Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. As such, it is important to us that the University of Minnesota will be inducting eight new members into their Athletic Hall of Fame.

They will be inducted on September 6.

The newest members are:

Nicole Chimko-Fahey, Women’s Track & Field, 1996-99:  The Canadian was a three-time All-Big Ten champion in discus and javelin and was a two-time All-American.

Eric Decker, Football & Baseball, 2006-09: Decker was a two-time All-Big Ten Selection as a Wide Receiver and accumulated 3,119 Yards and 24 Touchdowns.  He would later play professionally and was on Denver’s 2013 AFC Championship Team.  Decker was also drafted twice in the Major League Baseball Draft.

Tori Dixon, Women’s Volleyball, 2010-13:  Dixon was a two-time AVCA All-American and three-time All-Big Ten Selection.  She had 1,479 career kills for the Golden Gophers.

Laurie Kaiser Sund, Women’s Gymnastics, 1983-86:  Kaiser Sund was a three-time All-Big Ten Selection and won the Big Ten Floor Exercise in 1984 and 1986 and the Vault in 1984.

Amanda Kessel, Women’s Hockey, 2010-13 & 2016:  Kessel led Minnesota to three straight National Championships (2011-13) and was a two-time All-American.  She also won the WCHA Player of the Year, the WCHA Rookie of the Year, and the 2013 Patty Kazmaier Award.  She also represented the United States in three Olympic Games, winning two Gold Medals, and owns four World Championship Gold Medals.

Don Lucia, Men’s Hockey Coach, 1999-2018:  Lucia guided the Golden Gophers to five Frozen Fours, winning two National Championships (2022 & 2003).  He also led the school to four WCHA Regular Season Titles, four Big Ten Titles and had an overall record of 457-248-73.

Harsh Mankad, Men’s Tennis, 2000-02:  From India, Mankad was the first player in school history to obtain a number one NCAA rank.  He was the 2002 Big Ten Player of the Year and a three-time First Team All-Big Ten Selection.

Joel Maturi, Athletics Director, 2002-12:  Maturi became the first AD in school history to oversee both the Men’s and Women’s programs.  Over his tenure, the Golden Gophers won five National Titles and 45 Big Ten/WCHA Championships.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the impending members of the University of Minnesota Athletic Hall of Fame.

A three-time NHL All-Star and one-time Canada Cup player for the United States, Reed Larson had eight seasons where he had at least 60 Points.  Larson was never an All-Star, though the Calder Trophy runner-up had more than a good career in the National Hockey League.  Historically, Larson was the first American-born blueliner to score 200 Goals in the NHL.

Paul Martin may have played for some good and high-profile teams over his career (New Jersey, Pittsburgh, and San Jose), and the Defenseman was also chosen to represent the United States of America multiple times, but this is still someone for whom a case can be made that he was an underrated player.  Martin was a two-time champion with the University of Minnesota (2002 & 2003), and in the NHL, he scored 320 Points with two top ten finishes in Defensive Point Shares.

A member of the famed United States “Miracle on Ice” team, Mike Ramsey, continued his run as a defensive anchor in an over 1,000-game career in the National Hockey League.  Ramsey played most of his career with the Buffalo Sabers, where his well-above-average defensive skill was complemented by five seasons of 30 or more Points.  A four-time All-Star, Ramsey received votes for the Norris Trophy (finishing as high as seventh) four times and would represent the U.S. in two Canada Cups.

Arguably one of the best players to come out of the hockey-rich state of Minnesota, Neal Broten did not just come from the Gopher State; he played virtually his entire career there. Broten played his collegiate hockey for the University of Minnesota and played the bulk of his career for the Minnesota North Stars. The American Center was part of the 1980 Miracle on Ice team, and although he never did get a Stanley Cup Ring in Minnesota, he did gain that accolade with the Devils in 1995. Although Broten failed to reach 1,000 career points, he did record more than 60 assists four times in a season. With his Collegiate and International play, he must be considered a wildcard possibility to enter the Hall.