Bowling Green State University Athletics
2016 Hall Of Fame Class Announced
August 10, 2016 | Football, Men's Basketball, Women's Track and Field, Hall of Fame
Bowling Green, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University Athletics Department has announced that three individuals will be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame this fall. Josh Harris (Football), Keith McLeod (Men's Basketball) and Tracy (Gaerke) Seeley (Track and Field) will all gain entrance into the Hall of Fame.
The 2016 class of inductees, the 50th class in history, brings membership in the Athletic Hall of Fame to 230 individuals. Two teams (the 1983-84 national championship hockey team and the 1959 national championship football Falcons) also are in the Hall of Fame.
"Congratulations to the newest members of the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame," BGSU Director of Athletics Bob Moosbrugger said. "Tracy, Keith and Josh are great Falcons and their achievements are being properly recognized as we 'Honor The Past'. I would like to thank and congratulate the Hall of Fame selection committee for these excellent selections."
The official induction ceremony will take place Friday, Oct. 21. Tickets are $30 for the general public and $15 for Falcon Club members and can be ordered by calling 877-BGSU TICKET. Tickets will be good for the reception at 6:30 pm, followed by the induction ceremony at 7:15 pm. The class will be recognized on the field during the BGSU-Miami football game the next day at Doyt L. Perry Stadium.
Biographical sketches on the 2015 inductees follow:
Harris, a native of Westerville, Ohio and 2004 Bowling Green graduate, rewrote much of the BGSU record books as quarterback for the Falcons from 2000-03. The Falcons were ranked as high as No. 20 in the Associated Press Top 25 during both the 2002 and 2003 seasons and finished the 2003 campaign ranked No. 23 and No. 24 in the final BCS standings.
Harris' senior season was one of the greatest in program history as he broke single-season program records for pass completions (325), pass attempts (494), yards passing (3,813), touchdown passes (27) and completion percentage (.658). He was a Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist, honorable mention All-American and an invitee to the 2003 Senior Bowl.
The Most Valuable Player of the 2003 Motor City Bowl, Harris engineered a 28-24 win over Northwestern by throwing for 386 yards and three touchdowns, while accounting for 454 total yards.
"I am blessed to have had the opportunity to play at BGSU," Harris said. "It was probably the most challenging and exciting four-year stretch of my life. But through it all, we persevered and improved daily! This honor is a huge compliment not only to myself and my family, but also the coaches and teammates that I was privileged to work with. That's the way I see it and I hope they see it that way too!"
At the time, Harris became just the third player in MAC history to eclipse the 4,000-yard mark in total offense in a season (2003). And as a junior in 2002, he ranked second in the country in points responsible for. He finished his career with 7,503 passing yards and 2,473 rushing yards. He threw 55 touchdowns and rushed for 43 more. At the completion of his career, he was one of only two quarterbacks in NCAA Division I FBS history (joining Antwan Randle-El) to throw for 40 career touchdowns and rush for 40 more. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens and was also a member of the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants during his professional career.
In his two full seasons as a starter at Bowling Green, Harris' teams went 20-6 with wins over Missouri, Kansas, No. 16 Purdue, No. 12 Northern Illinois and Northwestern. In fact, the program went 6-1 against BCS competition with Harris as the starter.
The win over Northern Illinois was the first and only time ESPN's College Gameday has visited a Mid-American Conference school. Harris directed the offense flawlessly as the Falcons prevailed 34-18 in just the second-ever regular season game between two nationally-ranked MAC schools.
"A super huge thank you to my family who was at every game, supporting us week after week," Harris said. "God blessed me with the a natural ability to play this game, to take coaching/mentorship from people that knew more than me, a willingness to follow instructions and a drive to compete as hard as I could every chance I got. Lebron James told his teammates this year when they defied the odds and brought the Cavs their first title to 'Be a Star in your role'. That's exactly what I tried to do every week. I'm just very thankful to have had the opportunity live out my football dreams in Bowling Green."
Harris has been married for 13 years to Tami, a track and field Hall of Famer at Ohio State. He is the father of Jacob and Elijah and continues to build Final Expense Insurance Agency.
McLeod, a Canton, Ohio native, produced one of the most prolific offensive careers and remains the second-highest scorer in school history. He helped the Falcons earn a MAC championship and a post-season berth as a sophomore, then led the team back to the postseason as a senior.
McLeod's senior campaign included 755 points, the third-highest season total in BGSU history, and a 22.9 per-game average, which led the Mid-American Conference and ranked seventh nationally. He broke the BGSU record for three-pointers in a season with 89 and still ranks second in that category. McLeod led the Falcons to 24 wins, the most by any BGSU squad since the 1948-49 season. That total included a 12-game winning streak and victories over Michigan and Mississippi.
McLeod's final season concluded with recognition as the MAC Player of the Year, AP All-American Honorable Mention, first-team NABC All-District, USBWA All-District, CollegeInsider.com All-American, and a member of the MAC All-Tournament team.
"First and foremost, I'd like to thank God for the many blessings and opportunities in my career," McLeod said. "I'm extremely excited about being inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame. I never imagined basketball would take me the places it has and have me cross paths with amazing people. I'd like to thank my family, my coaching staff and my teammates, my close advisors at BG, and all my rec guys at the Southeast Community Center. Words can not explain what this means to me."
Earlier in his career, McLeod earned a selection on the 1998-99 College Hoops insider national All-Freshman team and the MAC All-Freshman team, and he was named second-team All-MAC as a junior. His sophomore season included 22 wins, a MAC championship and a berth in the National Invitation Tournament.
McLeod concluded his four years at BGSU with 1,895 points. He averaged 16.9 points per game, tenth in school history and remains BGSU's all-time leader with 552 made free throws. He ranks second among all Falcons with 199 successful three-pointers and is in the top ten for three-point percentage. His stellar defense resulted in 176 steals; that was fourth on BGSU's all-time list when he graduated and currently ranks sixth.
His accomplishments led to his inclusion on the All-Anderson team during the 2010-11 season.
Following his time at BGSU, McLeod enjoyed a professional career that spanned 12 years, teams in four different American leagues, and teams in four separate European nations. He played in parts of four NBA seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers. He also competed in the NBA Developmental League, the CBA and the USBL, as well as for professional teams in Sweden, Estonia, Greece and Italy.
McLeod is currently continuing his career in basketball as a coach. He was hired in June 2016 to be an assistant boy's basketball coach at Canton GlenOak High School under Matt Hackenberg.
Seeley, a native of Rockford, Ohio and a 1991 BGSU graduate in elementary education, is the school record holder in the 800 and 1500 in outdoor track and field, as well as the indoor track and field 800. She is also a member of the distance medley relay team school record holder for outdoor track and field.
"With humility, honor and excitement, I am thrilled to be selected as a BGSU Athletic Hall Of Fame inductee," Seeley said. "There are many people along my 'running route' who deserve a thank you. First of all, my siblings played an important role in my desire to run track in the first place. Then, of course, my high school coaches, and finally my college coaches: Lee Labadie, Nancy Shafer and Steve Price. They had faith in my abilities and used their talents to get the very best out of me. These coaches were more than just coaches; they treated me as family. From them, I learned about my sport but more importantly learned the imperative skills of time management, hard work, perseverance and dedication."
Seeley's four school records have all stood for at least 25 years. Her 800 time of 2:08.41 during outdoor season was set in 1988 and she set the same record for indoor with a time of 2:08.37 in the same year. She holds three of the five all-time fastest races in the 1500, posting a school record 4:24.03 that has lasted since 1989. As part of the 1991 distance medley relay team, she sits atop the record book with a time of 11:38.62.
More than just establishing school records, Seeley was a trailblazer within the track and field program. She was the first Falcon to qualify for the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field National Championships, placing eighth in the country in 1988 with a time of 2:12.75. In fact, her school record time in the event came in the semifinals at those national championships.
While she specialized in the 800, Gaerke was exceptionally versatile, winning the outdoor MAC Championship in the high jump in 1987 as well as the 1500 in 1989. She also ranks third all-time in the high jump for both the outdoor and indoor seasons.
For her accomplishments on the track, Gaerke was named the Most Outstanding Athlete at the 1989 MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships after winning the 1500, placing second in the 800, third in the high jump and competing on the 1600 relay team.
"Athletics at BGSU opened many doors for me including numerous friendships and meeting the man whom I would eventually marry," Seeley said. "Moreover, now I am looking forward to participating in the festivities surrounding this prestigious event."
The 1990 BGSU Homecoming Queen is married to Paul Seeley, a BGSU alumnus in both football and track and field, and is beginning her 26th year as a teacher. She has three children – Madison, Mackenzie and Pauly.
The 2016 class of inductees, the 50th class in history, brings membership in the Athletic Hall of Fame to 230 individuals. Two teams (the 1983-84 national championship hockey team and the 1959 national championship football Falcons) also are in the Hall of Fame.
"Congratulations to the newest members of the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame," BGSU Director of Athletics Bob Moosbrugger said. "Tracy, Keith and Josh are great Falcons and their achievements are being properly recognized as we 'Honor The Past'. I would like to thank and congratulate the Hall of Fame selection committee for these excellent selections."
The official induction ceremony will take place Friday, Oct. 21. Tickets are $30 for the general public and $15 for Falcon Club members and can be ordered by calling 877-BGSU TICKET. Tickets will be good for the reception at 6:30 pm, followed by the induction ceremony at 7:15 pm. The class will be recognized on the field during the BGSU-Miami football game the next day at Doyt L. Perry Stadium.
Biographical sketches on the 2015 inductees follow:
Harris, a native of Westerville, Ohio and 2004 Bowling Green graduate, rewrote much of the BGSU record books as quarterback for the Falcons from 2000-03. The Falcons were ranked as high as No. 20 in the Associated Press Top 25 during both the 2002 and 2003 seasons and finished the 2003 campaign ranked No. 23 and No. 24 in the final BCS standings.Harris' senior season was one of the greatest in program history as he broke single-season program records for pass completions (325), pass attempts (494), yards passing (3,813), touchdown passes (27) and completion percentage (.658). He was a Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist, honorable mention All-American and an invitee to the 2003 Senior Bowl.
The Most Valuable Player of the 2003 Motor City Bowl, Harris engineered a 28-24 win over Northwestern by throwing for 386 yards and three touchdowns, while accounting for 454 total yards.
"I am blessed to have had the opportunity to play at BGSU," Harris said. "It was probably the most challenging and exciting four-year stretch of my life. But through it all, we persevered and improved daily! This honor is a huge compliment not only to myself and my family, but also the coaches and teammates that I was privileged to work with. That's the way I see it and I hope they see it that way too!"
At the time, Harris became just the third player in MAC history to eclipse the 4,000-yard mark in total offense in a season (2003). And as a junior in 2002, he ranked second in the country in points responsible for. He finished his career with 7,503 passing yards and 2,473 rushing yards. He threw 55 touchdowns and rushed for 43 more. At the completion of his career, he was one of only two quarterbacks in NCAA Division I FBS history (joining Antwan Randle-El) to throw for 40 career touchdowns and rush for 40 more. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens and was also a member of the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants during his professional career.
In his two full seasons as a starter at Bowling Green, Harris' teams went 20-6 with wins over Missouri, Kansas, No. 16 Purdue, No. 12 Northern Illinois and Northwestern. In fact, the program went 6-1 against BCS competition with Harris as the starter.
The win over Northern Illinois was the first and only time ESPN's College Gameday has visited a Mid-American Conference school. Harris directed the offense flawlessly as the Falcons prevailed 34-18 in just the second-ever regular season game between two nationally-ranked MAC schools.
"A super huge thank you to my family who was at every game, supporting us week after week," Harris said. "God blessed me with the a natural ability to play this game, to take coaching/mentorship from people that knew more than me, a willingness to follow instructions and a drive to compete as hard as I could every chance I got. Lebron James told his teammates this year when they defied the odds and brought the Cavs their first title to 'Be a Star in your role'. That's exactly what I tried to do every week. I'm just very thankful to have had the opportunity live out my football dreams in Bowling Green."
Harris has been married for 13 years to Tami, a track and field Hall of Famer at Ohio State. He is the father of Jacob and Elijah and continues to build Final Expense Insurance Agency.
McLeod, a Canton, Ohio native, produced one of the most prolific offensive careers and remains the second-highest scorer in school history. He helped the Falcons earn a MAC championship and a post-season berth as a sophomore, then led the team back to the postseason as a senior.McLeod's senior campaign included 755 points, the third-highest season total in BGSU history, and a 22.9 per-game average, which led the Mid-American Conference and ranked seventh nationally. He broke the BGSU record for three-pointers in a season with 89 and still ranks second in that category. McLeod led the Falcons to 24 wins, the most by any BGSU squad since the 1948-49 season. That total included a 12-game winning streak and victories over Michigan and Mississippi.
McLeod's final season concluded with recognition as the MAC Player of the Year, AP All-American Honorable Mention, first-team NABC All-District, USBWA All-District, CollegeInsider.com All-American, and a member of the MAC All-Tournament team.
"First and foremost, I'd like to thank God for the many blessings and opportunities in my career," McLeod said. "I'm extremely excited about being inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame. I never imagined basketball would take me the places it has and have me cross paths with amazing people. I'd like to thank my family, my coaching staff and my teammates, my close advisors at BG, and all my rec guys at the Southeast Community Center. Words can not explain what this means to me."
Earlier in his career, McLeod earned a selection on the 1998-99 College Hoops insider national All-Freshman team and the MAC All-Freshman team, and he was named second-team All-MAC as a junior. His sophomore season included 22 wins, a MAC championship and a berth in the National Invitation Tournament.
McLeod concluded his four years at BGSU with 1,895 points. He averaged 16.9 points per game, tenth in school history and remains BGSU's all-time leader with 552 made free throws. He ranks second among all Falcons with 199 successful three-pointers and is in the top ten for three-point percentage. His stellar defense resulted in 176 steals; that was fourth on BGSU's all-time list when he graduated and currently ranks sixth.
His accomplishments led to his inclusion on the All-Anderson team during the 2010-11 season.
Following his time at BGSU, McLeod enjoyed a professional career that spanned 12 years, teams in four different American leagues, and teams in four separate European nations. He played in parts of four NBA seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers. He also competed in the NBA Developmental League, the CBA and the USBL, as well as for professional teams in Sweden, Estonia, Greece and Italy.
McLeod is currently continuing his career in basketball as a coach. He was hired in June 2016 to be an assistant boy's basketball coach at Canton GlenOak High School under Matt Hackenberg.
Seeley, a native of Rockford, Ohio and a 1991 BGSU graduate in elementary education, is the school record holder in the 800 and 1500 in outdoor track and field, as well as the indoor track and field 800. She is also a member of the distance medley relay team school record holder for outdoor track and field."With humility, honor and excitement, I am thrilled to be selected as a BGSU Athletic Hall Of Fame inductee," Seeley said. "There are many people along my 'running route' who deserve a thank you. First of all, my siblings played an important role in my desire to run track in the first place. Then, of course, my high school coaches, and finally my college coaches: Lee Labadie, Nancy Shafer and Steve Price. They had faith in my abilities and used their talents to get the very best out of me. These coaches were more than just coaches; they treated me as family. From them, I learned about my sport but more importantly learned the imperative skills of time management, hard work, perseverance and dedication."
Seeley's four school records have all stood for at least 25 years. Her 800 time of 2:08.41 during outdoor season was set in 1988 and she set the same record for indoor with a time of 2:08.37 in the same year. She holds three of the five all-time fastest races in the 1500, posting a school record 4:24.03 that has lasted since 1989. As part of the 1991 distance medley relay team, she sits atop the record book with a time of 11:38.62.
More than just establishing school records, Seeley was a trailblazer within the track and field program. She was the first Falcon to qualify for the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field National Championships, placing eighth in the country in 1988 with a time of 2:12.75. In fact, her school record time in the event came in the semifinals at those national championships.
While she specialized in the 800, Gaerke was exceptionally versatile, winning the outdoor MAC Championship in the high jump in 1987 as well as the 1500 in 1989. She also ranks third all-time in the high jump for both the outdoor and indoor seasons.
For her accomplishments on the track, Gaerke was named the Most Outstanding Athlete at the 1989 MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships after winning the 1500, placing second in the 800, third in the high jump and competing on the 1600 relay team.
"Athletics at BGSU opened many doors for me including numerous friendships and meeting the man whom I would eventually marry," Seeley said. "Moreover, now I am looking forward to participating in the festivities surrounding this prestigious event."
The 1990 BGSU Homecoming Queen is married to Paul Seeley, a BGSU alumnus in both football and track and field, and is beginning her 26th year as a teacher. She has three children – Madison, Mackenzie and Pauly.
2020 BG Hall of Fame : Kristy Coppes Interview
Wednesday, May 19
2020 BG Hall of Fame : Denise Van De Walle Interview
Wednesday, May 19
2020 BG Hall of Fame : Stephanie Heldt-Sheller Interview
Wednesday, May 19
2020 BG Hall of Fame : Freddie Barnes Interview
Wednesday, May 19