Michigan State announces its nine 2023 Hall of Fame inductees

The official induction into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 15 during the annual "Celebrate" weekend. In addition to the football team hosting Washington at Spartan Stadium Saturday with kickoff set for 5 p.m. Eastern Time, other athletic events that weekend will include the Spartan cross country team hosting its annual Spartan Invitational, and women's field hockey and women's soccer both hosting Ohio State.

"This year's Hall of Fame Class includes record-breakers, trailblazers and innovators," said Michigan State Vice President and Director of Athletics Alan Haller. "The honorees have experienced team success and individual accolades and many have left a foundation of success on which current programs now stand, while others have helped grow their sport. From Al Dorow's first career start at quarterback in 1949, all the way up until Emily Regan's final Big Ten Championship in 2010, and countless achievements in between, the nine-member class touches part of eight decades of Spartan success. Combined with the 10 different programs honored, it demonstrates the depth and diversity of Spartan excellence."

The MSU Athletics Hall of Fame includes 171 inductees prior to the addition of the 2023 class. Plaques display all the inductees at the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center, which opened Oct. 1, 1999, and the charter class included 30 members of former Spartan student-athletes, coaches, and administrators inducted in 1992.

Below are brief biographies of the nine inductees to the 2023 MSU Athletics Hall of Fame:

Guy Busch earns a well deserved place in the Athletics Hall of Fame following a career on the MSU men's soccer team that remains one of the most decorated in program history. Despite his playing career dating back over 50 years ago, Busch remains the leader in points scored with 130. He is also second all-time in goals scored with 54 and tied for fourth in assists with 22 during his three-time letterwinner career, including serving as team captain in 1967.

"I was overwhelmed; there are a whole lot of thoughts rushing your mind," Busch recalled upon being told by Michigan State Vice President and Director of Athletics Alan Haller he is being inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame. "The experience I had at MSU was so great, and so positive. The opportunity to go there at that time in life for me and my family was a dream. All I could think about was the opportunity to be able to go there and what it meant. So, after I hung up, I proceeded to hit two balls out of bounds, and I think a five-foot drive before I got it together. So that kind of describes the emotion."

Busch immediately made an impact on the pitch, leading the team in scoring with 24 goals and 56 points his sophomore season in 1965. He earned NSCAA All-Region first team honors as MSU finished the season as National Runners-up.

The 1966 campaign saw Busch again lead in scoring with 49 points, tied for the team lead with nine assists, and second in goals with 20. He earned NSCAA honorable mention All-America honors as well.

As a captain in 1967, Busch helped lead Michigan State to its first ever national championship in men's soccer while scoring 14 goals and adding five assists. MSU outscored its opponents 73-11 and finished 12-0-2.

"It was a fun time to be there," Busch said. "And if you really look at fall of 1965 through '68 and you see how many Big Ten Champs and National Championships MSU won, it was like no other era. To be there and be part of that was really cool for me. I did get to work for a little bit in the athletic director's office. I worked for Burt Smith when he was an assistant to (Athletic Director) Biggie Munn. Seeing it at that level was fun for me, a great experience. I really have to thank Biggie Munn. He started writing checks, and we started getting scholarships. If he doesn't do that, I don't get to MSU. It was life changing for me and my family."

Nicole Bush's distinguished running career in East Lansing is resulting in her becoming just the second women's cross country athlete to be inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame and eighth women's track & field athlete.

"I remember walking through the Hall of Fame when I was a freshman and looking at how small it was in terms of the number of female runners that were in there," said Bush upon receiving the call from Haller about her induction. "I just immediately went back to that memory and was like, 'Wow, I get to be in there.' So much time has passed since I first thought that, and that memory just came back really fast."

Bush earned First-Team All-America honors three different seasons in her track & field career, beginning as a sophomore in 2006. A third place finish at the 2006 Ten Championships and sixth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase kickstarted her tenure.

As a junior that same fall, she was named to the NCAA Great Lakes All-Region team and competed at the NCAA Cross Country Championships before once again earning First-Team All-America nod in the steeplechase at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships after a sixth-place finish.

In her senior campaign, Bush earned All-America distinction following a fifth place finish, the highest-ever for a Spartan at the time, at the NCAA Championships in 2007. A winter indoor track & field season earned All-America honors in a pair of events, finishing fourth in the 5,000-meter run and sixth in the 3,000-meter run at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships. Bush opted out of the outdoor spring season to instead train for the 2008 Olympic Trials for the 3,000-meter steeplechase, falling just short of qualifying for the games in Beijing that summer with a fourth place finish.

"Everything that I did at Michigan State that set me up to go pro and do all of that stuff is still paying off," said Bush. "Running changed the trajectory of my life. Running has brought the best people into my life. All of the really great things that have happened in my life are because of running and the people who have helped me throughout my career. And that's my high school coach, that's my collegiate coach, that's my teammates and my friends. My family."

Bush went on to a professional career in running after graduating. Her national title in the steeplechase in 2013 won her an opportunity to represent the United States at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia. She has since retired from that career and currently lives in Portland, Oregon. There she now works for Nike in a fellowship program for retired athletes as one of two track & field representatives.

Al Dorow will be inducted posthumously in the 2023 MSU Athletics Hall of Fame class following his death in 2009 at age 80. His tenure as a Spartan included a stint as a three-year letterwinner on the football team and a return later as an assistant coach for many years. His daughter Jill, born in 1966 during his time as a coach in East Lansing, was pleased to receive the call from Haller regarding the news.

"Our family is very happy and excited that our father is going into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame," said his daughter, Jill. "He would have loved that honor and it would have meant everything to him. He loved being a Spartan."

Dorow was the starting quarterback on MSU's 1951 national championship team, the first of six total to date for the football program. Dorow was pressed into the role of starting quarterback in his sophomore season in 1949 due to injuries despite never playing the position before. He had to miss the 1948 season himself due to a knee injury after playing on the freshman team in 1947.

During his time under center, Michigan State boasted a 20-3 record, including a 17-1 record with him as starter. Dorow finished his collegiate career as Michigan State's all-time leader in pass completions (125), pass attempts (259), passing yards (1,875), and touchdown passes (19). He accounted for 26 total TDs, including four scoring runs and three TD receptions.

Dorow went on to join the Air Force right out of college, reporting to Bolling Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., a week after the College All-Star Game. He continued to play football while in the armed service and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the third-round in 1952. He played three seasons for Washington (1954-1956) and one final for Philadelphia (1957) before joining the Canadian Football League for two seasons (1958-1959).

Dorow later joined the New York Titans in the newly formed AFL for the 1960 and 1961 seasons and finished his career in 1962 with Buffalo, forced to retire due to injuries. As a pro, Dorow completed 572-of-1,207 passes (.474) for 7,708 yards and 64 TDs.

Beginning his career in coaching at Hillsdale College, Dorow started with the Chargers in 1963 before being hired onto the staff as an assistant coach by Duffy Daugherty back at Michigan State in 1965. Dorow oversaw the quarterbacks during his coaching stint with the Spartans, including Steve Juday (1965) and Jimmy Raye (1966) who are themselves part of the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame. Dorow left MSU in 1971 to become head coach of the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

"Al Dorow was one of the pioneers of Michigan State football along with Lynn Chandnois and Sonny Grandelius, who played during the heyday for 'Biggie' Munn," said the late George Perles, who served as an assistant coach alongside Dorow under Duffy Daugherty from 1967-70, at the time of Dorow's passing in 2009. "Al was involved in one of the most famous plays in Spartan history, catching the transcontinental pass from Tom Yewcic to complete MSU's fourth-quarter comeback against Ohio State in 1951.

"He was simply a great player and a great coach. Al really helped groom those outstanding quarterbacks who played for Duffy Daugherty in the mid-1960s. He was a true Spartan, who touched many lives."

Another posthumous member of the 2023 class, Stan Drobac becomes the first Spartan to represent men's tennis in the Athletics Hall of Fame. Drobac passed away in 2016 following a collegiate career at MSU from 1952-1953 in the early days of college tennis and as the head coach for 32 years from 1958-1989.

"It's a big deal, and it means a lot to our family," Stan Drobac, the second of his three children, said. "He's been recognized in the tennis community with the all-century team, but having broader recognition in the MSU community is really nice.

"Being a coach in what many would refer to as a non-revenue sport, guys like my dad and some of the other coaches, whether it was fencing, wrestling, they lived in a different world than the football or basketball coaches, but there was still a great community there."

Drobac claimed the Big Ten singles title in 1953 after a runner-up finish in 1952 during his college playing career. He also won the Big Ten doubles title in 1952 and 1953 with Tom Belton. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the MSU Tennis All-Century Team in 2013, and the annual MSU men's tennis MVP award is named after the former player and coach.

Drobac went on after his college playing days to become the longest tenured coach in program history at MSU. His 32 seasons at the helm of the men's team saw wins in 267 matches and one Big Ten Championship in 1967.Teams under his tutelage posted 10 consecutive winning seasons from 1959-1968, including a 15-4 mark and perfect 9-0 conference record in 1967. The Spartans were conference runner-up in 1961, 1966, and 1968 as well as third place finishes in the Big Ten in 1960 and 1962.

10 Spartans claimed individual conference singles titles, along with four conference doubles titles under Drobac, and his players earned first-team All-Big Ten accolades on seven occasions. He was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 1990.

"Tennis wasn't that popular, certainly when I grew up," said Stan Drobac. "My dad was the tennis coach, but I always played baseball and didn't really pick it up until high school. Some of the stuff he did as coach, pushing for the team tennis championship and being one of the first to say there should be one, has really blossomed. To see what that is today in the sport, it's pretty cool."

"Our MSU tennis program would not be where we are today without Stan's vision and impact on college tennis and our community," said Gene Orlando, who was head coach at MSU for 31 years before retiring in 2022. "Stan and Dr. M. Cecil Mackey helped pave the way for our MSU indoor tennis center to be built in 1986. It was a huge moment in our program's history and gave us the opportunity to compete on the national level for a northern school.

"Stan was a legendary coach, but his legacy is that of a teacher, mentor and someone who cared for his players and was an inspiration to many. He brought people together and together united our Spartan tennis family."

To this day, Rob Ellis holds an award no other Spartan baseball player can claim. Ellis was named College Player of the Year by The Sporting News in 1971 after his junior season.

Backtracking a few years earlier, Ellis was drafted out of high school in the 34th round of the MLB June Amateur Draft by the San Francisco Giants. He decided to follow his older brother, Tom Ellis who played for the Spartans in 1967 and 1968, and play at Michigan State.

As a sophomore, Ellis had a .380 batting average and set a school record for hits in a single season with 60. The second baseman earned Third Team All-Big Ten Conference honors in 1970.Ellis moved to the outfield for his junior season in 1971. He batted .407 at the plate and finished with 59 hits in 145 at bats. His slugging percentage of .848 that season still stands as the school record today. Ellis also hit 14 home runs that season. Ellis is tied for No. 6 on the Spartans single season home run list.

As a result of Ellis’ individual excellence, the team benefited greatly. The Spartans won the Big Ten title in 1971, they’re first league championship since 1954. The team had a .307 batting average and the pitching staff recorded a 2.68 earned run average. The Spartans hosted an NCAA regional but went 0-2 and crashed out at home. MSU did finish the 1971 season with an impressive 36-10 record, breaking the program record for wins at the time.

In addition to being named College Player of the Year by The Sporting News, Ellis earned First Team ABCA All-American honors and First Team NCAA District IV All-American honors. He was also named to the First Team All-Big Ten.

After his stellar 1971 season, Ellis entered the MLB Draft and was picked with the third overall selection by the Milwaukee Brewers in June of 1971. Ellis made his MLB debut later that month. In his first major league at bat, he hit a single off Hall of Fame pitcher Catfish Hunter.

Ellis spent parts of three seasons in the MLB, but spent most of his time in the minor leagues. His last season playing professional baseball in America was in 1980 at the AAA level for the Portland Beavers. He played one season in Mexico in 1982 for the Mexico City Reds.

Ellis remains as one of the greatest players and hitters to ever play for Michigan State Baseball alongside the likes of Steve Garvey, Kirk Gibson, and more.

A two-sport athlete at Michigan State during her college years, Nancy Lyons Hall is set to become the seventh softball and third field hockey inductee to the Athletics Hall of Fame this fall. Lyons Hall still bleeds green over 40 years after graduating and was shocked and excited to be inducted.

"My first reaction was that it was a prank phone call," said Lyons Hall. "I finally realized after Mr. Haller knew what years I played that it wasn't something a regular person would know. I was screaming, I was crying and kept saying 'Are you kidding? Are you joking?' over and over again. My husband wasn't sure whether something bad had happened. This is not anything I have ever thought about happening.

"I am so honored. I love Michigan State, so there is nothing that is more of an honor to me than an institution that I've loved so dearly paying some respect back to me. It's beyond understanding."

Lyons Hall didn't play field hockey her freshman season and assists weren't tallied at that time, but she still ranks No. 2 in program history for career points (150) and goals (75). The latter of which hasn't come close to being toppled in the years since.

Lyons Hall owns two of the top three seasons in all-time points and goals (60 in 1977, 56 in 1978) along with four of the top six single-game goal marks. Her seven goals and 14 points against Grand Valley State in 1978 still rank No. 2 in program history. Lyons Hall helped the field hockey program to a 32-10-6 record over her three seasons.

As a member of the softball team, Lyons Hall was a member of the 1976 AIAW sotball national championship team that defeated Northern Colorado 3-0 to win the national title in just the eighth ever Women's College World Series. Michigan State gave up just six total scores in the opening two rounds before shutting out its opponents in the final three games en route to the title.

Lyons Hall helped MSU softball amass a 91-53 record during her four seasons on the field. While the game has drastically changed from its early years at that time, Lyons Hall spoke fondly of the early years of the sport.

"For those of us on the 1976 softball team, participating in the World Series in Omaha, and then actually winning the World Series will always hold a special place in our hearts," said Lyons Hall. "Some of the special memories were the opportunities that opened up because of us winning the World Series. We played in New Mexico and then the following year we were invited to go to Belize to play in one of the first international tournaments.

"Some of my favorite memories came from being together as a team. People have often asked me if I'm jealous of the way teams travel now, and I'm not. Some of my favorite team moments are of seven of us traveling in a university station wagon with two people facing backwards in the third row. I don't regret that. That camaraderie is what made us close.

"I remember our championship game being postponed and when they finally decided to play, we played on an AstroTurf football field, not a softball diamond. They put bases down, and you know what? We didn't care because it was the finals of the World Series against Northern Colorado. I went to a payphone at a restaurant and called my parents collect to tell them we had won. When we got back to the university there were students and faculty waiting for us to congratulate us. Those are the moments that I'll never forget."

Lyons Hall graduated with a bachelor's degree in medical technology from MSU in 1979. She went on to work as a Medical Technologist in the clinical laboratory field before moving to the marking field. There she helped to design, develop, and market products used worldwide in clinical, environmental and pharmaceutical research. Lyons Hall eventually rose to the role of Vice President and General Manager of PerkinElmer's Robotics, Liquid Handling and Detection Systems division before her retirement.

David Morgan will beomce the 10th Spartan wrestler and 12th member of the wrestling program at MSU to be inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame. His career boasts a record unlikely to be broken with the modern trend of college wrestling's landscape as well. Morgan holds a program-best 44 single-season victories at 118 pounds in both the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

"Looking back at it now, I don't know if anybody's going to break that record based on the amount of matches that guys wrestle now," said Morgan. "It's great to see after this many years that those records still stand."

Morgan took a detour out of Ferndale High School, spending his first collegiate season at Morgan State with his brother Charlie. While with the Bears, Morgan went 23-10 and qualified for the NCAA Wrestling Championships before deciding to return to his home state.

"I was recruited to Michigan State out of high school, and I was really attracted to MSU at the time," said Morgan. "Even when I go back to campus now there's just this feeling about East Lansing, a good feeling in your stomach and your mind when you're walking on campus."

After arriving in East Lansing, Morgan quickly made a name for himself. He was named the George Alderton Male Athlete of the Year in 1995-96, and finished his career in the Green and White in 1998 with 129 victories, then the second-most in program history. Morgan notched NCAA All-American honors three times and placed second at NCAA's in 1998. He won Big Ten championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998 in the 118 pound class and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the 1996 Big Ten Championships as he shut out each opponent en route to the league title. He remains to this day the only Spartan wrestler to record 40 or more wins in three seasons and he boasts a perfect 35-0 mark in the home confines of Jenison Field House.

"I prided myself on being able to show up every single day, every competition, being there and competing at a high level," said Morgan. "That single season wins record speaks for itself as far not only showing up but being able to consistently compete at my best.

"I still use a lot of the same principles of wrestling that I learned from Coach Minkel. He would always talk about having a foundation, pillars to support the foundation and a roof. I remember them off the top of my head and go through them all the time. It's not just showing up every day and training hard, there's more of a philosophy to it and there's more of a structure just like everything else in life and in business. Whether you're with a great company or a great team, surrounding yourself with people that continue to push you is important."

Emily Regan boasts Big Ten Athlete of the Year and Olympic gold medalist honors, but did not begin competing in the sport she went on to earn those accolades in until she arrived on campus at Michigan State. That may be the most rare feat for a MSU Hall-of-Famer.

"It's probably a very different feeling for me than a lot of the others," Regan jokes. "I literally started and learned my sport at Michigan State. That was the start of it all for me. I would not have had the opportunities or career I enjoyed if it were not for that first year at Michigan State where the coaches – specifically novice coach Christiina Tymoszewicz Donley – taught me how to row, saw some potential in me, and stayed on me to be my best."

Planning to give up sports after a career in high school as a multi-sport athlete, Regan's mother spent much of the drive home from freshman orientation back to Buffalo encouraging her daughter to take up rowing after talking to the coach. The 6-foot-2 Regan's roommate, 5-fot-1 Lindsey Archambo, had the same pressure from her mother and the two decided to take up the sport to please their moms.

Regan found it difficult at first as a freshman, but was a quick learner for the sport and her hard work ethic and a body type well-matched to the sport saw her find success by sophomore year. Regan ascended to the top Spartan boat, the varsity eight, and won her first of three straight gold medals at the Big Ten Championships.

Michigan State earned two Big Ten titles and had three consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championship regatta during Regan's career. She graduated a three-time Big Ten champion in the varsity eight in 2010 and was named the 2010 Big Ten Rowing Athlete of the Year and Pocock First Team All-American. She earned three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection honors three times, was a two-time All-Big Ten pick (2008, 2010), and an All-Central Region honors each of her final three seasons.

After college, Regan had earned an invite to train with the national team. She moved to Princeton, New Jersey to start an almost decade long residency with the US National Rowing Program as a result.

Regan's first international races – in the U23 World Championships the summer after her graduation – resulted in a gold medal in the eight. The transition to international mainstay had begun and during one of the most dominant periods in all of women's rowing history for the US National Rowing Program.

The US Women's eight went 11 years undefeated at major international meets, and Regan joined the program four years into that dominance. The 2016 Rio Olympics was the third straight gold medal for the American team, but that particular one featured Rowan in the bow seat of the boat, earning her the honors of the first US rower across the finish line. In 2013, Regan was also part of the women's eight boat that set a world-record at World Rowing Cup III in Rotsee/Lucerne, Switzerland. The team crossed the finish line with a time of 5:54.160, a record that stood for eight years following the feat.

Regan went on to earn 17 international medals over her professional career. Those include: an Olympic gold, five gold, one silver, and one bronze medal from World Championships, as well as four gold, one silver, and four bronze from World Cup competition.

"I have to thank the Hall of Fame committee for considering me for induction," says Regan. "I owe so much to both Christiina Donley and former head coach Matt Weise for being a huge influence in my career. Literally – without these two guiding and pushing me, my adult life would look so very different. My entire Spartan rowing family was an inspiration daily, because they made me want to be better for them. And obviously, the largest thank you has to go to my family – my largest and most supportive cheering section in whatever I choose to do."

Regan finally retired in 2021 from Team USA and has started work on her MBA while serving as an assistant coach for the men's heavyweight team at Boston University. She started her coaching career while still on Team USA, coaching at a club and helping the US Rowing coaches during summer development camps. She is looking to pursue a career in helping organizations create cultures of excellence as her next step.

Michigan State football claims some of the best running backs in the history of the Big Ten and Javon Ringer is counted among one of the best to ever don the Green and White. Ringer’s 5,426 all-purpose yards ranks first among former Spartans. He also ranks second (behind the legendary Lorenzo White) in carries (843) and 100-yard rushing performances (19). Ringer is currently in fifth place among all Spartans in both total touchdowns (35) and rushing touchdowns (34).But for as many accolades he has accumulated over the years, Javon Ringer remains one of the humblest players to ever grace the sidelines in East Lansing. He was not expecting to be honored as a member of the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame.

“I can't tell you the last time I was legitimately shocked and at a loss for words," Ringer said, as reported by the Michigan State Athletic Department. "That's how I felt…I was left speechless. I was emotional. I can't truly put into words the gratitude that I felt, the humbleness that I felt, the emotional state that I was in – it was unbelievable. I genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, didn't think that this would be possible right now."

But this type of response is normal and perhaps even expected coming from a player who once insisted that the entire offensive line, tight end corps, and group of fullbacks join him at the podium in the post-game press conference following a win over Notre Dame in 2008.

Javon Ringer arrived on campus in 2005 and made almost an immediate impact. Ringer ran for a Spartan-freshman record 194 yards on just 13 carries during just the fourth week of the season in a win at Illinois. Ringer went on to rush for a total of 817 yards that year, which was the second-best total for a true freshman in Michigan State history.

In 2006, Ringer’s production was hampered by a knee injury, but he still managed to lead the team in rushing with 497 yards. At the end of the 2006 season, Head Coach John L. Smith was fired and replaced by the more run-friendly coaching staff led by a head coach named Mark Dantonio.

Ringer flourished under the new regime. In 2007, he earned second-team All-Big Ten Honors and put up a total of 1,447 yards. Ringer also was named as the team’s MVP. But the best was yet to come.

In his final season in East Lansing in 2008, Ringer posted a career-high 1,637 rushing yards, which was the third highest season total in Spartan history. He also set a Michigan State record with 22 rushing touchdowns.

Ringer led the Big Ten in rushing for nine consecutive weeks during the season and at one point posted over 190 yards in five straight games. The fifth game in this streak was a 35-21 win at Michigan that Ringer played in despite a tweaked hamstring. The historic win kicked off a dominant run by the Spartans, who would win six of the next seven games in the series.

Ringer finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting at the end of his senior year. He was also a consensus All American and a Doak Walker Award Finalist. Ringer led the nation in scoring with 132 points and carries (with 390) and finished the season fourth in rushing at 125.9 yards per game. He was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round (No. 173 overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft. Ringer played four seasons in Nashville with the Titans where he rushed for 486 yards and three touchdowns on 120 carries in 37 career games.

After his time in the NFL, Ringer returned to Michigan State for a year in 2016 as a recruiting intern. He then spent the next six years with the Toledo Rockets, first as a quality control coach and then as the assistant director of football operations. But Ringer has come full circle (again) and is now back in East Lansing as a recruiting assistant under head coach Mel Tucker.

"It's been a tremendous blessing to be able to be back," said Ringer. "I'm thankful that Coach Tucker has been good letting me play my role and help the program.

You can find the full list of former Spartans inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame here.

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