Homecoming is arriving about a month early for Sue Ertl.
The 1979 MSU golf All-American, who now teaches at a Florida country club, will visit East Lansing for the first time in years for today’s MSU Athletics Hall of Fame induction.
Ertl, the only female athlete in the seven-member 2001 induction class, said her brother and three sisters are coming in from Grand Rapids to share the induction with her.
“It’s going to be a great time to reminisce the past and remember the great times I had around campus,” said Ertl, a Big Ten medalist in 1977 and 1978. “And to get back to the present, to walk around and see all the new facilities on campus and at Forest Akers (Golf Course).
“The closer it gets, the more excited I get. It’s really great that Michigan State would remember me.”
Joining Ertl at the 4:30 p.m. ceremony in the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center will be three former football stars, two living basketball legends and a hockey MVP.
The reception is closed to the public.
“It’s something I just couldn’t miss,” said inductee Steve Smith, a former MSU basketball All-American. “It’s really special. It’s something you dream of when you’re a little kid.
“I didn’t expect this so soon,” the 32-year-old said. “I’m honored and proud to get in so early.”
Ertl, football Academic All-American John D. Wilson, ice hockey Olympian Weldon Olson, former head basketball coach Jud Heathcote and the families of football All-Americans Sherman Lewis and Jerry DaPrato will also be introduced to the crowd at halftime of the MSU/Central Michigan football game Saturday afternoon.
Smith will miss the halftime ceremony because of his former college roommate’s wedding Saturday afternoon.
The Smith Center, which houses the Hall of Fame, is an especially fitting place for this year’s induction considering it bears the name of Smith’s mother.
Smith, who was traded to the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs this summer, donated a record $2.5 million to MSU in 1997 to construct the center. In all, he has given $3.1 million to MSU - a record for professional athletes donating to their alma mater.
“(MSU) is a place I love,” said Smith, who has been working out with current and former MSU players at the Breslin Student Events Center this week. “It’s my base. It’s a place I believe in and that’s why I donated a lot of money.”
