Hillsdale College Hosts 21st Annual Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet
Alumni Gerald Schaffer, Clara Black, and Joseph Glendening honored and inducted into Hall of Fame
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Hillsdale, Mich.— Hillsdale College congratulates three new inductees to the Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame. Alumni Gerald Schaffer, Class of 1961; Clara Leutheuser Black, Class of 2012; and Joseph Glendening, Class of 2013, were honored at the College’s 21st annual Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet.
“While at Hillsdale, these students exhibited great athleticism, leadership, and dedication to their sport and teams,” said Director of Athletics Don Brubacher. “We are honored to celebrate Clara, Joseph, and Gerald and their accomplishments not just as athletes, but as exemplars of the character and commitment to excellence that we strive to cultivate in Hillsdale College students.”
The Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet took place on Saturday, March 30, at the College’s Searle Center. Following a cocktail hour, Director of External Relations for Athletics Jeff Lantis led the ceremony with opening remarks, and Professor of History Tom Conner and Director of Athletics Don Brubacher introduced and presented the Hall of Fame honorees.
The alumni honored and inducted into the Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame are:
Gerald Schaffer, Class of 1961
Schaffer participated in several sports while at Hillsdale College, playing as a point guard in basketball, catcher in baseball, and defensive back in football. Schaffer helped lead each of his teams to success—he served as most valuable player and captain of the basketball team and was an All-MIAA selection for baseball. In football, Schaffer helped lead the team through an undefeated season in 1958, when they won the Mineral Bowl—the Chargers’ only bowl game win in school history.
After graduation, Schaffer coached basketball for 48 years, spending the majority of his time with the Three Oaks River Valley High School basketball team. The team won a state championship in 1979, appeared in championships in 1981 and 1997, and won a total of 473 games before being inducted into the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Fame. The last 10 years of his coaching career were spent at Lake Michigan College, where he was an assistant coach to his son.
Clara Leutheuser Black, Class of 2012
Black was a middle hitter on the Hillsdale College volleyball team from 2009 to 2011. She is a three-time NCAA Division II All-American; was named to the All-GLIAC and All-Region teams three times; and helped her team win three GLIAC titles, reaching the NCAA Tournament Division II Final Four for the first time in Charger history. During Black’s Hillsdale career, the team had a combined record of 84-13. Black holds three of the program’s top seven single-season hitting percentages, as well as the current school record for blocks at 580.
Off the court, Black earned top academic honors, including CoSIDA Academic All-Region recognition as well as the GLIAC Academic Excellence Award twice. She and her husband reside in Lansing, where she homeschools their four children.
Joseph Glendening, Class of 2013
Glendening was a running back for the Hillsdale College Charger football team, where he set records for touchdowns at 62 and total rushing yards at 4,722—over 300 more yards than any other Hillsdale athlete. In his 2011 season, he set school records for rushing yards (1,604) and touchdowns (27) in a single year, was named GLAIC Player of the Year, was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, and was named First Team All-American. During his years as a Charger, Glendening and his team won the GLIAC championship in 2011, competed in the NCAA Division II Playoffs twice, and held a total record of 34-13.