HC inducts three Foresters into Hall of Fame
 Huntington College Amerihost Hall of Fame Classic to celebrate honorees  

FOR RELEASE November 26, 2001

HUNTINGTON, IN—Huntington College athletics have garnered much success over the years. Outstanding coaches and athletes have brought HC to the map, and on Saturday, December 1, three individuals will be inducted into the Huntington College Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held in conjunction with the first annual men’s basketball tournament, the Huntington College Amerihost Hall of Fame Classic.

The men’s basketball team will host IU Southeast, Cornerstone and Judson for the tournament on Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1. IU Southeast and Cornerstone will tip off at 6 p.m., Friday while the Foresters will take on Judson at 8 p.m. Saturday’s consolation game will start at 1 p.m., followed by the championship game at 3 p.m.

During half time of the championship game on Saturday, Tom King, John “Buddy” Labor and Steve Younce will be honored and recognized as they are inducted into the Hall of Fame. A reception for the inductees will be held after the game in the field house of the Merillat Physical Education and Recreation Complex. The public is cordially invited to attend.

Tom King has coached cross country and track and field for over 30 years at HC and has seen his athletes earn over 30 All-American honors.Tom King came to Huntington College in 1970, and is in his 31st year coaching the men’s and women’s cross country and track and field programs. During this time, King has been selected by his peers as Mid-Central Conference Coach of the Year 29 times, District 21 Coach of the Year seven times, NCCAA (National Christian college Athletics Association) Coach of the Year two times, and NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) Regional administrator of the year in 1995. Actively involved in the sport, he served as chair of the Track and Field Committee of District 21 from 1991-94, and of the Cross Country Committee of District 21 from 1992-94. He has seen his athletes earn over 30 All-American honors, including four-time national shot put champion Jim Arnett and national runners-up John Ngure, Danielle Vohs and Jenny Keil. He has also coached over 20 All-America Scholar Athletes. Last month, King’s cross country teams achieved success gaining two All-Americans, three All-America Scholar Athletes and an 18th-place national finish by the women’s cross country squad. In 1999, the men’s cross country team finished sixth at the NAIA National Championships, the highest team finish by any HC team at that time and second highest finish to date.

King received his AB degree in Political Science from Ashland University in Ohio. While attending Ashland, he was a distance runner on the track team and ran second for four years in cross country. He has done post-graduate work at The Ohio State University and Ball State University. King served as Huntington College athletic director from 1987-95, and was a HC Centennial Medallion Award Recipient in 1997. He and his wife, Jan, have three married children, Rollin, Doris and Dan, and became grandparents for the first time this past year.

John “Buddy” Labor was a four-time All-American from 1984-87, in men’s soccer. His jersey, number 10, was retired on February 23, 1988. Labor holds many HC soccer records, including John "Buddy" Labor still holds many HC soccer records.most goals scored in a game (4), most goals scored in a season (28), most goals scored in a career (100), most assists in a career (32), most points in a career (232), and most points in a game (10). Labor has been recognized for his abilities and talents in soccer by several collegiate organizations including honors such as NAIA All-District 21 from 1984-87, NAIA honorable mention All-America 1984-85, NAIA second-team All-America 1986, and NAIA first-team All-America 1987. He was named a first-team NCCAA All-American from 1984-87, and NCAA All-District III from 1984-87. Labor also was an NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) All-Area IV from 1985-87, and an NSCAA first-team All-American in 1985. Labor ranked 11th in goal scoring (23) and 13th in points (54) in the final 1987 NAIA Statistic Report. He also ranked in the top ten goal scorers in the NCCAA from 1984-87. Labor was named the Huntington College Soccer MVP in each of his seasons during his four-year tenure. Labor graduated from HC with a degree in Business and was named Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.

Steve Younce, who played basketball at HC from 1970-74, will be inducted into the Huntington College Hall of Fame.Steve Younce is a member of the Huntington College men’s basketball 1,000-point club, currently ranking sixth in HC all-time scoring with 1,809 points from 1970-74. At the time of his graduation from HC, Younce ranked fourth in NAIA college basketball history for total points, second in total field goals (729), fourth in free throws (351), and held the college basketball record for free throw percentage and single game assists. Younce started 82 consecutive games at HC, scoring in double figures for 78 of those outings. In 1972, he was Indiana’s fifth leading collegiate scorer, averaging 24.1 points per game. Younce was an All-Mid-Central Conference player from 1972-74, NAIA honorable mention All-American from 1972-74, and had a team record of 77 wins against 35 losses. In 1984, he was inducted into the Delaware County (Ind.) Athletic Hall of Fame for his contributions as a high school player.

Since graduation from Huntington College in 1974, Younce received his Masters Degree in Education from Ball State University. He has been a teacher with the Madison-Grant United School Corporation for 28 years. Younce has coached junior high basketball and girls high school varsity basketball and has been a broadcaster for high school basketball games for 11 years with stations WHBU Anderson and WMDH New Castle.

Fourteen individuals already reside in the HC Hall of Fame, which hasn’t inducted anyone since 1993. The inaugural Huntington College Amerihost Hall of Fame Classic will start a once-a-year tradition for inducting significant Forester athletes and coaches into the Hall of Fame. Those already inducted include Steve Platt (basketball), Ralph “Boag” Johnson (basketball), Thomas Rethlake (basketball), Dean Merryman (basketball), Ray Zimmerman (soccer, baseball), Roger Skinner (tennis, basketball, baseball, golf), Glen Longenbaugh (baseball, basketball), E. DeWitt Baker (baseball, President of HC), William Leiter (basketball), Dana Neuenschwander McClung (tennis, basketball), Richard Klopfenstein (basketball, AD for 25 years), Bai Kabia (soccer), Mark Parker (baseball) and Rebecca Stump Younce (basketball).

Huntington College is four-year Christian college of the liberal arts. The Foresters compete in fourteen intercollegiate athletics, seven for women and seven for men. HC is a member of the Mid-Central Conference and NAIA. For more information, visit the HC website at www.huntington.edu/athletics.

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