CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI Athletic Department on Saturday will celebrate the careers and legacies of six Panther legends with jersey retirement ceremonies from discontinued sport programs during its first-ever All-Sports Reunion as part of homecoming festivities.
Northern Iowa will honor icons Duane Josephson (baseball), Penny Wilson (women’s gymnastics), Jesus Vazquez (men’s gymnastics), Diane Braun (women’s field hockey), Jacob Stall (men’s swimming & diving) and Randy Krejci (men’s tennis) in a ceremony beginning at 1 p.m. CT at Eldon Miller Plaza, located on the east side of the Hall of Fame Connector between the McLeod Center and UNI-Dome.
Registration for the All-Sport Reunion will remain open through the end of the day on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Click HERE to register.
UNI will also retire the jerseys of Joey Woody (men’s cross country/track & field) and Paige (Knodle) Bohannon (women’s cross country/track & field) at the All-Sport Reunion. The reunion and jersey retirement ceremonies will serve as part of the conclusion to the university’s sesquicentennial celebration.
“The jersey retirement program has allowed us to continue celebrating the best of the best of UNI Athletics,” said UNI Director of Athletics Dr. Megan Franklin. “This slate of retirements this fall solidifies the importance of celebrating in this sesquicentennial year, the student-athletes who defined excellence for their teams and continue to be aspirational to student-athletes competing with UNI across their chests.”
Launched earlier this year, UNI’s jersey retirement program has already retired jerseys for Panther legends Bill Smith (wrestling), AJ Green (men’s basketball), Jacqui Kalin (women’s basketball), Patty Stockman (softball), Kurt Warner (football) and Molly Lembezeder (women’s swimming & diving).
DUANE JOSEPHSON (Baseball)
Duane “Josie” Josephson, was a two-sport athlete for the Panthers best known for his skills on the baseball diamond.
A New Hampton, Iowa native, Josephson attended the then-State College of Iowa (SCI) from 1960 to 1965 and was the first player in school history to be named All-American in baseball, as well as becoming the first to hit ten home runs in a single season. His ten round-trippers in 1964 led the nation.
His career stats at UNI include a .365 batting average, including a .455 average in conference play, 20 home runs and 75 RBIs in 57 games. He committed just one error in his entire UNI career and helped lead SCI to the NCAA Tournament and three conference championships.
Josephson was also known for his talents on the basketball court. He finished his career with 913 points and led SCI in scoring his junior and senior years and was a two-time all-conference guard.
Following graduation in 1965, Josephson pursued a career in professional baseball. Despite being hampered by injuries, he played from 1965 to 1970 with the Chicago White Sox, and from 1970 to 1972 for the Boston Red Sox. He was named the all-star catcher for the Southern League in 1965 and for the Pacific Coast League in 1966.
Josephson was named MVP for the Pacific Coast League in 1966 and was an American League All-Star in 1968 with the White Sox. He finished his major league career with a batting average of .258 with 23 home runs and 164 RBIs in 470 career games. He appeared in 470 games.
A 1987 UNI Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Josephson passed away in 1997.
PENNY WILSON (Women’s Gymnastics)
Despite being a newcomer to college gymnastics, Wilson left a record breaking mark on the Panther women’s program in her lone season competing at UNI in 1980-81 under coach Carrie Regier.
The Waterloo, Iowa native who began her gymnastics career after taking a tumbling class in junior high bounced back from early season injuries during her freshman season to score 30+ points in five different all-around competitions. At the 1981 NCAA regional meet, Wilson narrowly missed qualifying for the national championships in the all-around after posting a career-best score of 32.95 points, while also breaking individual program records in the floor exercise (8.65), balance beam (8.65) and vault (8.45).
Northern Iowa, which discontinued gymnastics following the 1980-81 season, took fifth at the 1981 NCAA regionals, its best ever team finish, while Wilson’s fifth place individual showing was also a program-best.
JESUS VAZQUEZ (Men’s Gymnastics)
The first and only All-American gymnast in team history and a three-time NCAA qualifier, Vazquez, an Omaha, Nebraska native, Vazquez competed for the Panthers from 1976 to 1980 under coach Godfrey “Garf” Stych and helped make an impact early in his college career.
After helping UNI to a North Central Conference (NCC) team runner-up finish during his freshman season, Vazquez was part of Northern Iowa’s 1978 conference championship team, setting the stage for his first of three NCAA Division II Championship appearances, taking ninth place in the floor exercise and rings, the best finish ever by a UNI gymnast at the national meet.
During his junior season of 1978-79, Vazquez set new school records in the floor exercise and rings during the regular season and qualified for his second NCAA Division II Championship meet, hosted by UNI in the UNI-Dome with a 14th place showing on home turf.
In 1980, as one of two team captains, Vazquez won the all-around, vault and floor exercise titles at the conference championships, with top-five finishes as well in the parallel bars, high bars and pommel horse, becoming the first UNI men’s gymnast to finish in the top-six in all six events. He also qualified for the AAU National Gymnastics Meet.
After serving as a volunteer assistant coach for the Panthers in 1981, Vazquez spent ten years as the head assistant women’s gymnastics coach at the University of Iowa, helping the Hawkeyes to a Big Ten Conference team runner-up finish and three central regional qualifiers. He later spent four years as the head gymnastics coach at Illinois State, helping the Redbirds to a fourth place regional team finish as the highest ranked, non-fully funded program in the country.
Vazquez would later go on to spend over 20 years as director of Lake Owen Gymnastics Camp, one of the most prestigious gymnastics camps in the nation.
DIANE (BRAUN) Eckhardt (Women’s Field Hockey)
Braun, a Fredericksburg, Iowa native began her college career at UNI in the fall of 1972, playing not just field hockey, but basketball and softball for the Panthers. In 1973, she was selected to the All-Iowa College Team and to the third-team Midwest Hockey Association squad as a goalkeeper. A year later, she was once again selected as a member of the All-Iowa College Team and named to the second-team Iowa All-Star squad, which participated in the Midwest Field Hockey Tournament.
The 1974 field hockey squad was also chosen to compete in the National Field Hockey Tournament. Braun came back in 1975 to help lead the field hockey team to a state title and again gathered honors, being named to the first-team Midwest I squad.
During the winter months, Braun played a key role as a forward for UNI women’s basketball under head coach Wanda Green. She played on the UNI State Tournament Team all four years and notably scored 34 points in a Feb. 1975 win over Buena Vista.
In the spring, softball filled Braun’s time as the Panthers’ catcher, helping UNI win back-to-back state titles in 1975 and 1976 with appearances in the AIWA Women’s College World Series.
Following graduation, Braun served as a graduate assistant in the physical education department and as assistant coach for softball under head coach Jane Mertesdorf, which included Northern Iowa’s 1997 national championships. She would go on to coach softball, basketball and volleyball at various levels.
JACOB STALL (Men’s Swimming & Diving)
Arguably the best freestyle sprinter in UNI men’s swimming and diving history, Stall, a Bettendorf, Iowa native, swam for the Panthers from 1994 to 1998 under coach Jim Hall, among the final swimmers and divers to train and compete in the old East Gym Pool. A two-time First Team All-MVC performer, Stall finished his career with six school records at the time of his graduation, including the 50, 100 and 200-yard freestyle races, as well as the 200 and 800-yard freestyle relays and the 400-yard medley relay.
He earned Male Swimmer of the Meet recognition at the 1996 Midwest Classic Championships, and also earned an MVC Men’s Swimmer of the Week honor early in his senior season.
Stall currently resides in North Carolina where he serves as an Assistant Rating Knowledge Manager with the U.S. Coast Guard.
RANDY KREJCI (Men’s Tennis)
Cedar Rapids native Randy Krejci compiled impressive records while playing tennis for Northern Iowa from 1973-1976. He will be recognized with his jersey retirement on Oct. 10 at the UNI All-Sports Reunion.
He began his collegiate tennis career in 1973 and became a primary reason for the team’s success. He participated in the NCAA Tournament each of his four years on an individual basis as well as at the team level. He won the North Central Conference singles championship every year, and the conference doubles championship three years.
At the time of his induction into UNI’s Hall of Fame in 1994, Krejci held career records for winning the most singles matches in a season (37) and career (139). He also had accumulated the most doubles victories (106) and consecutive doubles victories (35) while compiling a .863 career winning percentage. In 1975, he was named an Outstanding College Athlete of America, which is awarded nationally by sports information directors. The following year, he earned his bachelor of arts degree from UNI in physical education and health.
After graduation, Krejci began teaching at McKinley Junior High School in Cedar Rapids and started officiating high school basketball, football and volleyball games. He moved to Kennedy High School in 1979, where he coached tennis and volleyball. Krejci returned to UNI for a master’s degree in 1983, and two years later was named an Outstanding Young Man in America as a faculty member of Kennedy High School. In 1987, the Mississippi Valley Conference named him Coach of the Year, and he also was given an award for conducting an exemplary program at Kennedy.
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Source: unipanthers.com
