Six Individuals Inducted into Athletics Hall of Fame

Photo by: Lauren Verellen '26 - @laurenverellen_photography

9/21/2024 12:11:00 PM | Baseball, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Gymnastics, Volleyball, Wrestling, Our Stories

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Marcy Weston CMU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024 consists of wrestling coach Tom Borrelli, gymnast Sarah Dame, football player Eric Fisher, baseball/men’s basketball player Chad Pleiness, volleyball player Kaitlyn Schultz, and cross country/track & field runner Ryan Watson.

By: Greg Hotchkiss

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Five former Central Michigan student-athletes and one legendary coach were honored and inducted into the Marcy Weston CMU Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday evening in a ceremony at McGuirk Arena. The event marked the school's 41^st annual induction ceremony.

Central Michigan Athletics' 2024 Hall of Fame Class includes:

Wrestling Coach Tom Borrelli (1991-2024), Goose Creek, S.C. | Bio Link
Gymnast Sarah Dame (2000-03), Maple City, Mich. | Bio Link
Football player Eric Fisher (2009-12), Rochester, Mich. | Bio Link
Baseball/Men's Basketball player Chad Pleiness (1999-2002), Scottville, Mich. | Bio Link
Volleyball player Kaitlyn Schultz (2008-11), Highland, Mich. | Bio Link
Cross Country/Track & Field Runner Ryan Watson (1999-2000), Cedar Springs, Mich. | Bio Link

Voice of the Chippewas Adam Jaksa served as emcee for the formal hour-long program, which included tv-style interviews with each of the inductees. Each inductee was presented with a plaque depicting their accomplishments with the Chippewas. CMU President Robert O. Davies and Zyzelewski Family Vice President/Director of Athletics Amy Folan both gave congratulatory speeches. The inductees will also be honored at halftime of Saturday's home football game against Ball State. Kickoff of that game is at 1 p.m.

Gallery: (9-20-2024) Hall of Fame

Davies began the evening with a speech.

"We honor five tremendous athletes who excelled in their time at CMU, on the field, on the pitch, on the court, in the classroom, and in the community," Davies said. "We also honor one amazing coach, with his records, with all of the lives that he impacted in such a positive way, the mentorship, the guardianship that he has created. Each of these individuals represent the university with honor, determination and skill, leaving a tremendous legacy for current and future Chippewas."

The 2024 Marcy Weston CMU Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is underway!

It's been an honor to have you with us to open the ceremony for the past six years, @cmichprez!

Watch live: https://t.co/2tyqOOYry7 #FireUpChips 🔥⬆️ pic.twitter.com/BVu7cTHmUN
— CMU Athletics (@CMUAthletics) September 20, 2024

Folan followed with words of her own.

"This is an event that showcases our history, our traditions, and our commitment to excellence," Folan said. "This place is so impressive and continues to do amazing things. Tonight is just a small sliver of what people do here in Mount Pleasant and then go on outward into the world and lead the way."

"Tonight is just a small sliver of what people do here in Mount Pleasant and then go on, outward into the world and lead the way."

Hear from AD @AmyFolan at the 41st annual Marcy Weston CMU Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony ⤵️#FireUpChips🔥⬆️ pic.twitter.com/YMhNploryW
— CMU Athletics (@CMUAthletics) September 20, 2024

Legendary wrestling coach Tom Borrelli was the first inductee to be interviewed. He spoke about what made him successful as a coach at Central Michigan.

"The most important thing is our student-athletes," Borrelli said. "When you have very committed student-athletes, it makes you look like a good coach. We also had people in our community and people at CMU that cared about wrestling. Everyone cared about wrestling. Wrestling became important to them and became important to the rest of our student-athletes. You just have to have lots of support, and we were fortunate to have it at CMU."

Borrelli also talked about where athletics belongs in education.

"To me, athletics is part of the educational process," Borrell said. "It's about teaching people life-lessons regardless of what profession they're in, that they can be successful, and they can look back at some of the hard times and some of the adversity that they had to overcome. Sometimes even success—success sometimes is a hard thing to handle. Those lessons are invaluable. I believe that athletics are in an educational setting, and they should remain that way."

Legendary @CMUWrestling Head Coach Tom Borrelli on the importance of education, leadership and mentorship in athletics:#FireUpChips🔥⬆️ pic.twitter.com/qpokgjSiuG
— CMU Athletics (@CMUAthletics) September 20, 2024

Dame talked about how she ended up at Central Michigan.

"I had a fall during my senior year of high school and most of the schools did not offer a scholarship to me that year," Dame said. "Central Michigan was the only one that said they weren't sure if I would get a scholarship right away because they were trying to build a team. They were honest with me, and I wanted to go to a program that wanted the team to be better each year. From what I knew about the program, I wanted to be a part of the family. I wanted to be part of that type of team, a coach and team that cares about you not as a gymnast, rather as a person. It turned out to be the best decision I ever made. Ever since I was little, I was an only-child, and I found my sisters in Central Michigan. These are the people that will stay with you forever."

"The hard, that's what makes it great. It's hard but that's what made it great."

Hall of Fame Inductee & former @CMUGymnastics student-athlete Sarah Dame on the history and bond of the program and what it means to her to be welcomed back to Mount Pleasant:#FireUpChips🔥⬆️ pic.twitter.com/D2fbm3acSk
— CMU Athletics (@CMUAthletics) September 20, 2024

Fisher is the only MAC player ever to be drafted No. 1 into the National Football League. He also went on to win a Super Bowl and even wore a championship ring to the event.

"My senior year was surreal," Fisher said. "It all happened really fast. My senior year, I wanted to cap off everything. I felt like I did well. Did well at the Senior Bowl, well at the combine. God has a great plan for all of us. I'm very grateful to hear my name. I couldn't imagine it. It was something that I'll cherish forever."

He spoke about the camaraderie that he felt at Central Michigan.

"The football locker room is a special place," Fisher said. "It's full of people from all walks of life. You come together with all the same goal. You have to go through a training camp to understand. My teammates, I'll cherish forever. We had some great coaches. All the relationships that I developed here were phenomenal. These are memories that will last me a lifetime."

"I remember walking down the athletic corridor here and you see all the faces of the All-Americans and the Hall of Famers. I remember thinking, 'wouldn't that be something to be part of?' It all worked out. I'm honored to represent all the Chippewas. Tonight, to be honored will be another one of those memories that I'll always cherish."

"It's not really something that you can put into words."@Big_Fish79 on the bond, connections and memories made while playing for @CMU_Football:#FireUpChips🔥⬆️ pic.twitter.com/LiaRRmQd4v
— CMU Athletics (@CMUAthletics) September 20, 2024

Pleiness had the unique experience of playing three sports at Central Michigan: football, basketball, and baseball.

"What I loved about playing different sports, you always had something new to look forward to, every season," Pleiness said. "I just wanted to maximize what I could do. I switched to basketball after football and continued to play baseball."

"You think about walking down the hallway as an athlete and striving for it," Pleiness said. "You feel like you had a pretty successful career. You look back and get that call, it just hit me hard. All the people who helped me along the way, coaches, teammates, parents, family, my sister. It adds up to a lot of great memories that sometimes you don't reflect on. To be able to share these moments, have my boys see this, I'm honored to be here and join this great class."

Former multi-sport student-athlete Chad Pleiness actually got his start with @CMU_Football!

Hear from the Hall of Fame inductee on his time with Football, @CMUBaseball and @CMUMensBBall:#FireUpChips🔥⬆️ pic.twitter.com/SaLYi2dE2v
— CMU Athletics (@CMUAthletics) September 20, 2024

Schultz spoke about Mount Pleasant home.

"Every time I drive up here and see the Mount Pleasant sign, I say, 'Oh my I'm home!' I spent so much time here in Mount Pleasant playing volleyball," Schultz said. "Central Michigan was my home away from home. I met my husband here. There are a whole bunch of moments that happened, it's hard to remember them all but they're all there."

Her favorite athletic memory was winning the Mid-American Conference and advancing to the NCAA Tournament after entering the tournament as the league's No. 6 seed.

"My parents only packed for one night," Schultz said. "It was a surreal moment. It was one of those things you don't expect. Playing with those girls, was so special. After we won, we got back so late, but we went to one player's apartment and re-watched the match. Those are some of the great memories I have. It was so special; we were all so close as a team."

Hear from @CMUVolleyball alum Kaitlyn Schultz on the lifelong friendships she built in her time at CMU:#FireUpChips🔥⬆️ pic.twitter.com/HokMOwXMN5
— CMU Athletics (@CMUAthletics) September 20, 2024

Watson talked about how Central Michigan impacts his life even today.

"I coach at Big Rapids High School," Watson said. "One thing I like is that a lot of my teammates from CMU are high school coaches and teachers so I can call on them anytime I need advice or have a quick question. We still have that group that we can bounce ideas off of and so those relationships have continued on for 20, 25 years."

"It all goes back to the camaraderie and the experience I was blessed with. The coaches gave me an opportunity to be on the team and jealousy with the rest of the athletes. I just am blessed and appreciate the opportunity to represent Central Michigan University at the national level and I'm forever grateful to this university."

Ryan Watson on what it means to him to have been able to represent @CMUtrack at a National level:#FireUpChips🔥⬆️ pic.twitter.com/0YBNuOTcUa
— CMU Athletics (@CMUAthletics) September 20, 2024

Former @CMUtrack standout Ryan Watson on how he translated his love for running and his experience at CMU into his current coaching career: #FireUpChips🔥⬆️ pic.twitter.com/q3sa66gp6j
— CMU Athletics (@CMUAthletics) September 20, 2024

Central Michigan wrestling and gymnastics teams were in attendance. The inductees were announced in a press release on June 18, 2024.

—CMU—