Julie Calahan Bauer said it. Ken Kraft did, too. And Mark Loretta shared the same sentiment.
They all ranked their inductions into the Northwestern Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday night as one of the biggest accomplishments of their sports careers.
“It’s one of the top (honors) because it’s one of my last ones,” said Bauer, who played basketball at NU from 1977-81. “It’s very exciting to be honored like this.”
Former football/basketball player Joel Collier and the late swimmer Dan Zehr also were named to the Hall of Fame in the ceremony at the Allen Center.
Kraft served 51 years at NU as a wrestler, coach and administrator. Loretta played baseball from 1990-93.
The five inductees join 99 other members who have been inducted since the Hall’s inception in 1984.
Although the induction ceremony wasn’t broadcast on national television — a la the NFL and MLB ceremonies — and barely received attention outside the Wildcats’ athletic community, it kept the honorees smiling.
That was especially true of Kraft, who has been at NU longer than any of the other inductees.
He arrived in Evanston in 1953 as a wrestler, stayed on as a coach after graduation and most recently served as an associate athletic director until his retirement earlier this year.
Kraft was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame seven years ago. And while he stopped short of calling this weekend’s induction a more prestigious honor than the one he received then, Kraft admitted there was something extra special about becoming a member of NU’s Hall of Fame.
“This is my home,” Kraft said as he watched Saturday’s NU men’s basketball game, at which the inductees were honored. “When you go into the hall of fame at your home it’s the best honor you can have.”
Loretta is the only current professional athlete in this year’s class. He’s a vital member of the San Diego Padres, and also has spent time with the Milwaukee Brewers and the Houston Astros.
Given the privileges he enjoys as a professional athlete, it’s hard to imagine that Loretta’s induction into the Hall of Fame at a school short on athletic tradition would be something for him to brag about. But the career .297 hitter said he appreciates the tribute.
“It’s really special to look back and remember experiences in college,” he said. “To date it’s probably the biggest award I’ve gotten.”
Last year, Loretta was named to his high school’s hall of fame.
The prestige surrounding induction into the NU Hall of Fame shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, Athletic Director Mark Murphy said.
“I think it’s a very significant honor to excel here in athletics, especially with the academic standards we have,” said Murphy, who is in his first year at NU. “We have a much better athletic tradition here than people think.”
It’s also good for former NU athletes to know the school is still thinking about them, Murphy added.
The recognition was comforting for Bauer, an exercise physiologist in Missoula, Mont., and the first NU women’s basketball player to earn All-America honors.
“I was like, ‘I can’t believe it,'” Bauer said of when she heard she’d be inducted into the Hall. “I can’t believe they remember me.”