Athletically Inclined

Centre inducted five athletes and a coach into the Athletic Hall of Fame at Homecoming 2000. The six bring the total number of honorees to 53 individuals and one team inducted since the inception of the Hall of Fame in 1992.

In responding for the inductees after their introduction at the annual Alumni Recognition Luncheon, three-sport athlete Valarie Ziegler ’76 noted that women’s athletics at Centre had made great progress. Although the College now supports more teams for women (10) than for men (only nine), in Ziegler’s day the track team had no budget and just four pairs of spikes that the runners traded amongst themselves.

Nevertheless, said Ziegler, she found her Centre experience rewarding. "Centre gives every student a vision—and a taste—of a better world," she said. "Studying the liberal arts in the Centre community helped us to challenge such injustices."

Today, she added, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference is one of the nation’s best in terms of gender equity.

Complete text of remarks made by Valarie Ziegler ’76 on behalf of the Athletic Hall of Fame 2000 inductees

Letter from Valarie Ziegler ’76 to her teammates and supporters of women’s athletics at Centre

How to nominate candidates to the Athletic Hall of Fame

2000 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees
During 40 years at Centre, Kitty Baird coached basketball, field hockey, and tennis and was instrumental in the development of the women’s varsity athletics program. She was also a leader in state and national organizations. Her many honors include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators.

Basketball standout Kevin Lavin ’87 was Centre’s all-time leading scorer (1,814 points) when he graduated, and his rebounding record (854) still holds. He was conference co-MVP as a junior and as a senior and was named to the 1987 Kodak All-America third team. He is now president of Lavin Insurance Services in Louisville.

Two-sport athlete Michael Hall ’85 lettered four years in golf and three in football. As a senior, he was captain of the conference-championship football team and named to the all-conference first team. In golf, he qualified for the NCAA tournament in 1985 and led the Centre team to its first-ever NCAA tournament in 1984. He is now a pharmacist in Danville.

Valarie Ziegler ’76 lettered four years in basketball, two in track, and two in cross country. She was the leading scorer in basketball for four years and held the school record for the mile run. In addition, she served on the College-wide Title IX (gender equity) self-study committee and drafted the proposal for the athletic section. She now teaches religion at DePauw University in Indiana.

Named Best Male Athlete as a senior, Oran Teater ’44 was a four-year member and 1943 captain of the football team. He was also a two-year member of both the basketball and track teams. He later coached Paintsville (Ky.) High School to three conference titles in football and three district tournaments in basketball and was inducted into the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame.

Three-sport athlete William Seelbach ’11 was outstanding in football, basketball, and baseball at Centre. He was captain and played tackle on the undefeated 1910 football team. His 1910 basketball team went 20-3. He died in 1968 after a career managing such hotels as the Seelbach in Louisville and the Phoenix in Lexington.