coach of 49 ½ years…Received letters in football, basketball, baseball, and track at Kent…At Kent, while a member of the varsity basketball team he also coached at Kent High School…Coached at South Euclid High School and according to South Euclid Citizen Newspaper article, he “brought with him a system of zone defense that was new in the high school field in Cuyahoga County…And before rival coaches caught up with it, his squads ran up some sensational defensive records”…His 1930 Brush High School teams advanced to the semifinals of the class B state championship in Columbus…An industrial arts teacher, the gymnasium at Brush is named in his honor…Was instrumental in assisting Richard “Moose” Paskert develop the KSU pictorial Hall of Fame display in the east corridor of Memorial Gymnasium…One of the most avid supporters of Kent athletics.
