Tom Dolan, Betsey Armstrong Selected For Michigan Hall of Honor

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Photo Courtesy: Dan D'Addona

The University of Michigan athletic department announced its six-member 2018 Hall of Honor class on Wednesday (Aug. 1) with Betsey Armstrong (water polo), Tom Dolan (men’s swimming and diving), Dave Gallagher (football), Stefan Humphries (football), Jennie Ritter (softball) and Sam Stoller (men’s track and field) set to join the prestigious Hall.

Date and location are to be determined for when the six individuals will be honored on campus. Criteria for consideration included being a NCAA champion or member of a national championship team, an All-American, Olympic medalist, Olympic team member, professional league champion or world championship team medalist/member, NCAA or conference player of the year, conference champion, record holder or all-conference award winner.

Armstrong becomes the first water polo student-athlete to be chosen for the U-M Hall of Honor. She is one of the most decorated players in the program’s 18-year history. She earned four All-America honors from 2002-05, including second team honors that led to her becoming a finalist for the Peter J. Cutino Award as the nation’s top water polo player in 2004. She was named a member of the CWPA Hall of Fame in 2008 after being named to the All-CWPA first team all four years and earning two CWPA MVP honors. She holds U-M career records for saves (1,267), save percentage (.654) and wins (85). She also owns the top three season saves totals with the record 350 in 2004, as well as single-season records for save percentage (.734) and goals-against average (4.45), also set in 2004. She led Michigan to four CWPA division titles and two NCAA appearances. She graduated in 2005 with an English language and literature degree. She was a member of the U.S. women’s national team from 2006-12 and competed in two Olympic Games, earning a gold medal in London in 2012 and a silver medal in Beijing in 2008.

Dolan was a nine-time NCAA champion and member of the 1995 NCAA championship team for the men’s swimming and diving program. He won individual NCAA titles in the 500-yard freestyle (1995-96), 1,650-yard freestyle (1995-96) and 400-yard individual medley (1995-96) while also swimming on three championship relay teams. The 1995 Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year, Dolan was twice named Big Ten Swimmer of the Year (1994-95) and earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 1994. He was an All-American in all three of his seasons in Ann Arbor, in addition to being a five-time Big Ten individual champion. Twenty-two years after his last swim for the Maize and Blue, Dolan still finds himself ranked second in school history in both the 500-yard freestyle and 400-yard IM as well as fourth in the 1,650-yard freestyle. He represented the United States in two Olympic Games, winning gold medals in the 400-meter IM in Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000. He also earned a silver medal in the 200-meter IM in 2000. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2006. Dolan will become the 14th inductee from men’s swimming and diving.

Defensive lineman Gallagher and offensive lineman Humphries join a long list of football letterwinners in the Hall of Honor, making the total 78 total honorees from the program.

An orthopaedic surgeon who attended medical school at Michigan during the NFL offseason, Gallagher was an impressive student-athlete. He finished his doctorate of medicine in 1982 after earning his bachelor’s degree in zoology in 1974. He was drafted 20th overall in the first round of the 1974 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears and played for six seasons with the Bears, Detroit Lions and New York Giants (1974-79). During his time at Michigan, Gallagher helped the Wolverines to a 40-3-1 record with Big Ten titles in 1971, 1972 and 1973. The 1972 team played in the Rose Bowl. Gallagher was a 1973 consensus first team All-American after posting 83 tackles as a captain. He was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and recipient of the 1973 College Athlete Top 10 Award, 1974 Big Ten Medal of Honor and the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Postgraduate Scholarship.

Humphries also went on to get his doctorate of medicine after majoring in engineering sciences at Michigan. He went to medical school at Colorado, graduated in 1993 and did his residency at the Mayo Clinic. Humphries was a two-time first team Academic All-American (1982-83) and 1984 Big Ten Medal of Honor winner. As a player he led Michigan to Big Ten titles in 1980 and 1982. He was a first team All-American in 1983 and earned All-Big Ten first team selection twice (1982-83). He played in four bowl games, including the 1981 and 1983 Rose Bowl games. Humphries started 32 career games on the offensive line and was a team captain in 1983. He was drafted 71st overall in the third round of the 1984 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. Humphries played five seasons in the NFL with the Bears and Denver Broncos, playing in two Super Bowls and winning one with the Bears in 1985.

Ritter is the seventh softball student-athlete to join the Hall of Honor. The 2005 USA Softball Player of the Year and Big Ten Suzy Favor Female Athlete of the Year, Ritter pitched 53 of 55 total innings at the Women’s College World Series, posting a 0.92 earned-run average, 60 strikeouts and a .145 opposing average to lead U-M to its first NCAA title. She was a two-time first team All-American (2005, ’06) and was named the 2005 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and 2006 Big Ten Tournament MVP. Ritter graduated with Michigan career records in six pitching categories and still ranks top five in wins (98), strikeouts (1,205), shutouts (43), no-hitters (5) and innings pitched (835). She also remains the program’s single-season record holder in wins (38, 2005) and strikeouts (451, 2006). Ritter earned her bachelor’s degree in engineering in 2007 and spent five years playing with both the USA women’s national team and in the professional ranks.

Stoller was the NCAA champion in the 100-yard dash in 1937. The previous year he tied the world record in the 60-yard dash at the 1936 Big Ten Indoor Championships with a time of 6.1 seconds. That summer he qualified for the Berlin Olympics in the 4×100-meter relay. He was a two-time All-American and the biggest competition for Ohio State’s Jesse Owens as the two competed against each other at rival high schools in Ohio and in college with more than 20 races against each other. Stoller led U-M to three Big Ten indoor titles and two Big Ten outdoor championships. He passed away in 1985 and will be honored posthumously. He was inducted into the Michigan Men’s Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2009 and was the first to receive the General Douglas MacArthur medal from the USOC in 1998. He will become the 23rd inductee from the men’s track and field program.

The U-M Athletics Hall of Honor was established in 1978 to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions as athletes, coaches and administrators to the tradition of Wolverine athletics and, in doing so, have enhanced the image and reputation of the University of Michigan.

— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with the University of Michigan. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.

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