Miami University Middletown

Nomination Form

2006-07 Inductees:

(click name for bio)

• Lynn Darbyshire, coach and athletic director
• Rich Hinkel, basketball
• Dale Spitler, basketball
• Teresa Kozarec, basketball/volleyball
• Bev (Elswick) Little, basketball
• Bobby Hunt, baseball/basketball

By Skip Weaver
Middletown Journal Staff Writer

“You don’t do it alone.”
Those words came from Anthony Muñoz, the former Cincinnati Bengal and NFL Hall of Famer, but they were echoed by all six members of the first class of inductees into the Miami University Middletown Hall of Fame. Muñoz was the keynote speaker at Friday’s ceremony, and no truer words could have summarized the evening better.

Rich Hinkel accepts Hall of Fame Award from Don Gilgrist

“You look and think about all the individuals who have helped you along the way,” Muñoz said. “We recognize the numbers and awards of these athletes, but it’s really about who these people are and their character.”
All six of the inaugural inductees — Lynn Darbyshire, Rich Hinkel, Dale Spitler, Teresa Kozarec, Bev (Elswick) Little and Bobby Hunt — have won plenty of awards and put up outstanding numbers, but they all recognized the people around them that helped them achieve those accomplishments.
“You don’t get these opportunities without great teammates and coaches,” said Hunt, who excelled in both basketball and baseball during his time at MUM.

Kozarec, who was a star basketball and volleyball player in the early 1980’s, expressed similar sentiments. “This institution has always meant something special to me,” she said. “I was very honored when Jim (Sliger) called me. This was just a very special night.”

It was a special night in many ways, but the most special was when Lynn Darbyshire was announced as an inductee. The crowd stood and applauded after Sliger, MUM’s athletic director, introduced Darbyshire, the founder of MUM athletics.

In introducing him, Sliger said, “His stamp is all over this program. Everyone here understands what a special place this campus is and there are some pretty special people that got it started. We wouldn’t be having this night without Lynn Darbyshire.” Darbyshire, a former basketball coach and athletic director at MUM, told stories of how Hinkel scored 53 points in a game against OSU-Lima, and joked about how his family food bill dropped more when Spitler graduated than when his own son Greg went to college.

But Darbyshire also reminisced about how he came to the Middletown branch. “I started in Oxford, but was asked to come over here and start basketball,” he said. “I was about 25 years old and had a lot of responsibility, but I also had a lot of fun. I was really blessed to work with some great people."

“I never envisioned a Hall of Fame here. It’s not something you think about when you are trying to survive and create, but I think it’s real neat that Jim has done this. It’s great to see these people recognized for what they were a part of.”

All proceeds from the event will go toward the Greg Lansaw Middletown High School Leadership Award. This scholarship honors the memory of Lansaw, who was MUM’s golf coach from 2001-2004.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2852 or sweaver@coxohio.com.

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