Shawn Eichorst Makes Three Very Special Deliveries

Shawn Eichorst's Connecting on Campus Column

Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame Inaugural Class

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Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst wishes he could have made special deliveries this week to all 22 inaugural members of the University of Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame. Since that was virtually impossible, with three Olympic heroes/Hall of Fame honorees living outside the country – Merlene Ottey (in Slovenia), Adam Pine (Australia) and Penny Heynes (South Africa) – Eichorst honed in on three Lincoln honorees. He also asked Husker coaches to inform and congratulate members of this elite group. The inaugural class is featured in Eichorst’s monthly Connecting on Campuscolumn, which was distributed Friday to friends and supporters of the program.

In his column, written before he left Lincoln to watch the NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Eichorst shared his thoughts about making his special deliveries to inform Charlie Greene (track and field), Jim Hartung (men’s gymnastics) and Lori Sippel (softball) that they are Nebraska’s first official Hall of Fame honoree in each of their respective sports. Open this link and then click the arrow in Greene's photo to follow Eichorst’s personal visits to deliver the good news to all three charter Nebraska Athletics' Hall of Famers.

“Charlie was the first Nebraska student-athlete in history to win an Olympic Gold Medal,” Eichorst said. “Jim owns the most individual NCAA titles (7) and most All-America (22) accolades of any male student-athlete in the history of Nebraska Athletics. Lori is the most dominant pitcher in Nebraska softball history and still holds major school records. Jim and Lori are both longtime assistant coaches for the programs in which they excelled and have served our great University for decades, with honor and distinction.”

Charlie Greene: Nebraska’s First Olympic Gold Medal Winner

Eichorst's first stop on special delivery day was to the home of Greene, whose wife, Linda, can be heard in the background video asking "What's going on?" Eichorst asked Greene what he thought about being in the University of Nebraska's first Hall of Fame. "Fantastic," he said. "Very cool."

Eichorst describes Greene as a tremendous ambassador, phenomenal athlete and an even better person. "I can't think of anyone more deserving of the honor than Charlie," Eichorst said. "He's someone who bleeds red and always remembers where he came from and the culture and the values that he learned at the University of Nebraska." A surprised Greene was quick to honor the institution that honored him. Being inducted into the Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame is significant, Greene said, because he's seen his alma mater be a "lightning rod" for every young person who can become successful simply by working hard, optimizing their talents and staying the course.

Jim Hartung: The Huskers’ All-Time Leader in NCAA Titles

Greene has been the recipient of a successful kidney transplant, and Hartung feels equally blessed having survived some trying years battling throat cancer. "Being a part of the Nebraska gymnastics program has been a lifetime dream for me since I was a kid," Hartung said.

"I’ve had the opportunity to compete here and now I have the great opportunity to assist the program by coaching these outstanding student-athletes," said Hartung (above holding celebratory flowers). "All I’ve ever dreamed has come true. I’m looking forward to helping this program grow, and my goal is to help our current student-athletes experience what we did when I competed here at Nebraska."

A Gold Medal gymnasics winner in the 1984 Olympics, Hartung has been inducted into a few other halls of fame. "I knew there wasn’t a Nebraska Hall of Fame," he said. "Deep down, being inducted into this hall was always one of my top goals. This honor really means a lot to me.”

Lori Sippel: The Most Dominant Pitcher in Nebraska Softball History

While every new Hall of Fame inductee was surprised, Sippel was stunned and shared some tears with Eichorst and Nebraska's softball team prior to the Huskers' Big Ten Conference series against Michigan State Friday (5:30 p.m.), Saturday (1 p.m.) and Sunday (noon) at Bowlin Stadium.

Sippel called the honor "huge" because "I love Nebraska," she said. "It has become my home. What brought me here was the opportunity to strive for excellence at a place where female student-athletes could rise up. I had the chance to play here, to win championships here and to stay on and coach and give that same opportunity to other young ladies. It's great to be part of the first Hall of Fame class at a place that gives student-athletes that same opportunity.”

March Radio ShowFeatures Eichorst, Sippel, Hartung, Krapfl, Spangler

On Thursday night's Talk to the Director of Athletics Radio Show, Eichorst shared his thoughts about the inaugural Nebraska Sports Hall of Fame class in Segment 1. Sippel and Hartung discussed the Hall of Fame news in Segment 2, followed by studio host Greg Sharpe interviews with Nebraska head golf coaches Robin Krapfl (Segment 3) and Bill Spangler (Segment 4).

Audio 1: Director of Athletics Show Featuring Shawn Eichorst

Audio 2: Director of Athletics Show Featuring Lori Sippel and Jim Hartung

Audio 3: Director of Athletics Show Featuring Robin Krapfl

Audio 4: Director of Athletics Show Featuring Bill Spangler

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