A common theme ran through the four Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame inductees’ speeches on Saturday night at the Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet: their gratitude for Hillsdale. After the trophies had been presented and the inductees had taken their seats, Dr. Larry Arnn took the stage and he, too, took a moment to express his gratitude — for the inductees.
Arnn explained that the student athletes at Hillsdale teach a “visual lesson in human excellence” as they endure extreme stress on their body and their soul— and they do it without complaint.
“The ones who get in the Hall of Fame here, that means in the body and soul they have exhibited these excellences to an unusual degree,” Arnn said. “They can be an example to the rest of us, and the college then can be an example to our endangered country. And so I am so very grateful to them.”
Friends, families, and fans enjoyed dinner in the Searle Center on Friday night to celebrate the induction of Andy Kincannon ‘57, Archie Robinson ‘72, Dave Springer ‘84, and Jared Veldheer ‘10 into the Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame.
After guests finished their meals, Sports Information Director and Chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee Brad Monastiere welcomed current Hall of Fame members in the crowd — Paul Beachler, Dave Trippett, and Dr. John Wilson— then gave brief introductions of the four newest inductees.
The inductees were welcomed to the stage in chronological order as Gary Wolfram offered more extensive introductions followed by videos of each inductee sharing their feelings toward their recent honor and their time at Hillsdale. The videos featured photos of the inductees in their Charger uniforms as well as video of current Hillsdale athletes.
After receiving his award from Athletic Director Don Brubacher, each inductee was asked to deliver a short speech.
Kincannon’s ‘57 graduation year gave him first dibs on the podium. In the last three years of his career as a Charger football receiver, Kincannon and his team never lost a game. Kincannon also found success on the Hillsdale track and field team, setting a long-standing javelin throw record for the college. After graduation, Kincannon was signed by the Detroit Raiders, a professional football team, before serving as an assistant football coach for Saginaw Valley State University.
Attending college was not an expected feat for most people in the ’50s, Kincannon said, but the opportunity to attend Hillsdale College was something that changed his life.
“My journey started when I came to Hillsdale,” Kincannon said. “I have to thank Hillsdale College and Coach “Muddy” Waters for the opportunity to continue my athletic career. When I finished high school I thought it was over with, but then life started again. My opportunity started here, my experiences in the classroom and on the field allowed me to accomplish my goals of teaching and coaching. So with that I want to say thanks to Hillsdale.”
Next to the stage was Robinson, “one of the toughest defensive backs in Charger history,” Wolfram said. During his four seasons he set a school record of 20 interceptions and racked up 116 total tackles. He was named first-team All-American as a safety in 1971. Robinson was also the captain of the Hillsdale baseball team in ‘71. As his 4.6 40-meter dash speed caught the eye of professional scouts, he was the 13th-round draft pick for the Miami Dolphins.
At the banquet, Robinson reflected on the friendships he made during his days as a Charger, and how those friendships have been revived since his recent recognition.
“We played a lot of ball. We had a lot of good people,” Robinson said. “Together we grow and we earn friends like that. I’ve had a number of people call me, talk to me, and want to come because of me being recognized. But then there are some people who don’t even know me who came to see me talk. And that’s beautiful.”
According to Wolfram, Dave Springer — the sole Hillsdale basketball player in the 2016 class of inductees — has been called “the best pure-shooter” that many have ever seen, but he is also known for his humility. He was named the ’83-’84 GLIAC Player of the Year. His name was scattered all over the record books after his senior year in a Charger jersey. His class won a total of 83 games in their four years on the court, which is the fourth-most in Hillsdale history.
Springer took the time to tell personal stories from his time at Hillsdale, and express his gratitude for family, friends, and coaches who have had major impacts on his life.
“The bottom line is that God put those people in my life to make my life better, and I’m not so sure why I was the one put in that position,” Springer said. “I was just so blessed to be around so many quality people, and it goes way beyond basketball.”
After graduating a mere six years ago, Veldheer was the youngest of the 2016 inductees. In his career as a Hillsdale offensive lineman, Veldheer never once allowed a sack. As the starting left tackle for the Arizona Cardinals, Veldheer played a significant role in making the Cardinals the highest scoring offense in the NFL in 2015.
Veldheer expressed his gratitude for his Hillsdale coaches, professors, friends, and also for his family.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be up here, especially being not even a decade out of college. This was really where my love for football took off. All the tools that I use today to be successful and play professional football I really owe a lot of it to them,” Veldheer said. “It was all the little things that are special to playing college football. Even though I’m still playing football, it’s a lot different at the professional level especially with relationships between teammates.”
10 current junior and senior student athletes with a grade point average of 3.8 or above were also honored at the banquet as they received the President’s Scholar Athlete Award. Hillsdale’s 2015-2016 Athletic All-Americans also took the stage to receive recognition.
