The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State athletics. View this article with photos by visiting Cyclones.com.
AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State Letterwinners Club announced today Iowa State’s Hall of Fame class of 2012. Eight former Cyclone greats will be inducted into the Iowa State Hall of Fame on Sept. 14 in a special ceremony at the Gateway Center Hotel in Ames. The inductees will be honored at halftime of the Iowa State-Western Illinois football game on Sept. 15. The Iowa State Hall of Fame was established in 1997 and 142 Cyclone legends have been enshrined. To purchase tickets to the ceremony, contact Diane Shearer or Lindsey Long in the ISU Development office at 515-294-5022.
Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2012 Samuel Beyer- Administration
- Iowa State’s first athletics director (1896-1908) and “Godfather” of athletics at Iowa State.
- Iowa State’s first faculty representative for athletics.
- Active in the formation of the Missouri Valley Conference, Iowa State’s first league affiliation.
- Major player in the formation of the National Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which later evolved into the NCAA.
- Served as the vice-chairman of the NIAA/NCAA for 25 years.
- Spearheaded construction of State Gym and Clyde Williams Field.
Carl Brettschneider- Football
- Standout lineman for Iowa State (1950-52) and team co-captain in 1952.
- In a 1968 poll, was voted as one of the top-35 players in Iowa State football history through its first 75 years.
- Played eight years in the NFL (1956-63).
- Named Sporting News First-Team All-Pro as a member of the Detroit Lions in 1962.
- Member of the Detroit Lions coaching staff from 1965-69.
- Inducted into the ChicagoLand Hall of Fame in 1997.
Kevin Darkus- Wrestling
- Three-time All-American at 118 and 126 pounds (1982, 1983, 1984).
- Three-time Big Eight champion (1982, 1983, 1984).
- 1984 NCAA champion at 126 pounds, defeating Michigan’s Joe McFarland, 9-6.
- Was the NCAA runner-up at 118 pounds in 1982.
- Compiled 118 career wins.
- Won the Silver Medal at the 1985 World Championships.
Dmitry Drozdov- Track & Field/Cross Country
- Eight-time All-American (1993-96).
- Won the steeplechase at the 1996 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
- Only Cyclone in school history to earn All-America honors four times in the same event (steeplechase).
- Two-time All-American in cross country (1994, 1995).
- Helped Iowa State win the 1994 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
- Won five Big Eight individual titles.
- Member of six Big Eight Conference title teams.
- Academic All-American.
- 1996 Iowa State Male Athlete of the Year recipient.
Andrew Parker- Basketball
- Two-time First-Team All-Big Eight selection (1978, 1979).
- Led the Big Eight in scoring twice (1978- 22.4; 1979- 20.3).
- UPI Honorable Mention All-American in 1978.
- Led Iowa State to a second-place finish (9-5) in the Big Eight in 1978.
- One of three players in school history to lead the conference in scoring multiple times.
- Ended his career with the third-most points in school history (1,531).
- Was the 46th pick in the 1979 NBA Draft to the Washington Bullets.
Diane Vetter- Track & Field/Cross Country
- Four-time All-American (1978 & 1981).
- Won seven Big Eight individual championships.
- A member of seven Big Eight team track & field/cross country championships.
- Helped Iowa State to a pair of AIAW Cross Country national titles (1977 & 1978).
- A member of the 1981 AIAW Indoor Distance Medley national title team.
- Won the Big Eight Indoor 1,000-yard run all four seasons (1978-81).
- Was the runner-up national champion in the AIAW Outdoor 4X800 Relay twice (1978 & 1981).
Gene Williams- Football
- Four-year letterwinner on the offensive line (1987-90).
- Two-time All-Big Eight pick, earning first-team accolades as a senior in 1990.
- Was voted team co-captain and was named an All-American by Gannett News in 1990.
- Played in the Blue-Gray Classic in 1990.
- Played nine years in the NFL after getting drafted in the fifth round in 1991.
- Started 65 games in his NFL career.
- Started at right guard for the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII.
Dedric Willoughby- Basketball
- Two-time first-team all-conference pick (1996, 1997) and All-American in 1997.
- 1996 Big Eight Newcomer of the Year and MVP of the 1996 Big Eight Tournament.
- Led Iowa State to the final Big Eight Tournament title (1996) and 1997 NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
- Only two-year player in Iowa State’s 1,000-point club (1,186), averaging 19.8 ppg.
- Ended career as the school-record-holder in treys in a game (9), season (102) and career (190).
- Ranked fourth nationally in 3-pointers per game in 1997 (3.8).
- Played a season in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls.
