Oct. 15, 2004

Cape Girardeau, Mo. - The Southeast Missouri State University Athletic Hall of Fame will induct eleven individuals and one team during induction ceremonies at the Show Me Center on Saturday.

The induction class will include the 1987 women's gymnastics team that won the USGF Division II national title and eleven individual athletes.

Individuals selected include Bill McLane (track and football, 1934-1937); F.J. Courleux (football, 1903-1907 and football coach, 1915-1929); John Diepenbrock (football, 1965-1968); Rex Miller (track and cross country, 1954-1958); Ryland "Dutch" Meyr (football and track, 1958-1962 and assistant football coach 1969-1977); Dan Peiffer (football, 1969-1973); Rob Thomas (track, 1981-1984); Otto Porter (basketball 1979-1981); Steve Williams (baseball and football, 1980-1983); Lizz Barringer (track 1986-1989) and Kelvin "Earthquake" Anderson (football, 1992-1994).

The 1987 gymnastics team was coached by Bill Hopkins and won the USGF Division II title over seven other teams in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The team was led by All-American Diana Morris who won four All-America awards at the 1987 national championships.

Bill McLane ranks as one of the all-time great track athletes at Southeast. When he graduated in 1937 he held 24 track and field records at Southeast.

F.J. Courleux played football at Southeast from 1904-1907 and later returned to coach the team in 1915 and coached for 15 consecutive years, which is the longest tenure of any Southeast football coach. He became athletic director in 1930 and later added the responsibilities of director of Physical Education.

John Diepenbrock was an outstanding receiver on the football team from 1965 to 1968. He led the team and MIAA in receiving yardage in 1967 and 1968. He had 110 career receptions for 2,073 career yards receiving.

Rex Miller was Southeast Missouri State's first cross country All-American. He was 24th in the 1957 NCAA championships for all divisions held at Michigan State. He was undefeated for three years in the two-mile and was the MIAA mile and two-mile champion. Miller was also the high school coach of Southeast Hall of Famer Mike Vanatta.

Ryland "Dutch" Meyr was a four-year starter at tackle and was honored as a Little All-American in 1961. Three of the four teams he played on won MIAA championships. He served as an assistant coach from 1969-1977. He had a record of 25-7 as head coach at Cape Central High School.

Dan Peiffer was a starting center on the football team from 1969-1973. He was honored as the top lineman at Southeast in 1971, 1972 and 1973. He went on to play three years with the Chicago Bears and served as captain of the Bears in 1975.

Rob Thomas ranks as Southeast Missouri State's only NCAA Division I national champion. He won the 1984 indoor 600-meters at the NCAA Division I championships. He was also a Division I All-American in 1982 and was a Division II All-American in 1982, 1983 and 1984. He was a U.S. Olympic trials qualifier in 1984 and a U.S. National Team member in 1985.

Otto Porter was one of the most prolific scorers in Southeast basketball history. He averaged 27 points per game as a junior in 1980 and 25.1 points per game as a senior in 1981. He ranks as the 10th leading scorer in Southeast history despite playing for only two seasons.

Steve Williams played both football as a punter and baseball as a catcher. He led the football team in punting in 1981 and 1983. Williams was an All-America baseball catcher in 1982 and 1983 and played professionally in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.

Lizz Barringer was a four-time Division II All-American in the heptathlon. She was the 1989 NCAA Division II heptathlon national champion and was an Olympic trials qualifier in the heptathlon.

Kelvin "Earthquake" Anderson was a Division I-AA All-American in 1992 and led the team in rushing fin 1992, 1993 and 1994 with over 1,000 yards rushing for a school record three straight years. Anderson went on to an all-star career in the Canadian Football League. He ranks as the only player in CFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards for eight straight years.

The Hall of Fame induction begins with a 2 p.m. reception at the Show Me Center with introductions in pregame ceremonies prior to the Southeast vs. Eastern Kentucky football game.