Featuring a quartet of athletes with more than 40 years of championship success and groundbreaking achievements to their credit since attending college, the 16th induction of the Eastern Washington University Athletics Hall of Fame takes place Oct. 1, 2016, in Cheney, Wash.
 
Former Eastern All-American and National Football League offensive tackle Michael Roos (2000-04) will be inducted after a 10-year All-Pro career with the Tennessee Titans. He retired on Feb. 26, 2015, after starting all 226 games he played from 2002-14 as a collegian or professional.
 
Also to be inducted is Ed Waters, who was a record-breaking point guard on the 1976-77 men's basketball team, which was previously announced as a 2016 inductee. Waters has since gone on to a coaching career at his alma mater, Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles.
 
Trailblazer Becky Nelson-Clark (1968-71) is one of two track and field standouts to be inducted, having won the 1971 national championship in the high jump during a major growth stage of collegiate sports competition for women. She has since gone on to a long career in sports medicine and physical therapy in the Spokane and Cheney area.
 
Record-breaking 800-meter runner Steve Kiesel (1976-79) will also be inducted for his achievements on the track and his contributions as a coach, which includes a pair of state cross country titles at nearby Mead High School. He finished fourth in the 1977 NAIA Championships in the 800 meters with a time of 1:48.51, which has stood as a school record for nearly 40 years. He was coached at Eastern by Hall of Famer Jerry Martin.
 
"I'm still in a state of shock that this is happening," said Kiesel, who was notified of his induction by his former Eastern teammate and current head men's track and field coach Stan Kerr. "It's a phone call I never expected to receive.  Words can't describe how honored I am to represent my coach and teammates on October 1st.  Without them, none of this would ever have happened."
 
"This seems so unreal to me," added Kiesel, who grew up in Tacoma, Wash., with basketball player Eugene Glenn, whose 1976-77 Eagle team will also be inducted on Oct. 1. "I consider myself very fortunate to have had such a great college experience at Eastern.  And to go into the Hall with the guys from the 1976-77 basketball team makes it even more special.  I never missed a game."
 
The induction breakfast and ceremony will start at approximately 8 a.m. on Oct. 1, and appropriately, is expected to take place at the EWU Special Events Pavilion (Reese Court). That venue was in its second year of existence when the '76-77 squad and Waters had its historic 25-4 season under Hall of Fame Coach Jerry Krause and Hall of Fame player Ron Cox.
 
The public is invited to attend and the cost is $20 per person. Guests must register via a link that will be available later in July at http://goeags.com/hof.aspx. Inductees will also be honored at halftime of EWU's football game against UC Davis later that day (kickoff is TBA, but as early as 12:30 p.m.), as well as Eastern's volleyball game the previous evening against North Dakota at 6 p.m.
 
Established in 1996, this year's inductees will bring the total number of individuals in the Hall of Fame to 78 and teams to 14. There are also currently 14 recipients of the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame Service and Contribution Award, with two recipients in the 2016 class to be announced. All of the inductees and induction classes may be viewed at: http://goeags.com/hof.aspx
 
Below are bios of each of the new inductees (a story on the 1976-77 men's basketball team may be found at: http://goeags.com/news/2016/4/15/easterns-1976-77-mens-basketball-team-to-be-inducted-this-fall.aspx?path=mbball.
 

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Steve Kiesel (Athlete/Track & Field & Contributor)

A two-time All-American and still the school record holder in the 800 meters outdoors, Kiesel had a short but impressive two-year career at Eastern. A graduate of Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Wash., he attended Spokane Community College before transferring to Eastern in fall 1976 when he competed for the school's cross country team. In his first season, his personal record in the 800 meters dropped from 1:51.7 to 1:48.51 as he won the NAIA District 1 championship (1:53.6) and helped Eastern to the team title. He advanced to the NAIA Championships where he placed fourth with a school-record time of 1:48.51 to earn All-America honors. After missing the 1978 season because of an injury, he was the No. 2 ranked 800-meter runner in NAIA and Division II in 1979. He won the NAIA District 1 title in the 800 (1:53.2) and anchored the winning mile relay team (3:17.1) as Eastern won yet another team title. He failed to place at the NAIA Championships, but placed fifth in the NCAA Division II Championships with a time of 1:49.0 to earn All-America honors for the second time. He had great success in Oregon, winning the 500-yard title at the Oregon Indoor in Portland with a meet record and school record time of 59.5, then anchored the winning mile relay team that set a school record with a 3:31.7 time. Later in the year, he won the 800 at the prestigious Prefontaine Classic in Eugene. His outdoor 800 time (1:48.51) has stood as a school record since 1977, and his best indoor time of 1:51.7 in 1979 was a school record for 11 years. He ran the anchor leg of a 4x800 indoor team in 1977 that had a time of 7:43.6 that stood as a school record for nine years. Said former Eastern track and field coach Jerry Martin: "From my standpoint, his contributions to Eastern's team success during that time were as great as the honors he won. He was very team-oriented and was always willing to run relays or any event when asked. He was a positive influence on younger runners." Kiesel has already been inducted into the Community Colleges of Spokane Hall of Fame, and in 2009 he was inducted into the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) Hall of Fame. He won the NWAACC championship in the 800 in both 1975 and 1976 with a best of 1:51.95 in 1976. He helped SCC win the 4x400 Relay championships both years with a best time of 3:11.60 in 1976. He went on to coach at Rogers and Mead high schools in Spokane, and his 2007 and 2008 cross country squads at Mead won the State 4A championship. Kiesel is a health and fitness instructor at Mead and is still the team's boys cross country coach.

 

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Becky Nelson-Clark (Athlete/Track and Field & Contributor)

The school record holder in the high jump for 14 years, Nelson-Clark won the high jump title with an effort of 5-2 at the 1971 National Intercollegiate Track and Field Championships for Women. She helped Eastern place fifth as a team, and 13th in 1970 when she was the national runner-up, also with a leap of 5-2. Nelson-Clark had a jump of 5-6 1/2 in the 1971 season which ranked as a school record for 14 years until broken in 1985 (Gayle Huff, 5-8). It still ranks as the sixth-best jump in school history (entering the 2016 season), and is the only pre-1979 mark in any event on Eastern's top-10 all-time leaders lists. She also held the school record in the long jump with a jump of 18-0 in 1969, and also competed in that event at the 1971 national championships. She and teammate Dee Stonebook (fourth in the long jump) ran legs on the third-place finishing 440-yard relay team and sixth-place 880-yard medley relay. In addition, she was a hurdler at Eastern and competed on the basketball team. The 1971 championships took place for the third time and were hosted by Eastern at Woodward Stadium in a steady downpour of rain. Nelson-Clark, other student-athletes and administrators helped pave the way for other females to be involved in collegiate athletics at Eastern, right before Title IX was enacted in 1972. Prior to that, the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women encouraged the "development of programs for the highly-skilled woman athlete, an area long neglected by professional physical educators." The commission's hope was to help "foster growing competitive levels on the local, state and regional levels." Nelson-Clark also competed in the seven events of the heptathlon as a collegian, and was the West Coast champion in that event in 1970. Her multi-event prowess was honed by typically competing in meets in the high jump, long jump, 100 hurdles, javelin and two relays. The 1968 graduate of Mead High School in Spokane competed three seasons for Eastern before moving on to receive her physical therapy degree from the University of Washington. She competed one season in track and field for the Huskies, and eventually became co-owner of APEX Physical Therapy in Spokane and Cheney. She is currently with Synergy Healthcare in Spokane. Said EWU Hall of Fame coach Jerry Martin: "She was very helpful during my coaching career at Eastern. I often contacted her for suggestions regarding injury rehabilitation and post injury workouts." Nelson-Clark earned her bachelor of arts/teaching certification from Eastern, then received her bachelor of science in physical therapy at Washington. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and the orthopedic/sports section within that organization. She has also coached track and field at Mead High School track and premier soccer for the Skyhawks, and has been an athletic trainer in multiple sports at Mead and Mt. Spokane high schools for more than 25 years. Her father was a basketball/football player for Kansas State and her daughter, Chelsea, played basketball at Gonzaga. Her son, Casey, competed in track and field at Arizona State and followed in her footsteps as a high jumper. She and her husband, Bob Clark, were recognized in the spring 2016 edition of the Eastern Magazine as one of six couples who all met while at Eastern and were married in 1972. That group returned to EWU the previous fall for a reunion of the Sigma Nu Fraternity.
 

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Michael Roos (Athlete/Football)

Roos was an All-American at Eastern from 2001-04 before going on to a 10-year career in the National Football League with the Tennessee Titans where he earned All-Pro honors three times. As a senior in 2004, he earned five different All-America honors and was the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (then I-AA) Lineman of the Year. In 2004, he helped lead EWU to a 9-4 record, the co-Big Sky Championship and to the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs. As a result, he was a finalist for Inland Northwest Amateur Male Athlete of the Year. Roos, who graduated from Mountain View High School in Vancouver, Wash., in 2000, came to Eastern as a tight end and played one season on the defensive line before moving to left offensive tackle and starting the final 35 games of his career at that position. He played in the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Game, and was selected to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine. Roos was drafted in the second round (41st pick overall) by Tennessee in the 2005 draft. At the time he was drafted, Roos had played just six seasons of football, starting as a senior in high school in 1999. He moved to the United States from Estonia in 1992. While at Tennessee, Roos earned All-Pro honors in 2008, 2010 and 2011 and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl following the 2008 season. Starting when he became an offensive lineman as a sophomore at Eastern Washington University in 2002, Roos started every football game he played from 2002-14 as a collegian or professional. That streak that was at 226 games when he suffered a knee injury on Oct. 5, 2014, and subsequently announced his retirement on Feb. 26, 2015. He started 190 of a possible 190 games he could have played in until an appendicitis attack and subsequent surgery ended that streak in October 2012. Besides 35 EWU starts to end his collegiate career, he started 40 preseason NFL Games (10 seasons, 2005-14), 148 regular season NFL Games (10 seasons, 2005-14), 2 NFL Playoff Games (2007 & 2008) and 1 NFL Pro Bowl Game (February 2009). Roos announced his retirement from the National Football League on Feb. 26, 2015, after 10 NFL seasons. He credited several EWU coaches in his retirement statement on Instagram: "After 10 years as a Tennessee Titan I have decided to retire from football. I have given this decision much consideration. I feel fortunate to have played this long coming from a tight end turned defensive end turned offensive tackle from Eastern Washington University. I want to thank my coaches Mike Woodward (high school); Aaron Best, Paul Wulff, Beau Baldwin (EWU); Jeff Fisher, Mike Munchak, Ken Whisenhunt, Bruce Matthews (Titans); and all the coaches who made me a better player and man. To all the men I've shared the field with: I'm honored to have called you teammates. We have made memories for many lifetimes. I'm excited to begin the rest of my life, and I am grateful to do so now, while I am fully healthy. Although I don't know what adventure the future holds, I know there will be family, friends, travel, whiskey, cigars and beer. All a man can ask for, and more. Thank you Titans fans for your support all these years. Cheers!!" Known for his generosity to EWU and the football program, Roos has been a regular visitor to Eastern games, even while he was NFL when the schedule allowed. The "Red Turf" project at Eastern was jump-started on January 26, 2010, with a generous initial gift from Roos and his wife Katherine, who are both graduates of Eastern. They contributed $500,000 toward having a red, Sprinturf surface installed in time for the 2010 season at EWU's Woodward Field, which was renamed Roos Field in their honor. Eastern would finish a perfect 8-0 on the new surface en route to winning the 2010 NCAA Division I title. As a tribute to his giving legacy, Eastern re-named Woodward Field to "Roos Field" in fall 2010 upon completion of the project. Roos graduated from Eastern in 2005 with a double major in finance and economics, and Katherine graduated in 2004 with a degree in urban and regional planning. The Roos Foundation previously hosted its own dinner, auction and poker tournament for two years, but joined forces with the EWU athletic department for the Killin Dinner, Dance and Auction in 2009 and again in 2010. In June 2010, the Roos Foundation hosted the first-annual "Fish & Chip," an annual fund-raising fishing and golf tournament in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, involving several professional football players and other VIPs. The Michael Roos Foundation was established to support local non-profit organizations, including EWU's Eagle Athletic Association, Special Olympics in Washington and Boys and Girls Clubs of Spokane County. He was selected by the Eastern Athletic Department to the "100 for 100" All-Time Football Team, which was honored on Sept. 27, 2008, to commemorate Eastern's 100th year of football. He was chosen as that squad's top offensive lineman in fan voting. As part of the celebration for the 50th anniversary of the Big Sky Conference in the 2013-14 school year, he was selected as No. 22 on the list of the league's 50 Greatest Male Athletes. In addition, his NFL All-Pro honor in 2008 was ranked No. 30 on the list of the league's 50 Greatest Men's Moments.


 

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Ed Waters (Athlete/Basketball & Contributor)

Playing on four of the most successful basketball teams in school history, Waters was a record-breaking point guard for Eastern from 1973-77. He helped Eastern compile a 77-30 record in four seasons, and in each of his final two seasons, Eastern came a victory away from qualifying for the NAIA Tournament. He was selected as a first team selection on the NAIA All-District I and All-Evergreen Conference teams as a senior in the 1976-77 season when EWU won 86 percent of its games (25-4). As a senior he averaged a school-record 11.0 assists per game (total of 231) and also averaged 6.4 points. As a junior he had a school-record 292 assists (10.8 per game) and averaged 8.8 points per game, after finishing with 170 assists (8.1 per game) and a 7.1 scoring average as a sophomore. In his freshman season he had a 3.2 average with 70 total assists. He set three Evergreen Conference assists records including single game (17 vs. Oregon Tech in 1976), single season (292 in 1976) and career (763). Through the 2015-16 season, he still has the top three single season assists averages in school history (11.0, 10.8, 8.1) and three of the top five based on total (292, 231, 170), plus is 332 assists ahead of the No. 2 player on the career list. His 17 in a single game was a school record for 14 years. In his career he finished with 763 assists in 91 career games (8.4 per game). He also finished with 747 points (8.2 per game) while making 332-of-833 field goals (39.9 percent) and 83-of-140 free throws (59 percent). He also had 191 rebounds (2.1 per game). He was team co-captain in the 1976-1977 season along with Ron Cox, who became a four-time All-American. Cox was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998 and has had his No. 30 jersey retired by Eastern in 2013. Waters went on to become a high school basketball coach, and took over the renowned basketball program at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles in the 2007-08 school year. In eight seasons (through 2014-15), his teams have compiled a 149-77 record overall (66 percent), including an 82-14 Coliseum League record (85 percent). In five consecutive seasons from 2008-2013, his teams won five Coliseum League championships and had a 58-2 record (97 percent) with three perfect 12-0 campaigns. Waters was the 2016 Los Angeles City Second Division I Coach of the Year, and in four years from 2009-12 was the Coliseum League Coach of the Year. He was also honored in 2010 and 2012 by the Los Angeles Wave newspaper. His mother, Maxine Waters, is a congresswoman representing California's 43rd District.