Ellie (Rudy) van Swearingen
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
2/17/2020 10:08:00 AM | Football, General, Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
Pole vault national champion Ellie (Rudy) van Swearingen headlines impressive class
BOZEMAN, Montana – Five of Montana State's legendary student-athletes and a pair of men's basketball squads that thrilled Bobcat fans are set for induction in the Bobcat Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, February 21.
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Women's pole vault national champion Ellie (Rudy) van Swearingen, the only female national champ in Bobcat track and field history, is joined by All-America decathlete Stevie Keller and three football stars. Bobby Daly led the Big Sky in tackles while earning All-America honors as a junior (2007) and senior (2008), and Dane Fletcher earned All-America and Big Sky Defensive MVP honors as a senior in 2009. Wayne Purdom was an All-Big Sky linebacker in 1966, the year he also won the Big Sky Wrestling Championship at 171 lbs.
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The 1985-86 and 1986-87 men's basketball teams that authored one of the great runs in MSU's modern history will also be inducted. After an 8-13 start to the 1985-96 men's basketball season, the young Bobcats won four of their final seven regular season games then sprinted to a Big Sky Tournament Championship to cap an incredible Cinderella run to the NCAA Tournament. The team lost to Walter Berry and St. John's in the tourney, then put together a sparkling 21-8 record in 1986-87 that included a league regular season title and an NIT bid. Those two Stu Starner-coached teams, which will be inducted as a unit, continue to hold a special place in the heart of Cat fans.
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The Bobcat Athletics Hall of Fame banquet begins with a reception at 6 pm and dinner and inductions at 7 pm. Few tickets remain, but they can be purchased at https://msuhof2020.givesmart.com .
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#GoCatsGo
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Women's pole vault national champion Ellie (Rudy) van Swearingen, the only female national champ in Bobcat track and field history, is joined by All-America decathlete Stevie Keller and three football stars. Bobby Daly led the Big Sky in tackles while earning All-America honors as a junior (2007) and senior (2008), and Dane Fletcher earned All-America and Big Sky Defensive MVP honors as a senior in 2009. Wayne Purdom was an All-Big Sky linebacker in 1966, the year he also won the Big Sky Wrestling Championship at 171 lbs.
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The 1985-86 and 1986-87 men's basketball teams that authored one of the great runs in MSU's modern history will also be inducted. After an 8-13 start to the 1985-96 men's basketball season, the young Bobcats won four of their final seven regular season games then sprinted to a Big Sky Tournament Championship to cap an incredible Cinderella run to the NCAA Tournament. The team lost to Walter Berry and St. John's in the tourney, then put together a sparkling 21-8 record in 1986-87 that included a league regular season title and an NIT bid. Those two Stu Starner-coached teams, which will be inducted as a unit, continue to hold a special place in the heart of Cat fans.
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The Bobcat Athletics Hall of Fame banquet begins with a reception at 6 pm and dinner and inductions at 7 pm. Few tickets remain, but they can be purchased at https://msuhof2020.givesmart.com .
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#GoCatsGo
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