Nine individuals and one team will celebrate their induction as the 31st class to join the Hastings College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.
The Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1989 to honor and preserve the memory of athletes, teams, coaches and those who have contributed meritorious service to Hastings College and its athletic programs.
The celebration is on the Saturday of Homecoming & Family Weekend at Hastings College. It will begin at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 12, with a social hour at Kiewit Gymnasium on campus, followed by a banquet at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for the banquet are $30 per person and may be purchased by contacting the Hastings College alumni office at 402.461.7363 or alumni@hastings.edu.
The 2019 Hastings College Athletic Hall of Fame class includes:
- Walter “Bo” Bienkowski IV ‘03 of Hastings, Nebraska, for Football/Baseball
- Celeste (Bauer) Hawley ‘07 of Hastings, Nebraska, for Volleyball
- Dan Kratzer of Winder, Georgia, Coach of the Bronco Football Team from 1990-1994
- Mark Lamb ‘89 of Omaha, Nebraska, for Men’s Basketball
- Dick Peterson ‘66 of Frankfort, Michigan, for Football/Track and Field
- Bob Smith ‘51, posthumously, for Men’s Basketball
- Chad Spady ‘96 of Papillion, Nebraska, for Men’s Basketball
- Ronnie Taylor ‘12 of Mesa, Arizona, for Track and Field
- Mike Trader ‘74 of Elkhorn, Nebraska, for Men’s Basketball/Coach
- 1995 Men’s Basketball Team, tied the Hastings College record for wins in a season and qualified for the Elite Eight of the National Tournament
Biographies of the 2019 inductees
Bo Bienkowski ranks first all-time in career and season rushing touchdowns for the Bronco Football team. Bienkowski was a two-time First Team All-GPAC selection in football in 2000 and 2001, and a two-time All-American with First Team honors in 2001 and Second Team honors in 2002. He is one of only four players in Bronco Football history to have been named an All-American twice. During his two years on the diamond, Bienkowski was a Second Team All-GPAC selection; his batting average of .372 ranks second all-time.
Celeste (Bauer) Hawley was named the 2006 GPAC Volleyball Player of the Year for her outstanding contributions behind the net. A three-time All-Conference and AVAC All-Region selection in 2004, 2005, and 2006, Hawley was a Third Team All-American selection in 2004, and received Honorable Mention in 2005 and 2006. She also received the NAIA’s prestigious A.O. Duer Award, which is awarded to only one male and one female student athlete in their junior year in any sport who excelled in scholarship, character and citizenship.
Dan Kratzer was the Head Coach of the Hastings College Football Team from 1990 to 1994 and led the Broncos to two consecutive conference championships and three consecutive NAIA National Playoff qualifications. Kratzer compiled a 35-18 record, coaching four All-American players and being named the Omaha World-Herald’s Coach of the Year.
Mark Lamb is regarded as one of the most versatile and athletic big men in Hastings College history. Lamb built an impressive resume on the basketball court as he was named Second Team All-Conference in 1986 and First Team All-Conference in 1988 and 1989. He was also a First Team All-District selection in 1988 and 1989, and received Honorable Mention All-American in Division 1 in 1989. He was a member of back-to-back Division 1 National Tournament Teams in 1988 and 1989, an accomplishment only reached two other times (1964-65 and 1973-74). Lamb and teammate Scott DeBoer rank third on the all-time single season scoring by teammates.
Dick Peterson’s career as a member of the Men’s Football and Track & Field teams was highlighted by a unanimous selection as All-NCC and All-District for football in 1964. A multi-event participant in track, Peterson set a school record as a member of the 880 yd. Relay team and won the conference high hurdle championship in 1963, while also placing in the low hurdles.
Bob Smith was the all-time leading scorer in Hastings College Men’s Basketball at the time of his graduation in 1951 with 1,275 points. He was a Second Team All-NCC selection in 1949 and a First Team All-NCC selection in 1950 and 1951. Smith teamed with the legendary Chuck Stickels to lead the 1951 team to one of the greatest seasons in school history. After winning the first game at the NAIA National Tournament, they were defeated in a heartbreaking overtime loss to Memphis State, 81-79. Smith resided in Tustin, California, until his passing in 2014, and is being inducted posthumously for his outstanding performance and contributions for the Broncos.
Chad Spady is the fourth all-time leading scorer in Hastings College Men’s Basketball history with 1,898 points and holds both the 5th and 11th place single season scoring records with 651 and 601 points, respectively. Spady, Tim Brotzki and Benny Crawford are the only three players in Hastings College history to score more than 600 points in a season twice. Spady and teammate Brian Kobs hold the all-time scoring record for teammates at Hastings College with 1,292 points; Spady recorded 651 of those points, while Kobs accumulated 641 points in 1996. A Second Team All-Conference selection in 1994 and First Team All-Conference selection in 1995 and 1996, Spady was an Honorable Mention All-American in Division 2 in 1995 and 1996 and was a member of the 1995 Men’s Basketball team that won a school-record 27 games, making it to the Elite Eight in the National Tournament.
Ronnie Taylor was Hastings College’s first men’s National Outdoor Track & Field Champion in 2012 in the outdoor long jump. He also captured the 2011 National Indoor Long Jump Championship and currently ranks first all-time in several events, including the Outdoor Long Jump with a mark of 26 feet, ¼ inch, the Indoor Long Jump with a mark of 24 feet, 8-½ inches, the Indoor 200-meter with a time of 21.68, the 60-meter run with a time of 6.89, and the 4×400 Relay with a time of 3:17.32. Taylor also ranks second all-time in the Outdoor 400-meter event, third all-time in the Indoor 400-meter event and 5th in the Outdoor 200-meter event.
Mike Trader was a member of back-to-back National Tournament teams twice, both as a player and as a coach. He was a two-time First Team All-Conference selection in 1973 and 1974, a two-time First Team All-District selection in 1973 and 1974 and a two-time Honorable Mention All-American for Division 1 in 1973 and 1974. Trader was named the Frank Prince Award winner during his senior year and has played with or coached in five National Tournaments and played with or coached three teams that won 27 games, the most wins in school history. In addition, he has coached five of the top 10 scorers in Hastings College Men’s Basketball history. In 1988, he was named the Omaha World-Herald College Coach of the Year, and multiple times was named Conference or District Coach of the Year.
The 1995 Men’s Basketball Team tied the Hastings College record for the most wins in a season with their 27-7 mark and boasts three of the top five all-time scorers on the team, six players who have been First Team All-Conference selections and five players in the 1,000-point club. The team made it into the Elite Eight of the National Tournament, tying with the 1989 team for the most National Tournament wins in school history. Members of the Men’s Basketball Team include Adam Bratten ‘98, Chad Beezley ‘98, Jason Carpenter, Adrian Duncombe ‘96, Pete Ferguson ‘96, Shane Hansen, Jared Holmes, Brian Kobs ‘96, Eric Rasgorshek ‘95, Todd Schmidt ‘98, Chad Spady ‘96, David Teixeira ‘97 and Kris Young ‘95. The team was coached by Mike Trader ‘74.
Hastings College is a private, four-year institution located in Hastings, Nebraska, that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. Hastings College has been named among “Great Schools, Great Prices” by U.S. News & World Report and a “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review. For more, go to hastings.edu.
