AU To Induct Five in 2011 Hall of Fame Class
Distribution Date: Sept. 21, 2011 Release Date: Immediate
It’s been said that brothers can fight like cats and dogs. Many years ago two brothers,
Marc and Maurice Crevier, came to Ashland from South Dakota and together as Eagles, fought
Cats, Dogs and all other comers. They were two football players who played on some of
Ashland’s best teams in the 1970s.
On Saturday, Oct. 15, the two Crevier brothers along with tennis great Gail Hackett,
softball standout Tara Ringler Hootman and world class thrower Kirt Thompson will be
inducted into the Ashland University Hall of Fame. The 2011 induction ceremony will take place
on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 9 a.m., at the John C. Myers Convocation Center.
Ashland University will also honor the 2010-11 Student-Athletes of the Year at the
ceremony. Joe Horn (Waynesfield, Ohio/Waynesfield-Goshen), a stellar football and track
and field athlete, is the 2010-11 Male Student-Athlete of the Year. This year, the university will
honor Co-Female Student Athlete of the Year award winners. Swimmer Allison Morgan
(Strongsville, Ohio) and Abby Kacsandi (Wooster, Ohio), a national champion from track and
field, are the recipients of that award. Horn, Morgan and Kacsandi were all seniors in 2010-11.
Karen Little, AU’s director of institutional research, will receive the Eagle Forever
Award.
Tickets for the event are available by contacting the AU athletic department, 419289-5441. Tickets are $15 each.
Information on the Hall of Fame inductees can be found below.
Marc Crevier – Crevier was an offensive guard. In 1972, he was honored as a third team
All-American. As a junior and senior, Crevier graded out at 97 percent for his blocking
proficiency. That 1972 team went 11-0 and was ranked as high as fifth by the Associated Press
and seventh by United Press International. Crevier became a starter midway through his
sophomore season. After leaving Ashland, he went on to earn a master of divinity degree and
he’s working on his doctorate. Crevier is a licensed commercial pilot and he’s been the topranked salesman for seven years straight for the National Motor Club of America. Crevier lives
in Elkton, S.D.
Maurice Crevier – Like his brother, Maurice Crevier was a linchpin on the Ashland
teams that helped usher in a new era in football. In 1971, Crevier, who played linebacker, led the
Eagles with 128 tackles. He had 98 tackles in 1969 and 106 in 1970. After graduating from
Ashland with a degree in business management, Crevier served as a pilot in the United States
Navy. He is the chief executive officer of his own company, Crevier Craftsman. Crevier and his
wife, Rita, have four children and one granddaughter. They reside in Eden Prairie, Minn.
Gail Hackett – Hackett played tennis for four years (1972-75). She played No.1
doubles. During her sophomore and junior years she teamed with Brenda Baratko and that duo
was undefeated for those two seasons. In 1974, the Hackett-Baratko combo did not lose a set
during the regular season. In 1974, they advanced to the semifinals of the Ohio Women’s
Intercollegiate Tennis Championships.
After she completed her collegiate tennis career, Hackett became heavily involved in
golf. She was the Stark County Women’s Amateur champion six times, was the women’s Ohio
Senior Golf champion four times, was the Congress Lake Ladies Club champion 20 times and
was the Akron District Ladies champion once.
Hackett has been in the banking industry for the past 36 years. She is currently the
assistant vice president/compensation analyst with FirstMerit Bank in Akron. She has been with
FirstMerit for 16 years. She and her husband, Warren, have two daughters and two
granddaughters.
Tara Ringler Hootman – Hootman was a starter on some of the best softball teams in
school history. She was the third baseman on the 1998 team that went 53-6 (most wins in school
history). Hootman was a GTE first team Academic All-American in 1998 and was the 1998 class
salutatorian. She was a two-time first team All-GLIAC selection (1997, 1998). Hootman was
named second team all-region in 1998 and she was named to the Great Lakes Region AllTournament Team twice (1997, 1998). She played on three teams that won conference
championships (1996, 1997, 1998). All three of those teams advanced to the NCAA Division II
playoffs. At AU she is eighth in career batting average (.340), sixth in career hits (182) and at
bats (536) and tied for fourth in career runs (112).
Hootman and her husband, Ben, reside in Wooster with their three children. Hootman is
a teacher with Wooster City Schools.
Kirt Thompson – Thompson made a name for himself throwing the javelin. He was a
four-time national champion on the college level, winning one crown at Central State and three
at Ashland. He was a two-time national record holder in the javelin and that record still stands
today (256-1, set in 1996, Riverside, Calif.). Thompson won three GLIAC championships in the
javelin. He competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, and the 1996 Olympics in
Atlanta. He won three USA Club National Championships, two Drake Relays championships
and three Jesse Owens Track Classic championships.
Thompson also played a year of soccer at AU.
Thompson resides in Indianapolis. He is the owner of a personal training and coaching
business, Fitness 101, in Sanford, Fla. Thompson and his wife, Michelle, are the parents of one
daughter.
AU
HOF/ALK