Michele Smith - St. Petersburg, FL (inducted 5/29/07)
On July 21, 1986, Oklahoma State University sophomore Michele Smith was taking a nap
while her dad drove her back home from the oral surgeon's office. When her dad made a
turn, Michele's door flung open and she was thrown from the truck into a roadside post. The
post chopped off part of her elbow bone and tore the triceps and nerve endings in her
pitching arm. This is ordinarily a career-ending injury for an athlete, but Michele didn't want to
stop playing. Michele endured 9 months of intensive rehabilitation, and then made her
comeback as a college pitcher, eventually throwing harder than ever! Michele won her first
Olympic Gold medal in Atlanta 10 years after her accident. Photo courtesy of Michele Smith.
On July 21, 1986, Oklahoma State University sophomore Michele Smith was taking a nap
while her dad drove her back home from the oral surgeon's office. When her dad made a
turn, Michele's door flung open and she was thrown from the truck into a roadside post. The
post chopped off part of her elbow bone and tore the triceps and nerve endings in her
pitching arm. This is ordinarily a career-ending injury for an athlete, but Michele didn't want to
stop playing. Michele endured 9 months of intensive rehabilitation, and then made her
comeback as a college pitcher, eventually throwing harder than ever! Michele won her first
Olympic Gold medal in Atlanta 10 years after her accident. Photo courtesy of Michele Smith.
Student-Athlete Hall of Fame Inductees
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OneVarsityLetter.com
© 2007 Lawrence Hsieh
One Varsity Letter Student-Athlete Hall of Fame Members
Holly Kondras - Terre Haute, IN (inducted 5/29/07)
Holly Kondras is the founder of Wish Publishing, the first small press focused exclusively on
Women's Sports and Health topics. At the top of Holly's list as a youngster - dance and a
voracious appetite for mystery books. After graduating from Indiana University, Holly spent a
number of years at large sports publishers. But to address the relative lack of good books
on women's sports, Holly took a leap of faith and started Wish Publishing in 1999. Holly
persevered and transformed Wish from start-up to established publisher with a substantial
presence in the big book stores! For more information about Holly, click here to Meet Holly
Kondras (pdf document). pdf document and logo courtesy of Holly Kondras/Wish.
Holly Kondras is the founder of Wish Publishing, the first small press focused exclusively on
Women's Sports and Health topics. At the top of Holly's list as a youngster - dance and a
voracious appetite for mystery books. After graduating from Indiana University, Holly spent a
number of years at large sports publishers. But to address the relative lack of good books
on women's sports, Holly took a leap of faith and started Wish Publishing in 1999. Holly
persevered and transformed Wish from start-up to established publisher with a substantial
presence in the big book stores! For more information about Holly, click here to Meet Holly
Kondras (pdf document). pdf document and logo courtesy of Holly Kondras/Wish.
Fran Dunphy - Philadelphia, PA (induced 6/1/07)
Temple University Men's Basketball Team Head Coach Fran Dunphy played high school
basketball and then became a star guard at LaSalle University. After graduating, he set his
sights on coaching, and as Head Coach, led the University of Pennsylvania Men's
Basketball Team to an unprecedented 10 Ivy League titles. But Coach Dunphy takes the
most pride in the volunteer work he does for Coaches vs. Cancer, the nationwide
collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of
Basketball Coaches (NABC) that empowers basketball coaches, their teams, and local
communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer. Coach Dunphy is now the
chair of the Coaches vs. Cancer Council (the governing board), and was voted the 2002
National Coaches vs. Cancer Coach of the Year. Photo courtesy of Fran Dunphy.
Temple University Men's Basketball Team Head Coach Fran Dunphy played high school
basketball and then became a star guard at LaSalle University. After graduating, he set his
sights on coaching, and as Head Coach, led the University of Pennsylvania Men's
Basketball Team to an unprecedented 10 Ivy League titles. But Coach Dunphy takes the
most pride in the volunteer work he does for Coaches vs. Cancer, the nationwide
collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of
Basketball Coaches (NABC) that empowers basketball coaches, their teams, and local
communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer. Coach Dunphy is now the
chair of the Coaches vs. Cancer Council (the governing board), and was voted the 2002
National Coaches vs. Cancer Coach of the Year. Photo courtesy of Fran Dunphy.
Pat Tillman - San Jose, CA (inducted 6/0707)
Pat Tillman was an outstanding student-athlete at Arizona State University, where he
graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Marketing from ASU's prestigious W.P. Carey
School of Business in just three and a half years. The introspective Tillman then became
a star safety for the NFL Arizona Cardinals. When terrorists attacked on September 11,
2001, Tillman gave up his lucrative pro football career to join the thousands of brave men
and women around the country, including his brother Kevin, and enlisted in the military.
He earned a spot in the elite Army Rangers, but sought no credit for his brave decision.
On April 22, 2004, 27 year old Tillman was killed by fratricide as he provided cover for his
fellow soldiers following an ambush in Afghanistan. Today, the Pat Tillman Foundation
carries forward Tillman's legacy by inspiring young people to make positive changes in
themselves and in the world around them through a variety of leadership programs. Visit
www.pattillmanfoundation.org to learn more, including how you can take part in their
worthy cause. Photo courtesy of the Pat Tillman Foundation.
Pat Tillman was an outstanding student-athlete at Arizona State University, where he
graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Marketing from ASU's prestigious W.P. Carey
School of Business in just three and a half years. The introspective Tillman then became
a star safety for the NFL Arizona Cardinals. When terrorists attacked on September 11,
2001, Tillman gave up his lucrative pro football career to join the thousands of brave men
and women around the country, including his brother Kevin, and enlisted in the military.
He earned a spot in the elite Army Rangers, but sought no credit for his brave decision.
On April 22, 2004, 27 year old Tillman was killed by fratricide as he provided cover for his
fellow soldiers following an ambush in Afghanistan. Today, the Pat Tillman Foundation
carries forward Tillman's legacy by inspiring young people to make positive changes in
themselves and in the world around them through a variety of leadership programs. Visit
www.pattillmanfoundation.org to learn more, including how you can take part in their
worthy cause. Photo courtesy of the Pat Tillman Foundation.
