Five former Michigan State athletes were inducted into the University's Athletics Hall of Fame Thursday, Sept. 27 at the Wharton Center. The inductees included: Dale Anderson, Savatheda (Fynes) Cook, Jimmy Raye, Bill Wehrwein and Rachel Miller.
Dale Anderson won seven national championships across four different sports between 1965 to 1968 at MSU. He was recognized for his achievements as a dominating member of the wrestling team. By the end of his career his record was 61-4-1. On top of that his winning percentage, .932, is the fourth-highest in the program's history.
Savatheda (Fynes) Coke was only a part of the MSU track and field team for one year (1996 to 1997), but she managed to make an impact, both in the MSU community and internationally, as an Olympic winner. In the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games she took silver in the 4-x-100m relay. At the end of the 1997 outdoor track season she was awarded the George Alderton Female Athlete of the Year Award. After multiple injuries she was forced to stop competing in the sport in 2008.
Jimmy Raye was the quarterback of the MSU football team from 1964 to 1967.The team won the national title in 1966, which made him the first African American quarterback from the South to do so. After setting multiple school and Big Ten records in MSU and Big Ten history, he went on to be drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1968 NFL Draft. After a two-year stint in the NFL, Raye then coached professional football for 37 years, before becoming an NFL senior consultant.
Bill Wehrwein ran track and field at MSU from 1967 to 1970. He was a four-time All-American, and a three-year varsity letter winner from 1968 to 1970. He also won five Big Ten championships, including four individual titles, during his collegiate career. Upon graduation he went on to coach for his children's middle school track team and little league baseball team.
Rachel Miller is the school's first rower to be inducted into MSU's Athletics Hall of Fame. She was the first First-Team, All-American rower in program history, and gained the honor two more times during her collegiate career. Rachel also helped the Spartans reach the NCAA Championships four times.
In addition to Thursday's ceremony, the five inductees will also be honored Saturday during halftime of MSU vs. Central Michigan at Spartan Stadium.
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