Courtesy: Minnesota Athletics
The University of Minnesota’s M Club, one of the nation’s largest and oldest varsity letterwinner clubs, will induct 10 new Hall of Fame members on Sept, 10, 2021 in an in-person ceremony on Williams Arena court. The individuals will be recognized throughout the weekend at various events, including the Sept. 11 home football game against Miami (OH). It marks the first hall of fame induction since 2018.
The 2021 M Club Hall of Fame inductee class consists of:
–Cassie Busse-Kimes (Volleyball, 2000-03) – helped lead Minnesota to its first Big Ten title in 2002 and it’s maiden trip to the NCAA Final Four in 2003, Two-time All-American, Two-time All-Big Ten, Big Ten Player of the Year
– Winny Brodt-Brown (Women’s Hockey, 1999-2000, 2003) – WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, All-WCHA First Team, 2000 championship team member, Top 10 finalist for Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award
– Tommy Davis (Men’s Basketball, 1982-85) – 1982 Big Ten Championship Team, Two-time All-Big Ten selection, finished career as fourth all-time scorer in program history
– Cole Konrad (Wrestling, 2004-07) – Four time All-American, two-time NCAA heavyweight champion, three-time Big Ten champion and aided Gophers to 2007 NCAA team championship
–Brian Raabe (Baseball, 1987-90) – Three-time All-Big Ten selection, second Gopher second baseman to be named a First Team All-American, held multiple school records upon Gopher completion
– Liz (Roehrig) Adcock (Women’s Track & Field, 2005-09) – two-time NCAA runner-up in the heptathlon (2008, 2009), won seven of eight possible Big Ten titles in the multi-events (pentathlon and heptathlon) at the indoor and outdoor conference championships, a part of four Big Ten championships
– Chris (Schaefer) Podraza (Volleyball, 1986-89) – second Minnesota player to be named First Team All-Big Ten honors twice, became the third Gopher to earn All-America honors, a part of the first NCAA tourney team.
– Jillian Tyler (Women’s Swimming, 2008-11) – NCAA champion in 100 breaststroke, 13 All-America awards and was a seven-time NCAA finalist as an individual, four-time Big Ten champion in 100 breast
– Steve Ulseth (Men’s Hockey, 1977-81) – 1981 WCHA Player of the Year, a First Team All-American and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, an integral part of the 1978-79 team won the NCAA Championship and the WCHA Playoff title.
– Mike Walseth (Baseball, 1967-69) – First Team All-American as a first baseman in 1969 and was a two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection; a part of two Big Ten title teams and NCAA Regional teams.
With these newest additions, the M Club Hall of Fame will recognize 373 of history’s greatest Gophers and their achievements. The Hall of Fame also celebrates the legacy of all letterwinners and their contributions to the success of Gopher Athletics. Every member of the M Club Hall of Fame has his or her name prominently displayed for visitors at the entrance of the T. Denny Sanford Athletics Hall of Fame inside Huntington Bank Stadium.
New inductees are nominated by a research committee that thoroughly reviews the accomplishments of hundreds of Gopher alumni from all eras. Approximately two dozen finalists appear on each year’s Hall of Fame ballot, which is then distributed to former and current coaches, athletics administrators and all University letterwinners for a vote to determine who will be added to the Hall of Fame each year.
More information about each individual in the 2021 M Club Hall of Fame class is below, listed alphabetically by last name.
Cassie Busse-Kimes (Volleyball, 2000-03)
Cassie Busse-Kimes was one of the key players that propelled Minnesota Volleyball into one of the nation’s top programs. The opposite hitter from Prior Lake, Minn., helped lead Minnesota to four straight NCAA Tournaments, it’s first Big Ten title in 2002 and it’s maiden trip to the NCAA Final Four in 2003.
As a senior, Busse-Kimes became just the fourth player in school history to record more than 500 kills in a season in back-to-back seasons and was named the Big Ten Player of the Week four times. She was named an All-American for the second straight year and was named the Big Ten Player of the Year. Busse-Kimes also excelled in the classroom and earned Academic All-America honors in 2002 and 2003 and was also awarded the 2003 Big Ten Medal of Honor. She was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2003 NCAA Regional as well, helping the Gophers into the Final Four.
A two-time First Team All-Big Ten pick, Busse-Kimes finished her career ranked sixth on the career kills list with 1,502. Her total of 614 in 2003 was the fifth-highest in school history.
After graduation, Busse-Kimes played extensively for Team USA for five seasons, including a trip to the 2007 Pan Am Games.
Winny Brodt-Brown (Women’s Hockey, 1999-2000, 2003)
Winny Brodt-Brown was one of Gopher Women’s Hockey’s first huge stars. After transferring from New Hampshire after one season, the Roseville, Minn., native quickly established herself as one of the country’s most dominant defensive players. As a sophomore in 1998-99, Brodt-Brown tallied 45 points (14 goals, 31 assists) and posted a team-high +52 plus/minus rating. In 2000 she was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, All-WCHA First Team and was a Top 10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award after registering 13 goals and 37 assists. She helped guide the Gophers to the AWCHA National Championship, marking the first women’s team national title in school history.
After her junior season, she left the Gophers to play on the U.S. National Team. In 58 games with the National Team, Brodt-Brown scored 38 points and won a silver medal at the World Championships. She returned to the Gophers in 2002-03 and was selected as an alternate captain and helped the Gophers to a Frozen Four appearance for the fourth time in the last five years. Brodt-Brown finished her career setting career records for points (134), goals (41) and assists (93) by a defensive player.
Upon leaving the University of Minnesota, she joined the Minnesota Whitecaps of the WWHL in their inaugural 2004-05 season. In 2006, she was joined by her sister and Gopher letterwinner Chelsey. They played every season with the Whitecaps, including their 2010 Clarkson Cup win, and through the team’s independent years after the dissolution of the WWHL in 2011. Both signed contracts with the Whitecaps for its inaugural 2018-19 season in the professional National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL).
Tommy Davis (Men’s Basketball, 1982-85)
Tommy Davis started right away as a freshman, averaging nearly five points per game in helping the Gophers to the 1982 Big Ten championship alongside greats Trent Tucker, Randy Breuer, Darryl Mitchell and Jim Petersen. The Aberdeen, Md., native continually improved, averaging 12.8 points as a sophomore and 16.0 as a junior, earning Second Team All-Big Ten honors in 1984. His career culminated with First Team All-Big Ten honors as a senior, tallying 19.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Davis recorded one of the most incredible performances in Big Ten history, making 15-of-16 field goal attempts for 33 points against Indiana on February 11, 1984.
Davis finished his career as the fourth all-time scorer in program history with 1,481 points. He was selected in the fifth round of the 1985 NBA Draft and later went on to a successful playing and coaching career in France.
Cole Konrad (Wrestling, 2004-07)
One of the most dominant and decorated wrestlers in program history, Cole Konrad won the last 76 matches of his career, setting a school record for consecutive wins, and won back-to-back NCAA heavyweight titles in 2006 and 2007. Konrad became the first Gopher heavyweight to earn All-America honors in each of his four seasons and the fourth to ever win two NCAA titles. His high-point scoring ability helped Minnesota win the 2007 NCAA team title and Big Ten titles in 2006 and 2007.
Konrad got started early in his career with a fourth-place finish at his first NCAA Championships in 2004. That was the lowest he would ever finish. He advanced to the NCAA title match as a sophomore in 2005, falling to rival Steve Mocco 3-1 in a tiebreaker. As a junior, Konrad defeated Mocco 5-2 in the NCAA title bout, completing a perfect 41-0 season. He finished his collegiate career on the highest note possible, pinning Penn State’s Aaron Anspach in the NCAA title match, capping a 35-0 season.
The Appleton, Wis., native was extremely successful at the conference level as well, winning three Big Ten titles (2005-07) and was twice named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year (2006, 2007).
Konrad finished his career ranking second in career victories (155), third in pins (50) and third in win percentage (.922). On the international stage, Konrad finished third at the 2006 World University Games and won a gold medal at the 2005 Pan-Am Games in Guatemala.
Brian Raabe (Baseball, 1987-90)
Three-time All-Big Ten infielder Brian Raabe became the second Gopher second baseman to be named a First Team All-American in 1990 after hitting .341 with 11 doubles, three home runs and 36 RBI. He was a critical piece of great teams under John Anderson. During his career the Gophers went 141-99-2, won the 1988 Big Ten Championship and reached the NCAA Regionals twice.
The New Ulm, Minn., native set a multitude of school career records including hits (264), games played (228) and at bats (773) while finishing second all-time in runs score (168).
Raabe went on to play in the major leagues for three seasons with Minnesota, Seattle and Colorado. He was a six-time minor league all-star and won the Triple-A batting title in 1996 (.351). He also played the 1998 season with the Seibu Lions in Japan. Raabe has since continued his baseball career in coaching on the high school and collegiate levels.
Steve Ulseth (Men’s Hockey, 1977-81)
Steve Ulseth had one of the greatest seasons in Gopher Hockey history as a senior. He recorded 93 points which still ranks third all-time for season scoring at the U of M. He was named the 1981 WCHA Player of the Year, a First Team All-American and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
He was part of some of the great teams in program history. The 1978-79 team won the NCAA Championship and the WCHA Playoff title. The 1979-80 team won the WCHA Playoff title again and the 1980-81 club swept the WCHA titles and advanced to the Frozen Four.
After tallying 23 points as a freshman and 26 as a sophomore, Ulseth made a huge leap as a junior, scoring 27 goals and adding 33 assists for 60 points. The Roseville, Minn., native was voted as a team captain for his senior season and finished his career with 202 points (84 goals, 118 assists) which ranked second at the time behind John Mayasich.
Liz (Roehrig) Adcock (Women’s Track & Field, 2005-09)
The greatest multi-event competitor in school history, Liz (Roehrig) Adcock was a two-time NCAA runner-up in the heptathlon (2008, 2009). She remarkably won seven of eight possible Big Ten titles in the multi-events (pentathlon and heptathlon) at the indoor and outdoor conference championships.
Adcock contributed to a golden era in women’s track and field, helping the Gophers win three straight Big Ten Indoor Championships from 2007-09 and a Big Ten outdoor title in 2006. Buoyed by Adcock’s runner-up finish in the heptathlon, Minnesota made a program-best 13th-place finish at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The Chilton, Wis., native remarkably graduated with school records in five different events including the high jump, long jump and heptathlon outdoors and the high jump and pentathlon indoors. A five-time All-American, Adcock was twice named the NCAA Midwest Region Field Athlete of the Year and was voted as the 2008 Big Ten Indoor Field Event Athlete of the Year and the 2008 Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year. Her Big Ten titles in the pentathlon were from 2005-08 and she claimed the heptathlon in 2006, 2007 and 2009.
Adcock set a Big Ten record in the pentathlon in 2008 with a score of 4,218 at the conference championship and posted the best score in 20 years in the heptathlon at the outdoor championships with a score of 5,855 in 2009.
Chris (Schaefer) Podraza (Volleyball, 1986-89)
One of Minnesota’s first volleyball stars, Chris (Schaefer) Podraza was the second Minnesota player to be named First Team All-Big Ten honors twice in 1988 and 1989. She became the third Gopher to earn All-America honors, receiving third team accolades from Volleyball Magazine as a senior in 1989. She was also a two-time All-Region selection.
As a junior, the Cincinnati, Ohio native set a new school record for kills in a season with 646. She graduated ranking second all-time in program history in kills (1,826) and fourth in service aces (201).
In Podraza’s senior season, the Gophers reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time, advancing to the second round. She went on to play seven professional beach volleyball seasons in the Women’s Professional Volleyball Association and reached a ranking of No. 3 in the United States.
Jillian Tyler (Women’s Swimming, 2008-11)
Calgary, Alberta native Jillian Tyler became Minnesota’s second women’s swimming national champion, winning the 100-yard breaststroke in 2011. The national title was a culmination of an incredible collegiate career after finishing as the national runner-up in the same event as freshman and sophomore. Tyler accumulated 13 All-America awards and was a seven-time NCAA finalist as an individual.
She remains the only Gopher athlete to win four Big Ten titles in the same event, taking the 100 breaststroke each year. She also won the Big Ten 200 breaststroke twice (2010, 2011). She was named the 2011 Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships. Overall she won eight Big Ten titles, swimming the breaststroke leg of the victorious 400 medley relay team in 2008 and 2010.
Tyler shattered the school record in both breaststroke events during her storied career and was a critical part of Minnesota’s team success that included a Big Ten title in 2008 and runner-up finishes in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Minnesota finished ninth at the 2011 NCAA Championships, the program’s best ever finish. She was inducted into the Minnesota Aquatics Hall of Fame in 2016.
Tyler earned a spot on Team Canada in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the 2012 Olympics in London. Tyler competed in the 100-meter breaststroke, reaching the semifinals in both Games.
Mike Walseth (Baseball, 1967-69)
One of the great power hitters in Gopher history, Mike Walseth led the Big Ten in home runs and runs batted in in 1968 and 1969. The St. Paul, Minn., native was named a First Team All-American as a first baseman in 1969 and was a two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection. Walseth was also a two-time Team MVP.
The Gophers enjoyed great success during Walseth’s career, reaching two NCAA Regionals and winning the Big Ten title in 1968 and 1969 under legendary head coach Dick Siebert.
Following his collegiate career, Walseth was drafted in the seventh round of the MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves. He played 10 seasons of professional baseball.