Hillsdale College Hosts 20th Annual Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet
Three alumni and the 1969 Chargers football team to be honored at induction ceremony
Hillsdale, Mich. – Hillsdale College will honor the outstanding athletic achievement of Hillsdale alumni Ashlee Crowder, class of 2013; Andre Holmes, class of 2011; Amanda Putt Eccleston, class of 2012; and the 1969 Chargers football team at the 20th Annual Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet on April 7, 2018.
“Our student-athletes past and present exhibit immense effort, discipline and integrity, and it’s an honor to recognize their outstanding achievements,” said Don Brubacher, athletic director for Hillsdale College. “We’re proud of the excellence Amanda, Andre and Ashlee have achieved both in the Chargers uniform and after leaving Hillsdale’s campus.”
The awards banquet, hosted at Hillsdale’s Searle Center, will feature a cocktail hour followed by a formal dinner and induction ceremony. Jeff Lantis, director of external relations for athletics, will give opening remarks. Don Brubacher and professor of history Tom Conner will present the Hall of Fame honorees.
The alumni to be inducted into the Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame include:
Ashlee Crowder, Class of 2013
Crowder was a member of the Hillsdale College volleyball team. She holds the record for all-time kills at 1,703, was three times named an All-American athlete, twice named GLIAC Player of the Year and was the 2010 Midwest Region Player of the Year. She helped lead the Chargers to GLIAC championships in 2009, 2010 and 2011 when the team won the school’s first NCAA Division II regional championship and advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four. Crowder is an assistant coach with the University of Indianapolis women’s volleyball team.
Andre Holmes, Class of 2011
Holmes was a member of the Hillsdale College football team and holds the records in career and single season receptions and receiving yards. He helped lead the 2009 and 2010 Chargers teams to NCAA regional playoff appearances and holds the school’s single game record for receptions with 16 catches in the 2010 NCAA regional playoffs. After graduating from Hillsdale, Holmes went on to play for the Oakland Raiders, leading the team during the 2014 season in receiving yards; the Dallas Cowboys; and the Buffalo Bills, where he just completed his sixth NFL season.
Amanda Putt Eccleston, Class of 2012
Eccleston was a member of the Hillsdale College track and cross-country teams. She won three national NCAA Division II titles, securing first place in both the mile and 800-meter at the 2012 NCAA Division II Indoor Track Championships and taking first in the 1500-meter at the 2012 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track Championships. She was also named the 2012 NCAA Division II Women’s Track Athlete of the Year. Since graduating from Hillsdale, she has gone on to a professional running career and is training to compete in the 2020 Olympic Games after missing qualification for the U.S. team in 2016 by 0.03 seconds in the 1500-meter run.
1969 Football Team
The 1969 Chargers football team was coached by Frank “Muddy” Waters and completed the season with an 8-1 record. The team averaged 33.1 points per game, which led the nation in scoring. In its final three games of the regular season, the team outscored opponents by a total of 145-8. Players Chester Marcol and Archie Robinson were drafted by the NFL, and Dick Kraatz was the NAIA’s leading scorer for the 1969 season.
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