Eight Inductees to Varsity T Hall of Fame

Earlier today the University of Toledo announced the 2009 Varsity T Hall of Fame inductees. Of the eight inductees, the most notable are former head football coach Gary Pinkel, former men's basketball players Bob Aston and Mike Parker, and former football player Steve Morgan.

Gary Pinkel coached the Rockets football team from 1991 through the 2000 season. He won the most games in school history in his tenure, 73, and also holds the highest winning percentage (.659) among coaches who coached at Toledo for at least three seasons.

He led Toledo to an undefeated season in 1995, while winning his first MAC Championship. The Rockets went 11-0-1, earning just the fourth undefeated season in Rocket football history, while defeating Nevada in the first Division I-A overtime game in the 1995 Las Vegas Bowl. In his final season in 2000, Toledo finished the year 10-1.

Toledo won the MAC West Division Title in three of the four seasons that the MAC was split into divisions during his tenure. The Rockets were also ranked in the Top 25 in three seasons under Pinkel (1995, 1997, and 2000). He was named the MAC Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1997.

Bob Aston played basketball for the Rockets from 1963-1966. He ranks fourth all-time in career rebounds at Toledo with 10.9 rebounds per game. In three seasons on Toledo's varsity team, Aston scored 901 points and had 749 rebounds. He was a 1st team All-MAC selection as a senior in 1966.

Mike Parker played basketball for Toledo from 1971-1974. He was a two-time All-MAC player and scored 1,057 in his three years on the varsity team. He was the team captain of the 1973-1974 team and averaged 15.1 points per game that year. Mike's highlights from the season include scoring 30 points against both Arizona State and Indiana.

Steve Morgan played football at Toledo from 1981 through 1984. The former running back ended his career with the career rushing mark at Toledo with 2.540 yards. Though over the years he has fallen some to 6th on that Toledo football all-time rushing list, his accomplishments have not diminished. He was part of two MAC Championship teams (1981 and 1984), and was named 1st team All-MAC as a senior in 1984. He had 1,137 yards and 10 touchdowns in '84. He was also named the team's MVP that year. He led the Rockets in rushing in his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons.

Other inductees include Bill Nagy (men's tennis), Shantel Ransom (women's track & field), Mitch Maier (baseball), and Lucretia LeGault (women's basketball).