The ISU Letterwinners Club announced that nine new members will be inducted into the ISU Athletic Hall of Fame next September.

The new inductees range from former football greats to members of the media relations department.

Matt Blair is a name that many Cyclone fans should recognize. The defensive end played for ISU in 1971 and 1973, years in which the Cyclones saw some success.

In 1973, Blair earned All-American honors by picking up 77 tackles, one interception and three fumble recoveries. Although this took place before sacks were an official statistic, Blair will be remembered for his ability to get to the quarterback.

He went on to have a stellar career with the Minnesota Vikings. His time in Minnesota included being named to six Pro Bowls and appearing in two Super Bowls.

Harry Burrell spent an amazing 44 years in the sports information business and will be inducted in the Hall because of that. This is not his first Hall of Fame induction, as his name also appears in the Helm’s Foundation Hall of Fame, the Iowa Association of Track Coaches’ Hall of Fame and the CoSIDA Hall of Fame.

Ray Conger was an accomplished runner in Ames, and his main feat was winning the 1927 NCAA title in the mile run. He also captured the conference titles in the race from 1925-27.

After his time with the Cyclones, Conger went on to make the Olympics and compete professionally for a number of years. He had a two-year unbeaten streak from 1929-30.

Jeff Grayer surely is a familiar name for Cyclone fans. The native of Flint, Mich., finished his tremendous career as the leading scorer in Cyclone basketball history with 2,502 points.

He was a sophomore on the team that went to the Sweet Sixteen, and while in Ames he saw the ‘Clones take part in NCAA tournament action three of four years.

His senior year was the most successful for Grayer. He led the Big Eight in scoring with 25.3 points per game and finished tied for the lead in rebounding at 9.4 per contest.

Grayer was a first-round draft pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1988 and played in the NBA up until last year. Grayer is still playing professionally, this time with the Quad City Thunder of the CBA.

Another noted hoopster is Jeff Hornacek. The 1986 grad actually came to Ames without a scholarship but eventually proved himself worthy.

The LaGrange, Ill., native finished his career as ISU’s and the Big Eight’s leading assist man with 665.

He broke or tied eight school records in his time as a Cyclone, and he capped his career by leading the Cyclones on a magical ride through the NCAA tournament that saw the season end in the Sweet Sixteen with a heartbreaking defeat to North Carolina State.

Hornacek again defied the odds as a pro. Only the 47th player picked in the draft, he is still in the midst of a successful NBA career that has featured one All-Star appearance.

Johnny Majors coached the Cyclone football squad from 1968-72 and led ISU to two consecutive bowl game appearances. The 1971 squad finished 7-4 after a 33-15 loss to LSU in the Sun Bowl. All four losses came to ranked opponents.

After leading the ‘Clones to a repeat appearance in postseason play the following season, Majors left to coach at the University of Pittsburgh.

He persuaded Tony Dorsett to come to Pitt and won the national championship in 1976.

Dwight Nichols was a football star from Knoxville that put on the pads from 1957-59 for ISU. He was the leader of the famous “Dirty Thirty” squad that went 7-3 in his senior year.

He was also the first player from Iowa State to be named first team All-Big Seven, and he became the first player in conference history to lead the league in total offense three times.

Chris Taylor was quite simply the biggest athlete in ISU history. The 440-pound monster never lost in 88 matches. He was crowned national champion in 1972 and 1973 and named Most Outstanding Wrestler in the 1973 tournament.

During his career at ISU, Taylor collected a bronze medal in the 1972 Olympics.

Debbie Vetter, along with her twin sister Diane, were vital ingredients to the success of the ISU cross country dynasty that won three AIAW titles in both cross country and track in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Vetter was the 1981 ISU Female Athlete of the Year after winning the Big Eight and AIAW Region VI cross country title, and she also set ISU and Big Eight conference standards in the 1,500-meter run and the 800 meters.

These nine greats have all in one way or another carved a niche in Cyclone lore, and they will be inducted into ISU’s Athletic Hall of Fame on Sept. 24 at Hilton Coliseum.