GRAND FORKS, N.D. - University of North Dakota Director of Athletics Brian Faison and UND Letterwinners Association President Kevin Robson announced today the 2010 inductees into the UND Letterwinners Athletics Hall of Fame.
Ed Belfour (hockey, 1986-87) and Tiffany Pudenz-Mannausau (basketball, 1994-98) will be inducted as individuals, while Pudenz-Mannausau's 1997 NCAA Division II championship women's basketball team will be inducted in the team category.
Additionally, former Sioux baseball player and current Sacred Heart High School (East Grand Forks, Minn.) Athletics Director/Softball Coach Mike Marek will receive the Tom Clifford Award, while the late David Rubin and his wife, Doreen, will receive the Honorary Letterwinner Award.
The 36th annual Athletics Hall of Fame event will take place with a breakfast and induction ceremony on Oct. 30 prior to UND's men's hockey game against Denver. The Class of 2010 will also be recognized during the first intermission of the hockey game. The game is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. Central.
"It is our great pleasure to inductee these outstanding athletes into the UND Athletics Hall of Fame," said Robson, a football letterwinner from 1990 to 1993. "Ed Belfour, Tiffany Pudenz and the 1997 women's basketball team all gave UND fans plenty of opportunities to Stand Up and Cheer during their respective time at UND. Their places in the UND Hall of Fame are truly deserving and we are excited for the upcoming induction ceremony.
"We are also very proud of the accomplishments and continued devotion to athletics demonstrated by our Tom Clifford Award winner, Mike Marek. We were deeply saddened by the recent loss of David Rubin. His devotion to UND athletics was second to none and it is our honor to recognize he and his wife, Doreen, as our honorary letterwinners."
This year's four inductees bring the total number of individuals in UND's Letterwinners Athletics Hall of Fame to 228. The 1997 women's basketball team will be the 30th team inducted.
The 2010 UND Hall of Fame Class:
Ed Belfour (Hockey, 1986-87): Led UND to NCAA title in his only season at UND and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team ... Named a first-team All-American and first-team All-WCHA ... Went 29-4-0 to set a UND single-season wins record that still stands ... Also recorded a 2.43 goals against average, a .915 save percentage and three shutouts ... Guided the Sioux to a then-NCAA record 40 wins (40-8-0) ... Went on to become the third-winningest goalie in National Hockey League history (484 wins) with Chicago, San Jose, Dallas, Toronto and Florida ... Ranks fourth all-time in saves (21,003) and is tied for eighth in shutouts (76) ... Appeared in 963 games and went 484-320-125 ... Won 1998-99 Stanley Cup with Dallas ... Two-time Vezina Trophy winner as NHL's best goalie ... A three-time NHL All-Star first or second team goalie ... Selected to six NHL All-Star Games ... Won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1990-91 NHL Rookie of the Year ... Three-time winner of the NHL's William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest goals against ... Won a gold medal with Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City ... Also won a Canada Cup championship with Canada in 1991 ... Originally from Carman, Manitoba.
Tiffany Pudenz-Mannausau (Basketball, 1994-98): Member of UND's 1997 and 1998 NCAA DII national championship teams ... Graduated as third-leading scorer in UND history with 1,622 career points and currently ranks No. 8 ... Graduated as UND's career leader in assists (545) and steals (250) ... Remains ranked second all-time in assists and steals, third in 3-point field goals made (232) and 3-point field goals attempted (194), seventh in field goals attempted (1,351) and 10th in field goals made (567) ... Set UND's single-season steals record in 1996-97 with 85 (since broken) ... Named a 1997-98 first-team All-American by the WBCA ... Also earned All-America second-team honors from Daktronics and third-team honors from Division II Bulletin ... Two-time All-NCC selection (1997, 1998) ... 1994-95 NCAA Freshman of the Year ... Received NCAA postgraduate scholarship following senior year ... Two-time Academic All-NCC selection ... Originally from Jeffers, Minn. ... Husband, Mike Mannausau, is assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator of UND's football team.
1997 Women's Basketball Team: UND's first NCAA Division II championship team in any sport ... Won the first of three consecutive NCAA DII women's basketball titles ... Went 28-4 overall and finished second in the North Central Conference with a 14-4 record ... Hosted the NCAA DII Elite Eight and defeated Edinboro (quarterfinal), Bentley (semifinal) and Southern Indiana (final) by an average of 24 points ... Title win snapped USI's 29-game winning streak ... Defeated host and top-ranked North Dakota State in the North Central Regional final to advance to the NCAA DII Elite Eight ... Tied UND single-season record for wins (since broken) ... Freshman center Jenny Crouse was named to Division II Bulletin All-America third team ... Head coach Gene Roebuck, in his 10th year, was named DII Bulletin National Coach of the Year ... Freshman guard Jaime Pudenz was named North Central Conference Freshman of the Year and Elite Eight Most Outstanding Player ... Crouse and junior guard Tiffany Pudenz were named to All-NCC team ... Team set UND single-game records for fewest points allowed (26, Nov. 23 in 94-26 win vs. Mayville State), rebounds (71, Feb. 7 vs. Minnesota State) and steals (33, Nov. 29 vs. Colorado School of Mines) ... Crouse recorded first triple-double in program history with 19-point/14-block/12-rebound performance against St. Cloud State (Feb. 8) ... Four members of the team - Crouse, Tiffany Pudenz, Jaime Pudenz and Kelli Britz - rank among UND's all-time top 10 scoring list.
Tom Clifford Award
Mike Marek (Baseball, 1971-74): The Tom Clifford Award was established to honor former UND President Thomas J. Clifford and his long-time support of UND athletics. The award recognizes UND alumni who serve as athletic coaches at the high school or college level and have been notably successful in their sport the year preceding the award.
Marek was a member of the Sioux baseball team from 1971 to 1974 under legendary head coach Harold "Pinky" Kraft. He was an All-North Central Conference first baseman as a junior in 1973 and led the team in runs, walks and steals as a senior in 1974. Marek is now the athletics director and head softball coach at Sacred Heart High School in East Grand Forks, Minn. Last season, he led the Sacred Heart softball team to the Minnesota Section 8A championship game. The previous season, Marek guided the team to a 22-3 record and a third-place finish at the state tournament, the best state finish of any program in Sacred Heart history.
Honorary Letterwinner Award
David and Doreen Rubin: The Letterwinners Association Honorary Award is given upon official action by the club's Executive Committee to persons who, in the opinion of the committee, have contributed significantly to the furtherance of UND athletics.
David and Doreen Rubin, both of whom were graduates of UND, played an instrumental role in the creation of the Fighting Sioux Club and have been active members since its inception in 1996. David was a teacher and coach in Grand Forks and later became a restaurant owner of The Italian Moon and Wendy's with his business partner and life-long friend Ken Towers. Both David and Doreen recently established the David and Doreen Rubin Athletics Scholarship Endowment, which helps fund student-athlete scholarships at UND.
David Rubin passed away in June and will be honored posthumously.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony, proudly sponsored by the UND Letterwinners Association, will be held at the Alerus Center on Oct. 30 at 10 a.m. For ticket information, please call UND athletics at (701) 777-2713.
- Go Sioux -