Wittenberg Announces Athletics Hall of Honor Class of 2006

Aug. 16, 2006

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Six Wittenberg University greats will be inducted into the school's Athletics Hall of Honor during Homecoming Weekend ceremonies, Oct. 6-7. Paul Goodrich '90, Lew Lenkaitis '65, Caroline Gaver Maine '50, Jenny Mak Culbertson '89, Greg Murphy '77, and Kevin Tatar '90, will join 159 other athletes who have been selected for this prestigious honor in the last 21 years.

The honorees will be formally inducted into the Athletics Hall of Honor at a banquet on Friday, Oct. 6. They will also be honored by Wittenberg's loyal fans during halftime at the Homecoming football game against Earlham College the next day, which kicks off at Edwards-Maurer Field at 1 p.m.

Paul Goodrich is one of the most influential student-athletes in Wittenberg history. A men's soccer midfielder, Goodrich became the first four-time all-conference honoree in program history when he turned the trick each year between 1986-89. Ranking fourth in career goals and second in career assists in school history, Goodrich also garnered All-America awards in 1987 and 1989, the latter after leading the Tigers to a sparkling 12-4-2 overall record. A native of McMinnville, Ore., Goodrich earned a master's in geography from Ohio University in 1994, and he is the founder/president of African Sports Outreach, an international youth development non-profit organization. He resides in Milwaukie, Ore., with his wife Patricia Patino.

Football fans know that winning teams are built from the inside out, with an emphasis on offensive and defensive line play. It is hardly a coincidence that the Tigers compiled a phenomenal 33-1-1 overall record between 1961-64 with offensive tackle Lew Lenkaitis a four-year starter on the team. Lenkaitis' teams won two undisputed national championships and four OAC titles during that time, capped by a senior season in which he served as a co-captain. After the 1964 season, Lenkaitis earned all-conference honors and garnered recognition from three organizations that named All-America teams. A native of Strongsville, Ohio, and a member of the Strongsville High School Athletic Hall of Fame, Lenkaitis is currently CEO of The Lenkaitis Group, a search firm for senior executives. He currently resides in Westlake, Ohio, with his wife Peggy. They have two children, Mike and Shelly, and six grandchildren.

Caroline Gaver Maine was a multi-sport standout at a time when women's athletics were not widely promoted. Also an accomplished violinist who performed in the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Maine participated in numerous intramural sports at Wittenberg, including volleyball, basketball, softball and tennis. While she enjoyed some success in basketball before, during and after her collegiate career, she was best known for her tennis ability. Maine enjoyed great success in regional tournaments, including Springfield's city championship, which she won in 1952. Now deceased, Maine was a teacher in Clark County for more than 20 years. She and husband James, also now deceased, had five children, Bo, Tad, Dan, Linda and Jill.

The foundation for Wittenberg's powerhouse volleyball program of today was laid by individuals like Jenny Mak Culbertson, a standout in the Red & White from 1985-88. Culbertson was a three-time team MVP, three-year team captain and four-time All-OAC honoree while leading the Tiger volleyball program to a pair of winning campaigns after five losing seasons in the six years prior to her arrival. The OAC record-holder for kills in a season when her career ended, Culbertson also earned three varsity letters in softball. A native of Lima, Ohio, Culbertson has a teaching license in special education for students with mild to moderate disabilities and a master's in special education, earned from Wright State University in 2006. A teacher at New Carlisle Tecumseh High School, Culbertson and her husband Roger reside in Springfield with their children, Chase and Taylor.

Baseball great Greg Murphy joins his father, longtime university student-athlete, athletics administrator and coach Ron Murphy, in the Wittenberg Athletics Hall of Honor. Murphy had a tremendous two-year career in the Red & White after transferring from Fairmont State University, earning a pair of all-conference designations and team MVP honors, capped by a memorable 1976 season in which he became the first Tiger player to hit .500 in a season. His .509 average that season ranks second in school history. A native of Springfield and a member of the North High School Athletics Hall of Fame, Dayton Baseball Hall of Fame and Springfield Baseball Hall of Fame, Murphy now resides in Naples, Fla. Currently president and CEO of Community Bank of Naples, Murphy has three children, Ashley, Wittenberg class of 2006, Alexandria and Ron.

In the annals of Wittenberg baseball, Kevin Tatar stands tall. While slowed somewhat by injuries during his collegiate career, Tatar compiled a phenomenal 29-5 career record with a 2.30 earned run average and 219 strikeouts. Before a four-year career in the Cincinnati Reds minor league system that ended with a significant injury, Tatar posted the greatest pitching season in school history with an 11-0 record and a 1.17 ERA with 64 strikeouts and just 16 walks in 1990. He was named North Coast Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and first-team NCAA Division III All-America after the season. A native of Wheeling, W.Va., Tatar is now employed as a retirement consultant with Lincoln Financial Group. He resides with his wife, Ann Marie, in Shaler Township, Pa.