Cael Sanderson headlines Iowa State’s 2017 Hall of Fame class
March 1, 2017
Iowa State will induct seven athletes from five different sports in its 2017 Hall of Fame class, the school announced Wednesday morning.
Headlining the class is perhaps the best collegiate wrestler of all time, Cael Sanderson, who wrestled for Iowa State from 1998-2002 and went 159-0.
Victor Alexander (1987-91, men’s basketball), Dwayne Crutchfield (1980-81, football), Ike Hayes (mid-1930s, football), Geary Murdock (early 1970s, football), Lee-Jay Strifler (1987-90, men’s swim and dive) and Angie Welle (1998-2002, women’s basketball) join Sanderson in the class.
The athletes will be inducted during a ceremony on Sept. 29 at the Sukup End Zone Club at Jack Trice Stadium. They will be honored during halftime of the Texas/Iowa State game on Sept. 28.
Here are small bios on each of the inductees:
Cael Sanderson: The only wrestler to have an undefeated record in a four-year collegiate career, going 159-0 for the Cyclones. He won four NCAA Championships and was a gold medalist at the 2004 Olympics.
He returned to Iowa State to coach from 2007-09. In 2007, he received Big 12 and National Wrestling Coaches Association Coach of the Year honors. Sanderson took over Penn State’s wrestling program in 2009 and has since led it to five national titles.
Angie Welle: The women’s basketball all-time leading scorer, at 2,149 points, and rebounder, at 1,209. She earned three All-American nominations and four All-Big 12 picks. Her number, No. 32, is hanging in the rafters at Hilton Coliseum.
Victor Alexander: A three-time All-Big Eight pick. He owns the program record in all-time field goal percentage at 61.1 percent and is fifth all-time in scoring, racking up 1,892 points. He was drafted 17th overall in the 1991 NBA Draft.
Dwayne Crutchfield: A two-time First-Team Big Eight pick. He led the conference in rushing in both of his seasons in Ames and was drafted in the third round of the 1982 NFL Draft, which led to a three-year NFL career.
Ike Hayes: Tabbed an All-American guard in 1935 and a two-time All-Big Six pick.
Geary Murdock: Earned All-American honors as an offensive lineman in 1972 and grabbed a First Team All-Big Eight pick in the same year. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 1973 and played three seasons in the Canadian Football League.
Lee-Jay Strifler: A two-time All-American diver and a three-time NCAA qualifier. He was crowned a Big Eight champion four times and a Canadian national champion eight times.