The Northern Arizona University Athletic Department is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Lumberjack Athletic Hall of Fame Class. Nominations must be received by May 1, 2022.
The Lumberjack Athletics Hall of Fame, established in 1981, pays tribute and gives lasting recognition to those student-athletes, coaches, staff and teams who have made exceptional contributions and brought recognition, honor and distinction to NAU Athletics.
The revamped Hall of Fame committee will be consist of an esteemed group of Lumberjack Hall of Famers including Mike Nesbitt (Head Athletic Trainer), Cee Cee Odorfer (Soccer), Pete Mandley (Football), April Walker (Swimming), Ross Land (Men's Basketball), Travis Brown (Football), Ron Mann (Track & Field/Cross Country) and Peggy Kennedy (Women's Basketball).
Kim Ott, NAU Associate Vice President of Communications, is the final appointed committee member. The committee will be assisted by NAU Athletics Staff.
Former student-athletes, coaches and staff are eligible for nomination five (5) years after their careers at Northern Arizona University have concluded. Student-athletes must have competed for a minimum of two (2) years at NAU. A team may be nominated for induction based on extraordinary accomplishment (i.e. NCAA Championship, Regional or Conference Championship).
National Championship teams are automatic selections for the Lumberjack Athletics Hall of Fame. The time of induction will be determined by the committee and Athletic Director.
This year's Hall of Fame Class will be inducted in conjunction with the annual NAU Football Hall of Fame Game versus Idaho on Sept. 24.
To nominate a former student-athlete, coach or team, please submit a Hall of Fame nomination form available at this link or at the top of the page to Stayson Isobe at Stayson.Isobe@nau.edu. Nominations can also be mailed to NAU Athletics, Attn: Stayson Isobe, PO Box 1500, Flagstaff, AZ 86001.
Lumberjack Athletics Hall of Fame Appointed Committee Member Bios
Mike Nesbitt, Head Athletic Trainer, 1970-2006
Mike Nesbitt saw the rise of NAU from its inaugural year in the Big Sky Conference in 1970 to his retirement in 2006 from the same position as the Lumberjacks' head athletic trainer. During his 36-year tenure as head athletic trainer, Nesbitt not only helped build the NAU Sports Medicine department, but was also an associate professor in exercise science within the university. He was presented with the Distinguished Faculty Award in 1985 by the NAU Alumni Association in the first of a series of honors that included being inducted into the National Athletic Trainers, Arizona Athletic Trainers' Association (which he helped launch) and Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fames. Along with overseeing the healthcare for thousands of student-athletes over the course of more than three decades, Nesbitt established the Michael E. Nesbitt Athletic Training Scholarship. Rightfully so, he became the first-ever Lumberjack to be enshrined in the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.
Ron Mann, Cross Country/Track & Field Coach, 1980-2004
Ron Mann, a 1972 NAU graduate and member of the 1971 Big Sky Cross Country championship team that placed ninth in the country, returned to his alma mater and built a championship cross country and track & field program. His tenure was highlighted by the 1988 and 1995 men's cross country team's second-place national finish and the women's cross country team that recorded the Big Sky's best team finish at the NCAA Championships in third in 1991. However, Mann's career was much larger than that. After his first Big Sky team title in 1984 (men's cross country), his Lumberjacks won 57 more conference championships before his retirement in 2004. Under his tutelage, the Lumberjacks finished in the top 10 16 different times at the NCAA Championships as a team, and his student-athletes claimed 107 All-American honors and four individual NCAA crowns. He himself earned 56 Big Sky Coach of the Year awards and in 2018, after returning to collegiate coaching at Louisville, Mann was inducted into the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame.
Cee Cee Odorfer, Soccer, 2004-08
Cee Cee Odorfer was not only an elite goal scorer, but she was a clutch goal scorer totaling a school record 13 game-winning goals during her illustrious career. Odorfer, a three-time All-Big Sky First Team selection, was third all-time in points (70), goals (26), assists (18), multiple goal matches (3) and shots (204), when her career came to an end. Accounting for a school record 28 points (10 goals, eight assists) as a senior in 2008, she was named the Big Sky Co-Offensive Player of the Year during NAU's first Big Sky Championship season, which ended with the program's first NCAA College Cup appearance. Odorfer also owns the program's second-most points in a season of 27, set in 2005. The 2005 Big Sky Newcomer of the Year and 2008 Big Sky Tournament MVP was also a two-time NSCAA All-Region honoree and two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 First Team selection and is one of two players to score at least 10 goals in a season twice.
Pete Mandley, Football, 1979-83
Pete Mandley, a three-time Associated Press All-American, electrified the Lumberjack fans and was a headache for his opponents over the course of his career, finishing his career with 5,925 all-purpose yards – a mark that not only was a school and conference record, but an NCAA Division I-AA career record. Mandley's Big Sky all-purpose yards record held for more than two decades, and his 1,979 all-purpose yards led all the country during his junior season in 1982. Mandley, who also established NAU career records in kickoff return yards, punt return yards, punt returns for touchdowns and total touchdowns, was a three-time Big Sky First Team selection as both a wide receiver and returner. Selected in the second round by the Detroit Lions in the 1984 NFL Draft, Mandley was the highest drafted Lumberjack at the time and went on to play seven seasons in the NFL with the Lions and Kansas City Chiefs.
April Walker, Swimming & Diving, 1992-96
April Walker was a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier and left NAU with four individual school records in the 200, 500, 1,000 and 1,650 freestyle in addition to being part of the record-setting 800 freestyle relay team. Competing at the 1994 NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Championships, Walker finished sixth overall in the mile, becoming the first All-American in program history. She also placed ninth in the 500 freestyle at the meet, garnering honorable mention All-American honors. That season, she was named the top female scholar-athlete in the country based on her athletic and academic accomplishments. Walker was named the Female Swimmer of the Year after winning the 200, 500 and 1,650 freestyle events and 400 individual medley at the 1995 Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference Championships.
Peggy Kennedy, Women's Basketball, 1976-79
Peggy Kennedy was a pioneer for the NAU women's basketball program, establishing scoring records for a career (1,082), season (411) and single-game (45) during her three years in Flagstaff. She set the career scoring average (19.0 points per game) and rebounding average (11.3 rebounds per game) and was the first player to record 20 rebounds in a game. A three-time All-Intermountain Conference honoree, Kennedy was the program's first Kodak All-Region player and All-American (National Scouting Association). Kennedy was a three-time NAU Female Athlete of the Year and was a candidate for the Pan American Games before being drafted by the Chicago Hustle in the 1979 WBL Draft. As a player in the WBL – the first professional women's basketball league in the United States – Kennedy was part of the league's induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018, recognized as "Trailblazers of the Game."
Ross Land, Men's Basketball, 1996-2000
Ross Land was a staple in NAU's "Recruit to Shoot" motto during a decade-span beginning in the mid-90's. Finishing his career second in school history with 1,525 points, Land set new school records for three-pointers made in a career (308) and in a season (94). His 308 three-pointers were also a Big Sky Conference record and by the time his career concluded, he held the NCAA Division I all-time three-point field goal percentage (.464) among players with at least 300 threes made. After beginning his career as the Big Sky's Freshman of the Year in 1997, Land closed his career as the Big Sky Tournament Most Valuable Player in 2000, propelling the Lumberjacks to their second NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons. A two-time All-Big Sky First Team pick, Land also stood out academically, earning the department's Golden Eagle Top Scholar Athlete award in his final year.
Travis Brown Football, 1996-99
Brown finished his career as NAU's all-time leader in touchdown passes (86), total offensive yards (11,267), passing yards (11,400), passing yards per game (278.0) and total offense yards per game (274.8). He also held school records for career 300-yard games (19) and 400-yard contests (four). He threw six TD passes in a game twice in the season and finished in the I-AA top-10 in TD passes (9th), passing yards (5th), passing yards per game (10th), total in offense yards per game (14th) and total offense yards (7th) upon the completion of his career.
Kim Ott – Associate Vice President of Communications/NAU
Kimberly Ott is the Assistant to the Associate Vice President for Communications at Northern Arizona University. She leads teams responsible for developing and implementing communication strategies that help advance university initiatives. The functional areas that she is responsible for include executive communications, NAU Communications and news, media outreach, public records requests, social media, TV services and KNAU radio (NPR affiliate). Prior to joining NAU in 2016, she was the Communications Director at the City of Flagstaff for 25 years. Her work at the City included creating and managing its website and developing the first community direct mail news magazine and its inaugural social media platforms. She was also responsible for public education events and programs, and media relations. She spent 10 years working as a news reporter and News Director for Flagstaff media outlets and a popular morning show for KMGN called Ott and Scott in the morning. Committed to the Flagstaff community, she enjoys working on numerous boards and organizations in the greater Flagstaff area. She currently serves as a Certificate Holder for Northern Arizona Healthcare and has held leadership positions with the Flagstaff Leadership Program, United Way of Northern Arizona, the Guidance Center, Northland Hospice, and Northland Family Help Center. As a graduate of Northern Arizona University she remains dedicated to her alma mater through personal donations, supporting students, student athletes, and programs and serving as a Past President of the NAU Alumni Association Board.
Original source can be found here.
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