The Michigan athletic department announced its 2017 class of former athletes to be inducted into the Hall of Honor.
The seven athletes will be honored in the spring, and the date and location is still to be determined.
The inductees are Mary (Fischbach) Jones (women's swimming and diving), Gil LaRose (men's gymnastics), Norvard "Snip" Nalan (wrestling), Lisa (Larsen) Rainsberger (women's track & field/cross country), Marty Turco (ice hockey), MaliVai Washington (men's tennis) and Charles Woodson (football).
Criteria for consideration include being an 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.
Fischbach was a diver at Michigan in 1984 and 1987-88. She was the first woman to become an NCAA champion on Michigan's swimming and diving team in 1988, when she won titles for the one-meter and three-meter. She was a seven-time NCAA All-American, 1988 Big Ten Diver of the Year, won four Big Ten championships and was on the U.S. National Team for 10 years.
LaRose graduated from Michigan in 1963 and led the Wolverines men's gymnastics team to an NCAA championship and Big Ten title. He was a nine-time NCAA All-American, and competed for Team Canada in the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Games. He died in 2006 and will be honored posthumously.
Nalan was a two-time NCAA All-American, winning back-to-back NCAA titles at 130 pounds in 1953 and 1954 to become the first two-time national champion in program history. He was named the Big Ten's Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1953, won the Big Ten three times and finished with a record of 44-3. He died in 1989 and will be honored posthumously.
Larsen graduated in 1984. She was a two-time All-American in cross country in 1981 (AIAW) and 1982 (NCAA) and an All-American in the 10,000-meter run in 1983. She led Michigan to an eighth place finish at the national championship, and led the school to a regional championship. She won the Boston Marathon in 1985, the last American to do so, and was a two-time winner of the Chicago Marathon, in 1988 and 1989. She just missed making the 1984 Olympic marathon team for the United States.
Turco was Michigan's goalie, leading the school to two NCAA titles (1996 and 1998) and four Frozen Four appearances. He holds Michigan records for career wins (127, an NCAA record), career shutouts (15) and wins in a season (34 in 1995-96). He finished with a career record of 127-28-7. He was a first team All-American in 1997, the 1997 CCHA Goaltender of the Year and the 1995 CCHA Rookie of the Year. In 1998, he was named the NCAA Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player. He was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the fifth round of the 1994 draft. He played 11 seasons and was a three-time all-star. He also played for the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins. He played on Team Canada at the 2006 Olympics.
Washington was on the men's tennis team for two seasons at Michigan, earning ITA All-America honors both years. In 1989, he was named the ITA National Player of the Year and Big Ten Athlete of the Year. He became the No. 1 ranked player in singles. He won Big Ten titles in both singles and doubles and finished his college career 63-16. As a professional, he reached the finals of Wimbledon and climbed to No. 11 in singles rankings.
Woodson led Michigan football to a national championship in 1997, the same year he won the Heisman trophy. He is still the only primary defensive player to win the award. He was a two-time first team All-American, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, three-time All-Big Ten, 1997 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and 1995 Big Ten Rookie of the Year. He also earned the Walter Camp Award, Bronco Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award and Jim Thorpe Award in 1997. He was drafted No. 4 overall by the Oakland Raiders, played 18 seasons in the NFL and had 18 interceptions. He won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 2010, was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection, eight-time All-Pro, 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and 1998 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
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