April 23, 2008 - For the first time, the induction ceremony for the Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame was held in the spring, and back on April 18, three new members joined this distinguished group of alumni.

Larry Fowler, '67, Ron Gladnick, '83, and Clifford C. Ward, 1902, were all inducted into the Hall of Fame in a special ceremony held at the Dow Center.

Fowler was one of the great tight ends in Hillsdale College football history, playing under former head coach Frank "Muddy" Waters from 1963-66. He set several records, including receiving yards and receiving touchdowns for the Dales during an era when passing the football was not as common as it is today. Waters described Fowler as "the toughest player I ever coached."

Fowler was a team captain for two years, and was an NAIA All-American in 1966. He was voted NAIA All-District all four years he played for Hillsdale. Off the field, he was elected as a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Collegiate Leadership Society. He also appeared on the Who's Who of American Colleges and Universities list.

After college, Fowler served as principal and athletic director at high schools in Michigan, Illinois and Colorado. He currently lives in Bradenton, Fla. with his wife of 48 years, Linda.

Gladnick was a powerful defensive lineman for Hillsdale College's football team from 1979-82. During his career, the Chargers improved from a 3-8 record his freshman year, to a 12-1 mark and conference champions when he was a senior.

He opened his playing career by being named the team's Freshman of the Year in 1979. Gladnick flourished under head coach Dick Lowry and defensive coordinator Dave Dye starting in 1980, when he started to accumulate some of his 33 career quarterback sacks. He ended up being named First-Team All-GLIAC three times and was named First-Team All-American in 1982.

He later joined the team's coaching staff, serving under Lowry from 1984-88. Gladnick was a coach on the 1985 Chargers team that won the NAIA national championship. He now lives in California and is the CEO of Apical Industries, a firm that builds evacuation systems for emergency helicopter floatation devices.

Clifford C. Ward was one of the most highly decorated Hillsdale College athletes at the turn of the 20th century. He would win several MIAA track championships, and won as many as four events in a single day of competition.

He won the Simpson Medal, which is an award that exists today, called the Kimball Award, which goes to the most outstanding student-athletes at Hillsdale College. Ward was elected president of the Hillsdale College Athletic Association during his career also.

After graduating from Hillsdale in 1902, Ward would enjoy a successful career in the newspaper business, owning papers from as nearby as Charlotte, Michigan, to as far away as Sierra Madre, California. He and his wife built the first all-electric house in the state of Michigan, located in Grosse Ile. Ward was this year's posthumous honoree of the Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame. Accepting the Hall of Fame certificate on behalf of his grandfather was Dr. Arthur Ernst (pictured).

All photos by Myles Sandrian.