10 Johnnies to Be a part of J-Club Hall of Honor on Sept. 27

By: Ryan Klinkner, SJU Director of Athletic Communications and Frank Rajkowski, SJU Writer/Video Producer

J-Club Hall of Honor | Event Registration

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Ten people can be inducted into Saint John’s University’s J-Club Hall of Honor on Saturday, Sept. 27, as a part of Homecoming festivities.

The dinner and enshrinement ceremony begins at 5:15 p.m. in Guild Hall (Old Gym). A Homecoming Celebration social will happen exterior the venue following SJU’s soccer recreation towards Augsburg in Clemens Stadium previous to the dinner and program. 

Registration is $75 per particular person earlier than Sept. 21 ($100 per particular person after) and consists of dinner and drinks. Children ages 6-12 are $35 and people ages six-and-under are free. All proceeds go to the J-Club to assist SJU athletics. – Register to Attend

Each member of the Hall of Honor class can be highlighted within the weeks main as much as their induction with tales and movies on gojohnnies.com, starting with the primary inductee on Monday, Aug. 25. This 12 months’s class was chosen by a vote of the J-Club’s board of administrators, who thought-about nominations that may be made by any membership member.

Founded in 1959, the J-Club is a dues-based booster group of former Johnnie student-athletes, dad and mom and followers, and performs a key function in supporting SJU varsity packages, intramurals and membership sports activities. 

Those honored (listed alphabetically) embody: 

-Bob Alpers ’82: The Johnnies’ longtime golf coach who was a 2010 inductee into the Golf Coaches’ Association of America Hall of Fame, Alpers (Burnsville, Minn.) led this system to 13 MIAC titles, 20 NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of NCAA Division III nationwide championships in 29 seasons. He additionally spent 20 years as an assistant basketball coach and served as an assistant for the Johnnies’ baseball and soccer groups. Alpers served as SJU’s athletic director for 9 years, main a division that collected 19 regular-season convention titles, 5 playoff championships and 20 NCAA appearances throughout his tenure. He was additionally a standout basketball participant for the Johnnies, incomes All-MIAC and group MVP honors in his senior season in 1981-82. 

-Jerry Haugen ’76: A fixture at SJU for the previous 52 years, Haugen (Robbinsdale, Minn./Armstrong) spent 48 of these years because the Johnnies’ head baseball coach within the spring and their soccer defensive coordinator within the fall. He collected a 916-736-5 (.554) report as head baseball coach and the Johnnies registered a 421-99-5 (.807) mark in soccer. Haugen completed his profession as simply the twenty seventh baseball coach in Division III historical past to succeed in the 900-win mark and helped lead SJU soccer to a pair of nationwide titles in 1976 and 2003. He additionally spent 4 years as SJU’s head ice hockey coach and eight seasons as an assistant basketball coach. Haugen has been a part of 37 MIAC championship squads and made 43 nationwide match appearances in his greater than half a century in Collegeville. A standout soccer and baseball participant for the Johnnies, he earned All-MIAC honors in soccer in 1975. His report of 15 profession regular-season interceptions nonetheless sits atop the SJU report books.

-Bernie Kukar ’62: Kukar (Gilbert, Minn.) was an All-MIAC performer in soccer and basketball for the Johnnies who went on to turn out to be an NFL referee for 22 seasons from 1984 to 2005 and was chosen to officiate Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999 and Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002. He was additionally an alternate in Super Bowl XXX in 1996. Kukar ended his basketball profession fourth in program historical past with 1,389 profession factors (is now tenth). On the gridiron, Kukar nonetheless owns the Johnnies’ report for the longest punt return – 95 yards vs. Concordia-Moorhead within the 1961 Homecoming recreation.

-Patrick Lilly ’79: SJU soccer’s first All-American in 1976, Lilly went on to earn All-MIAC and all-district honors as a junior in 1977 and once more as a senior in 1978. The Johnnies compiled a 34-14-11 report with two journeys to the NAIA Tournament throughout his profession. The Robbinsdale (Minn.) Armstrong High School graduate joins his older brother Mike ’78, a Johnnie soccer All-American in 1977 and 2022 inductee, as the primary pair of brothers within the J-Club Hall of Honor.

-Craig Muyres ’64: Muyres (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) was a two-sport star at SJU. As the Johnnies’ quarterback, who additionally began at security on the defensive facet of the ball, Muyres led SJU to a 19-0 report as a junior and senior, and directed this system to its first nationwide title in 1963. He was additionally a two-time All-MIAC choose in basketball and completed his profession fifth in program historical past with 1,344 factors (is now twelfth).

-Ken Roering ’64: A proficient receiver, Roering (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) earned a uncommon beginning spot as a freshman within the fall of 1960, then continued to excel as a sophomore. From there, he went on to earn All-MIAC and All-America honors the following two years. Roering led the Johnnies in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns all 4 seasons from 1960-63, totaling 63 receptions for 1,100 yards (17.5 avg.) and 19 touchdowns. As a senior in 1963, he performed a significant function in main the Johnnies to that season’s NAIA nationwide title, hauling in an 18-yard landing reception as SJU upset Prairie View A&M (Texas) within the nationwide championship recreation.

-Todd Schlorf ’90: A 3-time All-American in tennis – twice in doubles competitors and as soon as in singles – Schlorf (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) led SJU to its first and solely Division III match in 1990. He was the MIAC’s particular person champion as a freshman (1987) and senior (1990), and a three-time NCAA participant. Schlorf turned down the nationwide invitation as a freshman. He compiled an 80-11 singles report and a 49-10 doubles mark in doubles in recognized matches.

-Josh Sherlin ’05: Sherlin (Glenwood, Minn./Minnewaska Area) was a two-time MIAC champion and All-American golfer in 2004 and 2005 who helped lead the Johnnies to the Division III nationwide meet in all 4 of his seasons in Collegeville. SJU completed eighth nationally in 2002, third in 2003, thirteenth in 2004 and sixth in 2005. He ended his profession third in program historical past with a 75.4 common in 97 profession rounds (is now seventeenth), whereas his 73.4 common in 26 rounds through the 2003-04 season was tied for SJU’s second-best (is now tied for fifth). Sherlin completed within the prime 5 in practically half of his occasions (20 of 45) and nonetheless owns this system’s lowest rating – a 7-under par 65 – recorded on Sept. 8, 2003 on the Bemidji Town and Country Club (Bemidji State Invitational).

-Brian Smith ’83: The first nationwide champion in SJU observe and subject historical past, Smith (Bayard, Iowa) gained the 5,000-meter run in 1983. In all, he was a three-time All-American and seven-time All-MIAC performer throughout observe and subject and cross nation. Smith completed third within the 10,000 meters on the 1981 MIAC meet. He then positioned second within the 10,000 and first within the 5,000 the next 12 months earlier than happening to a second-place end within the 5,000 on the NCAA Division III nationwide meet. That set the stage for the spring of 1983 when he gained the 1,500 and completed second within the 5,000 on the convention championships earlier than successful the nationwide title. Smith closed out his collegiate profession with a third-place end on the Division III nationwide cross nation meet within the fall of 1983 – a very spectacular feat for somebody who didn’t compete within the sport earlier than enrolling at SJU.

Jim Platten ’74 can be awarded J-Club Distinguished Service Award. For nicely over 25 years, the alum and longtime SJU supporter has volunteered within the gear room, serving to out with the soccer group and different packages. Along the best way, he has been a buddy, useful resource and mentor to a number of generations of Johnnie student-athletes. Platten’s lifelong devotion to Saint John’s started when he was accepted into Saint John’s Prep as a 13-year-old. He’s been a member of the alumni board from 2008 to the current and is a previous board president. He’s additionally lengthy been a fixture on the soccer sideline house or away, at all times carrying his trademark shorts whatever the temperature or circumstances.

The Hall of Honor’s earlier six lessons are listed beneath:

2024: 1978-79 basketball group; Rick Bell ’83 (baseball and soccer); Chuck Ceronsky ’70 (cross nation and observe and subject); Stacy Christensen ’76 (hockey); Al Eisele ’58 (baseball); Ernie England ’81 (soccer); Mike Fahey ’75 (J-Club Distinguished Service Award); Bill Laliberte ’70 (soccer, hockey and observe and subject); Dick Matchinsky ’57 (basketball); Tim Miles ’76 (cross nation and observe and subject coach); Nathan Proshek ’04 (golf); Luke Vestrum ’03 (swimming and diving); Thom Woodward ’70 (J-Club Distinguished Service Award).

2023: 2003 SJU soccer group; Lou Adderley ’55 (tennis and wrestling); Paul Bernabei ’69 (basketball); Jon Dold ’94 (baseball); Darwin Dumonceaux ’99 (observe and subject); Chris Erichsen ’08 (cross nation and observe and subject); Terry Haws (coach); Tom Kubinski ’86 (swimming and diving); Matt McGovern ’01 (golf); Chris Palmer ’96 (soccer and baseball); Fr. Dunstan Tucker (J-Club Distinguished Service Award).

2022: 1976 SJU soccer group; Minga Batsukh ’11 (wrestling); Troy Bigalke ’01 (basketball); Fred Cremer ’67 (soccer); Matt Erredge ’99 (hockey); Jon Habben ’79 (swimming and diving); Dave Lamm ’68 (observe and subject); Mike Lilly ’78 (soccer); Cyril Paul ’59 (observe and subject); Tim Schmitz ’78 (soccer); Br. Mark Kelly (J-Club Distinguished Service Award).

2021: 1965 SJU soccer group; John Deters ’92 (swimming and diving); George Durenberger ’28 (athlete, athletic director); Chuck Froehle ’57 (soccer); Jim Gathje ’86 (cross nation, observe and subject); Vedie Himsl ’38 (baseball); Jim Lehman, Sr. ’56 (soccer); Terry Leiendecker ’84 (soccer);  Joe Mucha ’66 (basketball and soccer); Jeff Norman ’78 (soccer and baseball); Joe Schoolmeesters ’09  (golf); Gary Svendsen ’72 (wrestling); Vic Moore ’72 (J-Club Distinguished Service Award).

2019: 1963 SJU soccer group; John Cragg ’71 (cross nation and observe and subject); Blake Elliott ’03 (soccer); Adam Hanna ’07 (hockey); Pat Haws ’72 (soccer and swimming and diving head coach); John McDowell ’64 (soccer); John “Blood McNally ’24 (soccer, basketball, baseball, observe and subject); Sammy Schmitz ’03 (golf); Bill Sexton ’55 (basketball); Frank Wachlarowicz ’79 (basketball); Matt Zelen ’99 (swimming and diving); Tom Arth ’66 and Fr. Wilfred Theisen ’52 (J-Club Distinguished Service Award).

2018: John Gagliardi (soccer coach); Jim Smith (basketball coach).