Etched in History

By: D. Scott Fritchen

It was royal purple silk napkins, white tablecloths and white rose centerpieces. It was beef filet with smoked red wine demi-glace. It was purple velvet cake, clinking silverware, dark dinner jackets, dresses, and murmuring conversation, and dim light cast from eight chandeliers in the K-State Alumni Center ballroom.

And then a gentleman approached the stage at the front of the room, read the names of the evening's guests of honor, and peered across the seated gathering.

"How you represented K-State while you were here as an athlete or coach, and how you continue to represent K-State after you left is the reason you're in the Hall of Fame," K-State athletic director Gene Taylor said. "You deserve every bit of it."

The K-State Athletics Hall of Fame began in 1989. Today it includes a total of 107 inductees. That includes nine honorees for the 2024 induction class: Carl and Mary Ice, Askia Jones, Nick Leckey, Kevin Lockett, Diana Miller, Deb Patterson, Jacob Pullen, Scott Sellers and Kim Zschau.

The 2024 induction class had combined for as many honors as any class in recent memory:

- 5 conference championships, either individual or team

- 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, either individual or team

- 11 All-Conference honorees

- 24 All-America honorees

- 2 Conference athlete-of-year honorees

- 2 national athlete-of-year honorees

- 3 national position finalists

- 2 coach-of-the-year honors

- 4 school record holders

- 2 Academic All-Americans

"Our inductees include the all-time winningest women's basketball coach in school history, a couple who's been involved in K-State in so many ways, a man who scored 62 points in a postseason game in Bramlage," Taylor continued. "It includes two of the great K-State football players in history, a women's basketball All-American, K-State's all-time men's basketball scoring leader and two-time All-American, a three-time NCAA high jump champion, and one of the best volleyball players in Wildcat history."

Lengthy applause subsided, then erupted again at the sight of Carl and Mary Ice taking the stage to accept their royal purple Hall of Fame sports jackets. Longtime supporters of both the University and athletics, the Ices have provided transformative investments to a variety of projects and programs, including the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, Ice Family Basketball Center and the Carl & Mary Ice Family Video Boards.

Carl graduated from the K-State College of Engineering in 1979; Mary from the K-State college of health and human sciences in 1980.

"To think that we are being honored with so many of you and so many other people who have done tremendous things for this university means so much," said Mary, who noted that 28 family members attended the event.

"It's incredible to be associated with all of you," Carl said. "There are so many happy memories or so many things that happened in seeing all your exploits. We're honored to be here with you. Certainly, thanks for this honor. We were truly surprised that day. Words have escaped us. Just know this means a tremendous amount to Mary and me.

"When you're blessed with good fortune, you have the responsibility to give other people the tools and the opportunities for them to reach their own unique potentials. At K-State, that happens all the time. It's natural for us to participate with K-State and many, many, many, many of our happy memories are associated with K-State Athletics. This, we'll certainly cherish forever."

Askia Jones assuredly will cherish his induction as well, although the four-year letterman (1989-94) for head coaches Lon Kruger and Dana Altman was unable to attend the Hall of Fame weekend celebration. Jones' 1,834 career points ranks fourth in school history, but one of the nation's top guards is perhaps known for his school-record 62 points against Fresno State in the 1994 Postseason NIT. He still holds school records for 45 points in a half and 14 made 3-pointers. Jones joined Mitch Richmond as the only players in school history to score 700 points in a single season.

Nick Leckey had several special seasons as an offensive lineman at K-State. Leckey, a two-time First Team All-American in 2002 and 2003, started in 41 consecutive games and didn't allow a single sack in his career. Leckey was picked by Arizona in the 2004 NFL Draft and won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints.

"I don't dream like this," Leckey said on stage. "This is not something I ever aspired to be. When you're an offensive lineman, you're one of five. To have this distinction is super cool because it just shows that I played with a lot of good people. It's a simple recipe: Work hard, give it your best and good things will happen. I played with a lot of great people. Very thankful. This is a great honor. I'm very, very happy. I bleed purple."

For more than three decades, Kevin Lockett has bled purple as well. The 1996 Third Team All-American finished his career as the all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions in K-State history — marks that were later broken by his son, Tyler Lockett. With his parents and brother, Aaron Lockett, on hand at the induction ceremony, Kevin delved into his story, which included numerous emotional nods to his family.

"This is truly, truly an honor. The day I got the call that I had been elected into the Hall of Fame, it was a Monday morning and before my host of meetings for that day the '785' number came across my phone," Kevin shared. "I was told I was a part of this class being inducted. There was about 20 seconds of silence. I was just absolutely floored and amazed. My first question was who were the other inductees in this class. The list of names made me immediately more humble because I knew what they've done for this university and athletic program. It's truly, truly appreciated.

"There's a host of people I want to quickly thank. I don't know if you had a chance to go outside, but they asked us to bring some things so people could remember our time here, and if you walk by mine, what you saw was a lot of stuff that represented our family. That was done for two reasons. People talk about this thing called 'The Lockett Legacy,' and that's something I'm very, very proud of — proud that I had a chance to play here, and my brother had a chance to follow and build upon what I did and take this program to new heights, and then to have a son come in and absolutely destroy everything you worked so hard to build. Now to have the ability to have a second child who's on a program that's under a coach who's very similar to our Coach Snyder that is building a winning program. It's truly, truly remarkable.

"The second reason I have all our family stuff there, though, is because my family is truly, truly important to me. We have my mom and my dad, 44 games, four years, and they missed one. Just complete support. My immediate family knows how much they mean to me, my coaches and teammates do as well, but it's also all of you — my extended family. It's all the folks here and at K-State that have been a critical part of who I am. The word FAMILY means a lot to the people of Kansas State. You see it all over the buildings here and it's not just a word, it's real."

Diana Miller finished her women's basketball career in 1991 as the all-time leading scorer with 1,705 points. A 1990 Honorable Mention All-American and co-Big Eight Player of the Year, Miller averaged 17.3 points and 6.5 rebounds.

"Thank you for putting me into this wonderful family with this class," she said. "I'm very honored to be a part of it. My number was 33, so 33 years later I'm honored to be here. My dad just recently passed, and he was my biggest supporter from day one with this journey, and this was one of his goals, to eventually see me be a part of this wonderful Hall of Fame. He's here with me today.

"Being a part of this university, you feel like one big family. Whether you're with women's basketball, track, volleyball, football, we're all one. There have been a lot of wonderful people who've come through here, and I'm so honored to be a part of it."

Deb Patterson, the all-time winningest head coach in K-State women's basketball history, finished her 18 seasons with a 350-226 record with nine NCAA Tournament appearances, one Sweet Sixteen, nine 20-win seasons, two Big 12 regular-season titles in 2004 and 2008, and the 2006 WNIT title.

K-State had advanced to the NCAA Tournament just four times in its history when Patterson took over in 1996. K-State went 19-12 in her first season with the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade.

The remarkable turnaround featured standout performances as 10 K-State players earned All-America honors, while Nicole Ohlde was named 2003 Big 12 Player of the year and Kendra Wecker earned the same honor the following year.

Patterson was named a National Coach of the Year finalist three times in 2002, 2003 and 2005.

"There are some people named George Briedenthal, Jon Wefald, Ernie Barrett, Jack Vanier, Ed O'Donnell and Bob Krause who were unbelievably significant people in and around the program as we were building it and running it," Patterson said. "I just want to thank them in their passing with all my heart. I hope each of them is dancing up in Heaven and looking down and sharing in the happiness of these new inductees. Each of those people left an indelible mark on my heart. They will never ever be forgotten.

"It truly has been in my life the great blessing and honor and privilege to have served as head coach at Kansas State women's basketball, but the most important message that I can share with you now is that the reason this induction means so much to me is because in my heart and mind it belongs entirely to the young women that I had the opportunity to coach. They own this induction. That's why this is so meaningful to me."

Hardy applause and cheers flowed as Jacob Pullen took the stage and donned his royal purple Hall of Fame jacket. Hard to believe more than a decade has passed since Pullen helped the Wildcats to a thrilling ride and 2010 Elite Eight. The all-time leading scorer in K-State history with 2,132 points, Pullen was a four-year letterman (2007-11) and helped K-State to 95 wins, three NCAA Tournaments and one NIT. The third player in K-State history to be named a John R. Wooden Award All-American, Pullen twice earned All-America honors. His list of Big 12 and K-State accolades remains lengthy, as does the trail of memories that paved one of the greatest careers in K-State men's basketball history.

"Frank (Martin) can attest I was a competitive guy in everything," Pullen said. "I wasn't the most athletic, wasn't the fastest, wasn't the best, but I guaranteed I was going to put in all the work that I had to get to where I wanted to get. That was the identity my teams had. We were tough. We were going to get after it. We weren't going to back down from anybody. If we weren't going to win a game, we were going to go down fighting. We'd say, 'You beat us at basketball, we'll beat you at fighting, so you might as well let us win.'

"A person who doesn't get a lot of credit because he's always behind the scenes is my father. He's not a guy who's going to run out and say he's my dad. He sacrificed so much for me, and I can't thank him enough. When I was making decisions in my life, he always sat me down and told me I had to make choices, and that the choices I made at the end of the day prepared me for where I was at, and the biggest thing was preparation plus opportunity equals success. I was always prepared for my opportunities.

"My mother is my biggest fan. She's been my go-to. I didn't make the best decisions at a young age, and I wasn't able to play basketball at the time and I'd be in bed crying, and she'd hurt with me. She's always been right there with me."

Pullen took a moment to recognize K-State and the city of Manhattan as well.

"K-State is one of the few places I've ever been where it's felt like home right away," he said. "Coming here, me being the youngest, it was a lot for them to let me go and come here. Everybody here treats us like family. That was the biggest thing that made my parents and siblings comfortable. They never worried about me here. They treated me like I was one of their own."

It didn't take long for Scott Sellers to own every major high jump mark in K-State history. Sellers was a three-time NCAA high jump champion — 2007 outdoor, and 2009 indoor and outdoor — and earned NCAA All-America honors eight times in his career. He reached the NCAA National Championships both indoor and outdoor his entire career. Sellers was awarded the 2009 USTFCCCA Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year and 2007 Big 12 Men's Outdoor Performer of the Year.

"What an honor to be recognized amongst all these inductees here," Sellers said. "Simply put, there is no better teacher than Coach Cliff Rovelto. In two years, Coach Rovelto transformed the best high jumper in high school to the best high jumper in college and one of the top 15 high jumpers in the world. Coach Rovelto and I achieved more than I ever thought possible. He was there at every practice and always ready to support me. I would not have achieved what I did without Coach Rovelto and his dedication. So thank you, Coach Rovelto."

For Kim Zschau, the journey to K-State began with a prayer and ended with one of the greatest careers in K-State women's volleyball history. A two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection in 1997 and 1998, Zschau was invited to the 1998 USA National Team Trials. Among her individual exploits, she is one of four players in K-State history with 1,000 kills and digs.

"When I look back at my journey in getting here to Kansas State and then my journey while I was here at K-State and then after I graduated from Kansas State, there are very many special moments that come to mind," she said. "My journey in coming to Kansas State started with a simple prayer. I asked God to help me find the right school that would allow me opportunities to be who He wanted me to become, to be with people who would challenge me to become more than I could ever envision and to provide me with a community to keep me on a path that would keep me in relationship with Him."

Zschau and the other 2024 Hall of Fame inductees certainly experienced many blessings. And the inductees and their achievements at K-State will never be forgotten.

Kansas State University Athletics

Related Videos