TicketsOct. 20, 2006
CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Tom O'Malley, the first UC football player to have his jersey number retired; Angie Trostel, a nine-time All-American diver; and John Wiethe, credited with bringing Bearcats basketball to national stature, have been selected for induction into the University of Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame.
The three will be formally enshrined at the Legion of Excellence Gala on Thursday, Oct. 26 at the on the UC campus. Reservations may be made by calling the UC Department of Athletics at (513) 556-4884.
O'Malley was the first UC football passing standout. Already an accomplished quarterback who had ranked among the nation's top 10 leading passers as a junior, he flourished under new head coach Sid Gillman his senior season. Under Gillman, who went on to develop football's wide-open passing game, O'Malley led the nation in passing yardage in 1949.
O'Malley concluded his career as UC's all-time passing leader and had his jersey number retired by Gillman. O'Malley went on to play in the Canadian Football League.
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Angie Trostel |
Trostel was already a well-decorated diver upon her arrival at UC. She was a four-time high school All-American and four-time national diving champ who won a silver medal at the Pan-American games.
At UC, Trostel earned nine All-American awards at the NCAA Championships. As a freshman, she earned All-American honors in all three diving events. She qualified for the Olympic Trials and narrowly missed a berth on the 1996 team. In 1997, Angie was champion of the one- and three-meter events and earned All-American honors in both at the NCAAs. Two more All-American plaques were earned her junior season and she capped her career with two All-American awards as a senior.
Wiethe became UC's head basketball coach in 1946. His style meshed well with the older players who were returning to school following service in the war. In his first season, John directed UC, which had had one winning season in the previous seven years, to a 17-9 record and the first of five straight Mid-American Conference championships. Two years later, Wiethe's Bearcats posted the school's first 20-win season, finishing at 23-5. This was the first Bearcats team to be ranked in the national polls. Another 20-win season followed, and in 1951, Wiethe piloted UC to its first post season tournament, the NIT.
Wiethe left coaching following the 1951-52 season and a 106-47 record to devote full energies to his law practice, and budding career in politics.
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John Wiethe |