The Iowa State Letterwinners Club inducted the 2nd class of ISU Hall of Famers on Friday at the Gateway Holiday Inn in Ames. The class included nine former Cyclone greats in sports ranging from Basketball to Gymnastics.

ZAID ABDUL-AZIZ (FORMERLY DON SMITH)

Zaid Abdul-Aziz will go down as one of the greatest basketball players in Cyclone history. The tall, lanky forward played for the Cyclones from 1966-1968.

Abdul-Aziz led the Big Eight Conference in scoring his junior and senior seasons, joining the legendary Wilt Chamberlain as the first Big Eight cager to score over 600 points in a season.

His senior season the Cyclones had the chance to win the conference championship but fell short when they lost the last two games of the season.

However, his senior year was not without highlights. Abdul-Aziz averaged 24.2 points and scored 33 points in a game against Lew Alcinor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and the UCLA Bruins.

Abdul-Aziz finished the season as ISU’s all time leading scorer with 1,642 points, which still ranks 10th on the ISU charts.

He was drafted as the fourth overall pick in the NBA draft, which is still the highest that any Cyclone has been selected. He went on to enjoy a successful NBA career with six different teams.

GEORGE AMUNDSON

As a seven letter athlete for Cyclone athletics, George Amundson was one of the most accomplished stars of the recent era.

The versatile Amundson participated in both football and track, but he was most known for his performance as a running back for the football team.

He participated in a couple of Cyclone firsts, as he was the initial player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, and in that same year, he led the ‘Clones to their first bowl appearance.

As a senior in 1972, Amundson switched to QB and had another great year, earning the Big Eight Player of the Year award.

He was also a four-time letterwinner on the track team, and at one time he held the ISU discus record.

He ended his career owning 22 ISU football records and was selected in the first round of the 1973 draft by the Houston Oilers.

GLEN BRAND

Glen Brand will best be remembered as the first ISU athlete to win a gold medal in the Olympics, but one shouldn’t forget the great career he had as a wrestler for the Cyclones.

Competing throughout his career at 175 pounds, he finished his years (1946-1950) with a record of 51-3 with 30 pins.

He was the NCAA champion in his junior year and won the gold medal the summer after the ’48 season.

The Clarion native is a member of the National Wrestling and The Des Moines Register Halls of Fame.

DEBBIE ESSER-KARMAN

Debbie Esser-Karman competed for the track and field teams from 1976-1979, and quickly established herself as one of the greatest athletes in ISU history.

The Woodbine native was a nine-time All-America and won an unprecedented four national 400-meter hurdle titles.

She went on to make a name for herself on the national scene, as she finished third in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1980 World Cup in Montreal.

ED GAGNIER

“Hi, everybody!”

“Hi, Ed!”

That is how most ISU fans will know Ed Gagnier, but he was also the man who built the ISU men’s gymnastics program from scratch.

He was coach of the team for 22 years, and he was highly decorated during his tenure.

He was named Big Eight Coach of the Year three times, and three of his teams won the NCAA Championships in 1971, 1973, and 1974.

After his successful career came to a conclusion, he was promoted to the athletic promotions and marketing manager, and has certainly made his mark on the “Shoot Five-for-Five” promotions at the basketball games.

LOUIS MENZE

Louis Menze served a number of important roles in the ISU athletic department.

Menze was the men’s basketball coach from 1928-47, where he finished with a mark of 166-153.

He also was the baseball coach from 1931-35, and there he saw his clubs finish with a 32-34 record.

The versatile Menze also served as the athletic director from 1945-58.

PEG NEPPEL-DARRAH

Peg Neppel-Darrah was the first ISU woman to earn an individual national title when she captured the crown at the AIAW Cross Country Championship in 1975.

The Dolliver native ran for the cross-country team from 1975-78, and in the process led the team to four consecutive AIAW titles.

She also competed in track and field and holds five ISU outdoor records, she set world records in the three-mile, 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs.

After her ISU career, she excelled on a national level, winning the New York City Mini-Marathon and competing in the Cross Country World Championship for the U.S. Cross Country team.

She tragically passed away at age 28 after a battle with cancer in 1981. She will be remembered as a great athlete who represented herself and her school with tremendous respect.

BEN PETERSON

Ben Peterson was one of he most dominant wrestlers in the long and proud history of the program.

Peterson grappled for ISU from 1969-1972 and won two NCAA titles in 1971 and 1972.

Peterson, who competed in the 190 pound weight class, helped lead Iowa State to two team titles and one runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships.

The summer after his senior year, he represented ISU and the USA in the Olympic Games. He did the school and country proud by winning gold in Munich.

WALDO WEGNER

Waldo Wegner was a basketball star in a much different era from today.

He was a 6’4 dominating center as he led ISU to solid seasons in 1933-35. He was second in the league at scoring in 1935 with 10.6 points per game.

He spearheaded the attack in the 1935 squad when the Cyclones finished 13-3, at that point the best record in the school’s history.