July 24, 2003

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State University will induct five members into its Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 27. The class of 2003 includes: Lauren Brown (cross country/track) - Pioneer Era; Tom Yewcic (football/baseball) - Early Era; Joe DeLamielleure (football) and Cheryl Gilliam (track) - Contemporary Era; and Mary Fossum (golf) - Former coach/administrator.

The ceremony will take place at the Kellogg Center on the Michigan State University campus with a reception starting at 8:30 a.m., followed by brunch and the induction ceremony. Tickets for the ceremony are priced at $50 each and tables of eight for $400. Please contact MSU Assistant Athletics Director Karen Langeland at 517.355.6564 for further information.

The Class of 2003 also will be introduced at halftime of Michigan State's Sept. 27 Big Ten football opener vs. Iowa.

The MSU Athletics Hall of Fame is located in the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center. It was unveiled on Oct. 1, 1999 and displays the key moments in Spartan athletic history as well as plaques of the 77 current inductees. The charter class of 30 former Spartan athletes, coaches and administrators was inducted in 1992.

Below are bullet-point sketches on MSU's Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2003.

Lauren Brown (Cross Country/Track 1928-31)

Lauren Brown
Cross Country/Track 1928-31
Hometown - Detroit, Mich.

·	1928 cross country All-American
·	Won the Central Collegiate Conference Championships in 1927 and 1929
·	Set school records in the steeplechase and two-mile run
·	Two-time team captain
·	1931 Penn Relays 3,000-meter steeplechase champion
·	Became cross country and freshman track coach for MSC in 1931
·	Coached MSU's cross country team from 1931-1946
·	Team won five consecutive IC4A champions (1933-37)
·	His 1939 team won the school's first-ever NCAA title

Joe DeLamielleure (Football 1970-72)

Joe DeLamielleure
Football 1970-72
Hometown - Center Line, Mich.

·	1972 Football All-American
·	1971 and 1972 All-Big Ten First Team
·	1970 Academic All-Big Ten
·	1973 Senior Bowl and College All-Star Game
·	1972 East-West All-Star Game
·	2003 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
·	Six-time NFL All-Pro
·	NFL first-round draft choice by Buffalo in 1973 (#26 overall)
·	NFL Lineman of the year 1975-76

"I always thought that Michigan State had the best athletes, and when I played in the NFL there were a lot of players from Michigan State and to be considered one of the best is a real honor," said DeLamielleure.

"The friendships I had on the team were unique. I remember I went to my first NFL training camp and my wife asked me, 'How was it?' I told her, 'I played against tougher guys at Michigan State.'

"When I look back at it, it's the friendships and the camaraderie that I remember."

Mary Fossum (Golf Coach 1973-97)

Mary Fossum
Golf Coach 1973-97
Hometown - Green Bay, Wis.

·	MSU's first women's golf coach
·	Led the Spartans to five-straight Big Ten titles from 1974-78 plus 1982 crown
·	Guided team to six-consecutive AIAW National Championships from 1973-78
·	Coached six All-Americans and seven Academic All-Americans
·	Team made NCAA appearances in 1982 and 1984
·	1984 NCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year
·	Inducted into Golf Coaches Hall of Fame in 1988
·	Inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 2002
·	Inducted into the Wisconsin Golf Hall of Fame in 1990
·	Received the 1998 Rolex/Gladys Palmer Meritorious Service Award for outstanding service and contributions to women's golf
·	MSU's Athletics Department announced an endowed scholarship, named the Mary Fossum Golf Scholarship, in her honor in 2001
·	Won Wisconsin women's golf championship in 1945, 1946 and 1947

"It very exciting and thrilling to receive this honor," said Fossum. "When (Athletics Director) Ron Mason called me, I was speechless. I'm really looking forward to the induction and having my family share in it, especially my husband Bruce. He was there for me and helped me along as a coach. It was so fun and a great experience working with the young kids and the other coaches. It was a big thrill the whole time. A lot of great things have happened to our family due to golf.

"Winning the Big Ten Championship for five years in a row, before it was an official championship, was just amazing. It was competitive and there were several great players at the time. They were the foundation for the women's sports at MSU. It was the beginning for us. There were so many wonderful experiences year-after-year. I cherish those memories so much. I'm honored to be a Spartan always."

Cheryl Gilliam (Track 1978-81)

Cheryl Gilliam
Track 1978-81
Hometown - Detroit, Mich.

·	1981 indoor All-American in 60-meter dash
·	Won four-straight Big Ten titles in the outdoor 200-meter dash
·	Two-time team MVP
·	Set six individual and nine relay records
·	Qualified for the 1980 Olympic Trails in the 200m dash where she set the outdoor school record
·	Selected to the Midwest Sports Festival Team and competed at the National Sports Festival in 1979
·	Traveled Europe with the Muhammad Ali Track Team in 1980
·	Member of the MSU Life Skills National Advisory Board

"Cheryl is one of MSU's toughest and best competitors," said her former coach Dr. Nell Jackson, prior to start of the 1980-81 season. "She is a consistent and dependable performer. She is the kind of performer that always gives her best."

Gilliam to The State News (May 4, 1981) after walking away with her fourth consecutive Big Ten Title in the 200 at the 1981 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
"I've been looking forward to this race all season," she said of the 200. "I was a little worried because I usually don't double, and that takes a lot more concentration in a field this tough."

Tom Yewcic (Football/Baseball 1951-54)

Tom Yewcic
Football/Baseball 1951-54
Hometown - Conemaugh, Pa.

·	1952 Football All-American
·	Set school single-season records for passing yards and punting average
·	1954 Baseball All-American
·	1954 College World Series MVP
·	All-Big Ten Second Team in Football in 1953
·	Led MSU to share of Big Ten title in 1953 and a win in the 1954 Rose Bowl
·	Played professional baseball for the Detroit Tigers in 1957
·	Spent 20 years in the New England Patriots Organization - 10 as a player and 10 as a coach

"It's a great honor to be inducted into such a prestigious Hall of Fame because of all the great athletes from all the other sports that are in there," said Yewcic. "There are also great coaches, trainers and others, and some good women and it's a great honor to be among them.

"To have the opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl and then go on to play in the College World Series and be named MVP was something that I really appreciated. It's unusual when you get a chance to play in two major events in the same year. I played with a lot of great athletes and they deserve a lot of the credit as well."