Bloomsburg University Names 2005 Athletics Hall of Fame Class

BLOOMSBURG—The 24th Bloomsburg University Athletic Hall of Fame class will be inducted on Saturday, October 29th, 2005 as the part of the school's Homecoming celebration. The induction of six graduates brings to 109 the number of members in the Bloomsburg Athletic Hall of Fame.

This year's Hall of Fame inductees are Stanley Elinsky '60; Michelle Simons '92; Gina Lindenmuth Miller '90; Jeff Carruthers '79; Tom Martin '87; and posthumously, Millard Ludwig '48.

Elinsky was a three-sport standout for the Huskies earning a total of 11 letters in football, wrestling and track and field.

In wrestling, Elinsky helped the Huskies to a dual meet record of 30-7 and two PSAC championships and one NAIA national championship, the first national title for any Bloomsburg team. Individually, Elinsky had to second place finishes at the PSAC championships and a third place finish in both the PSAC and NAIA national championships.

After graduation he taught science in Deposit Central (NY) School for 33 years and retired in June of 1994. During those 33 years, he coached football for 10 years, wrestling for 33 years, and track & field for 2 years. Elinsky's coaching success included 22 tournament team championships, 210 individual tournament champions, and a record of 293-166-6. For his accomplishments he was named Coach of the Year in Section IV four times. In 1977 his team won the overall Section IV title, one of the smallest schools ever to achieve that feat. He is a member of the Section IV Hall of Fame, the New York State Wrestling Hall of Fame, and received a Lifetime Service Award for Coaching from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Elinsky and his wife, Susan, a fellow Bloomsburg alum, are the parents of three children.

Lindenmuth was a standout softball pitcher for four seasons at Bloomsburg. She compiled a record of 55-8 to go along with a 0.80 earned run average. She struck out 429 batters in 456 1/3 innings pitched, while throwing 49 complete games and 22 shutouts. She was a first team All-America in 1990 and was also named the winner of the Eleanor Wray Award at the top female senior athlete that year. She captured second team All-America honors in 1989 after posting a record of 22-3. She was a two-time PSAC Player of the Year along with being named to All-Region and All-Conference. She helped lead the Huskies to four PSAC titles and a third place finish in the NCAA Division II Championships in 1990.

Simons was a standout on the basketball court for the Huskies finishing her career as the second all-time leading scorer (now third) with 1,661 points. A four-year all-conference player, she was named the PSAC Rookie of the Year in 1988-89 and finished her outstanding career with the PSAC Player of the Year award her senior season. Simons was also named the ECAC Division II Player of the Year, and earned Kodak Women's All-America honors that same year. She continued her playing career in the Women's National Basketball League from 1999-2001 and was also a member of the Women's American Basketball Association. She ranks as the Huskies' career leader in steals with 352; is sixth in career assists with 296 and seventh in career blocks with 78. She also helped the Huskies to four NCAA and PSAC playoff appearances and one PSAC championship and a four-year record of 98-19. Simons was also an assistant coach at East Stroudsburg for eight years and at Bucknell for several years.

Carrauthers was a two-time All-American and two-time PSAC champion in the high jump for Bloomsburg. As a junior in 1977, Carruthers jumped 6-10 to win the PSAC title, then came back as a senior to jump 6-10 ½ to win his second straight title. At the NCAA championships in 1977, Carruthers finished fourth in the high jump and was second at the NCAA championships in 1978. He also had one second place finish at the PSAC championships in the high jump and had top-six finishes during his career in the long jump, the triple jump and the 4 x 400 relay team. He also holds Bloomsburg high jump marks both indoor (7-0) and outdoor (7-1 ¼”). Carruthers capped his Bloomsburg career by being named the winner of the Robert B. Redman Award as the top senior male athlete.

Martin was a standout football player for the Huskies and finished his career as the school's second all-time leading rusher with 2,709 yards rushing. He also had 501 yards receiving yards and 705 yards in kickoff returns for 3,915 yards of total offense. His 26 touchdowns were second most at the time of his graduation. He was twice named first team All-PSAC and also earned first team All-ECAC honors as a senior. He set a then-school record with 259 yards rushing against Kutztown on a then-school record 42 carries. He also had three games with 200 or more yards rushing in his career. He also helped the team to a three-year record of 27-6-1 which included one overall PSAC State Championship, the Lambert Cup for being the top team in Eastern Division II football, and a trip to the NCAA semi-finals in 1985.

Ludwig was a standout soccer player for the Huskies and graduated in 1948 after interrupting his studies to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

As a two-year member of the soccer team he helped the Huskies to a then, school-record 6-1-2 mark, while scoring twice and assisting on 11 other goals. In all, he had a hand in nearly 50 percent of the team's scoring that season. He graduated with a major in English, with a concentration in journalism and later became a teacher in the Millville school district, serving as a guidance counselor, assistant to the superintendent, coach and athletic director. He coached for 26 years in the district in three sports and in 1987 was recognized as Pennsylvania Athletic Director of the Year. Giving back to his college alma mater resulted in serving as president of the Bloomsburg College Alumni Association for eight years (1973-1981), after which he was awarded an honorary lifetime membership. The college also recognized him for his dedication to his college and community by bestowing upon him their Distinguished Service Award. Millard and his wife, Saundra, were the parents of three children and had four grandchildren. Millard died in 2001 at the age of 77.

The Hall of Fame dinner will be held Saturday, Oct. 29th in the Monty's Upper Campus Dining Hall. Call the Bloomsburg University sports information office at 570-389-4413 for ticket information.