November 4th, 2009
(Pictured from top to bottom, left to right, are: Maddie Klasing Williams, Aaron Merhoff, Richard Miller, Craig Saunders, Lili Torres-Ramirez, Ken and Linda Voges, and Edmund Kuempel.)
SEGUIN, Texas – Texas Lutheran Bulldog greats Richard Miller (football), Lili Torres-Ramirez (women’s tennis), Aaron Merhoff (baseball), Craig Saunders (men’s basketball) and Madeline Klasing Williams (women’s volleyball) will be inducted into the Texas Lutheran Athletics Hall of Fame during TLU Homecoming ceremonies this weekend.
The five will be recognized Friday evening during the TLU Salutes banquet and Saturday at halftime of the TLU football game with Louisiana College. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Seguin’s Matador Stadium.
TLU also will recognize its Athletics Leadership Wall of Honor Class of 2009. This year’s inductees are the Honorable Edmund Kuempel and Ken and Linda Voges. Kuempel and the Vogeses will be honored at TLU Salutes and during a pre-game ceremony at the football game.
The TLU Athletics Hall of Fame recognizes former Bulldog student-athletes for their accomplishments in the field of play. The TLU Athletics Leadership Wall of Honor recognizes individuals and groups that have contributed to the success of TLU Athletics outside the field of play.
TLU Athletics Hall of Fame
Class of 2009
RICHARD MILLER - 1986 GRADUATE (FOOTBALL)
A native of Cuero, Richard Miller arrived at Texas Lutheran in 1983 and proceeded to produce three of the finest rushing and kick-returning seasons in Bulldog history. In 280 career rushing attempts, Richard averaged 5.8 yards per carry.
In his senior season of 1985, Richard claimed NAIA All-America honors after rushing for 1,010 yards, scoring six touchdowns, and averaging 6.2 yards per carry. He also led the nation in kickoff return average with 32 yards per return. He scored on a 90-yard kick return during his All-America season of 1985.
In Miller’s All-America nomination to the NAIA, then Head Coach Vernon Fewell commented:
Richard is our first 1,000-yard rusher since NAIA Hall of Famer Mike Washington. I think that says a great deal about the caliber of athlete that he is.
LILI TORRES-RAMIREZ - 1999 GRADUATE (WOMEN’S TENNIS)
Lili is quite simply the most decorated women’s tennis player in Texas Lutheran history, and it is fitting that she goes into the TLU Athletics Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility. Lili won four Heart of Texas Conference Championships in four years (three in doubles, and one in singles) and played in the NAIA National Championship Tournament four consecutive times.
A native of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, she was the top player in the Bulldog program throughout her career and was known for her fierce determination and competitiveness in all matches, particularly close ones. In her senior season, needing a singles championship in the conference to qualify for the national tournament, Lili stormed back from a set down to claim the title.
In addition to her outstanding ability on the court, Lili was twice honored as an NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete. A business administration major, she graduated with a 3.82 grade point average.
AARON MERHOFF - 1999 GRADUATE (BASEBALL)
If you look in the Texas Lutheran baseball record book, you will find one name listed more than any other — Aaron Merhoff. Aaron, who starred for the Bulldogs during the 1997, 1998, and 1999 seasons, still owns 16 offensive records, and he holds the TLU triple crown as the school record holder for career home runs (51), career RBI (214), and career batting average (.426).
Aaron’s 1999 season, in which he led the Bulldogs to their first-ever outright Heart of Texas Conference regular season title, was the most dominant single-season offensive year in school history. He won the conference triple crown by leading the league in home runs (21), RBI (85), and batting average (.489), making Aaron the easy choice for the Conference Player of the Year.
Aaron was a two-time playing All-American – a First Team selection in 1999 and a Second Team selection in 1998 – and a two-time NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete. He graduated from TLU with a 3.69 GPA in molecular biology.
Aaron, a native of Klamath Falls, Ore., played professionally in the minor league system of the Philadelphia Phillies. He was a 21st round draft pick in the 1999 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.
CRAIG SAUNDERS - 1992 GRADUATE (MEN’S BASKETBALL)
Craig Saunders is the 10th all-time leading scorer in men’s basketball history at Texas
Lutheran. Craig, a native of Vienna, Va., scored 1,415 points in a four-year career as a starter and key reserve.
Craig was not only a prolific scorer; he excelled on defense as well. He is TLU’s all-time leader in career steals, with 234. In his first year with the Bulldogs, Saunders earned Freshman of the Year honors in the Heart of Texas Conference.
In his senior season, Craig was a First Team All-Heart of Texas Conference selection and led the Bulldogs to a berth in the NAIA District 4 Tournament. Craig is one of only a handful of players in TLU history that played on three consecutive NAIA District 4 playoff teams.
In his final game as a Bulldog, Saunders poured in 33 points as TLU fell in the 1992 District 4 Tournament semifinal to Wayland Baptist. Craig also was a key player on the Bulldogs’ squad that finished one win shy of the 1991 NAIA National Tournament.
MADELINE KLASING WILLIAMS - 1999 GRADUATE (VOLLEYBALL)
Capping a banner year in which she led TLU to a Heart of Texas Conference title and a tie for ninth at the NAIA National Volleyball Tournament, Maddie Klasing earned her second straight NAIA All-America honor in 1998. A First Team All-American that year, she was a Third Team All-America selection in 1997, even though she missed a good portion of that season to injury. She was also the starting outside hitter for TLU in its tie for ninth finish at the 1996 NAIA National Tournament.
A product of Clark High School in San Antonio, Maddie started all four seasons for TLU and ended her career with a staggering 1,839 kills, 1,939 digs and 238 aces. She was named the 1998 NAIA Southwest Region Player of the Year and the 1998 Heart of Texas
Conference Player of the Year. In 1998, she was an HOTC Player of the Week four times and the Southwest Region Player of the Week three times. For the week ending Oct. 4, 1998, Maddie was named the NAIA National Volleyball Player of the Week. She became the first Bulldog to earn that honor. In that week, she twice recorded 30-kill, 20-dig matches and averaged 7.44 kills per game.
Maddie still holds multiple school records, including marks for single season kills and hitting attempts. She is second all-time for career totals in kills, kills per game, service aces, aces per game, digs, and digs per game.
TLU Athletics Leadership Wall of Honor
Class of 2009
THE HONORABLE EDMUND KUEMPEL
The Honorable Edmund Kuempel is one of TLU’s most accomplished, recognized and honored alumni. The Austin native graduated from Texas Lutheran with a degree in business in 1964, and began work at CMC – formerly SMI – Steel here in Seguin, where he is still employed today in their sales division. In 1982 he was elected to his first term in the Texas House of Representatives.
Now in his 14th term, Representative Kuempel is one of the most senior members of the Texas Legislature, where he is widely respected by members in both houses and both parties for his legislative acumen and leadership skills. He currently is Chair of the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee, and represents Guadalupe, Gonzales and Wilson Counties, where he is greatly beloved by his constituents. He is a previous recipient of the TLU Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his outstanding service to the State of Texas and to TLU – especially for his staunch support of the Tuition Equalization Grant program every legislative session.
Today TLU recognizes him for his staunch and vocal support of the Bulldogs athletics program. No fair-weather fan, Representative Kuempel can often be heard belting out his famous cheer “Eat’em up Bulldogs!”
The former starting pitcher for the Bulldogs also has been a key factor in the success of TLU’s Front Row, serving as the live auctioneer at this annual fundraising event for TLU Athletics.
KEN AND LINDA VOGES
Ken and Linda Voges have been faithful fans of Texas Lutheran Athletics since their time on the campus in the 1960s. In particular, Ken and Linda have graciously volunteered their time and talents to make the TLU Athletics fundraiser “Front Row” a great success and benefit for our student-athletes, coaches and staff. Front Row has generated more than $350,000 for TLU Athletics since its inception in 2004.
Together, Ken and Linda have served on planning committees for Front Row and have served as hosts of Front Row steering committee meetings in their home numerous times. Ken and Linda have also helped with decorations and table/ticket sales and volunteered for day of event set-up. But perhaps most importantly they have always faithfully transported their classmate and good friend Verne Lundquist to and from airports and hotels to ensure Verne’s timely attendance and participation at all Front Row events.
Ken joins the select group of Bulldogs to be inducted into both the TLU Athletics Leadership Wall of Honor and the TLU Athletics Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the TLU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. Ken is the only three-time All-American in TLU baseball history. He was also a state champion in track and field. Ken played baseball professionally in the Chicago Cubs minor league system for three years.
Ken and Linda are the founders of In His Grace, Inc. The company, founded in 1984, provides church leaders with behavioral tools and training to assist them in fulfilling the commandment to “love one another.