MTU inducts Milan Baic into Hall of Fame

Thu, Sep  27, 2007 - By MTU Athletics

HOUGHTON, Mich. -- Michigan Tech will induct seven new members into its Sports Hall of Fame during induction ceremonies scheduled for Saturday, October 27.

The induction class of 2007 includes former Nordic skier Milan Baic, football players John Groves and Fred Guenther, standout hockey goaltenders Bruce Horsch and Jim Warden, women’s basketball star D’Andra Poyfair-Walter, and volleyball standout Kristan Schuster.

The seven inductees will join the 158 members already in the MTU Sports Hall of Fame, which was started in 1985.

Below is a brief biography of each of the seven inductees.

MILAN BAIC
Milan Baic was an All-American Nordic skier for Michigan Tech during his stint with the Huskies from 1977-81. A four-year letterwinner, Baic was named to the All-Mid-America Ski Team three seasons. He gained All-CISA most valuable skier accolades in 1979-80. Baic finished in the top five of the 15-kilometer race at the National Collegiate Ski Association Championships in 1981 to gain All-America honors. Baic now resides in Williamsburg, Mich.

JOHN GROVES
John Groves was a four-year letterwinner in football for the Huskies from 1959-62. He played safety, running back, and flanker over the four seasons, and served as team captain in 1962. Groves also lettered in track from 1961-63. A resident of Bedford, Nova Scotia, Groves is now the president and owner of Rockrimmon Investment Corporation. He has been a member of Michigan Tech’s Football Advisory Council since its inception in 1999 and has also served as a member of the Michigan Tech Fund Board of Trustees for three years.

FRED GUENTHER
Dr. Fred Guenther played linebacker and earned three letters with the football team from 1971-74, but his major impact on Michigan Tech has come since his graduation. Guenther is an active supporter and major donor of the Huskies’ football program. He was an inaugural member of Michigan Tech’s Football Advisory Council in 1999 and has been actively involved in all major fundraising efforts since that time. Guenther, who has a medical practice in Big Rapids, Mich., is a member of the Second Century Society and President’s Club at Michigan Tech.

BRUCE HORSCH
Former hockey player Bruce Horsch, who played for the Huskies from 1974-78, is the winningest goaltender in school history with 58 victories. He was a member of Michigan Tech’s 1975 NCAA Championship Team, and in 1976, helped the Huskies to a Western Collegiate Hockey Association championship and an NCAA runner-up finish. Horsch ranks fifth all-time at Tech in saves (2,817) and 10th in saves percentage (.8912). Following his playing career at Michigan Tech, Horsch was selected to the National Sports Festival. He was the most valuable player of Team U.S.A. in 1979 and spent time on the 1980 Olympic team that eventually went on to win a gold medal in Lake Placid, N.Y. In addition to his playing credentials, Horsch has held several other coaching positions — most notably assistant coach at Ferris State (1980-84) and Michigan Tech (1985-90). A long-time member of the Michigan Tech Blueline Club and Huskies Club, Horsch currently serves as athletic director at Houghton (Mich.) High School.

D’ANDRA POYFAIR (WALTER)
D’Andra Poyfair (married name Walter) was a standout women’s basketball player at Michigan Tech from 1985-89. She ranks second in assists (409), fourth in steals (237), 10th in career free throw percentage (70.9), and 13th in points (1,077) all-time at the school. Poyfair earned Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Defensive Team honors as a senior in 1988-89 when she tallied the seventh-most steals in a season (84). She earned most valuable player laurels that same season in leading the Huskies to a third-place finish in the GLIAC and a 16-11 record. The 1988-89 season was just the second winning season in school history at the time and was the start of the school’s string of 19 consecutive winning seasons in women’s basketball. Poyfair, now Walter, resides with her family in Midland, Mich.

KRISTAN SCHUSTER
Kristan Schuster, who played volleyball from 1992-95, is one of the most decorated female athletes in Michigan Tech history. She garnered All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors three times, All-America laurels twice, and Academic All-America status once. Schuster was also a member of one GLIAC Championship team and three NCAA-qualifying teams, with her four-year team record of 90-41. She continues to hold Michigan Tech records for career kills (1,546), career service aces (203) and single-season kills (670). Schuster, who resides in Houghton, Mich., stays active in volleyball as an official.

JIM WARDEN
Jim Warden played hockey at Michigan Tech from 1972-75 and finished his career third all-time in saves percentage (.907) and sixth in goals against average (3.12). An All-WCHA First Team selection his final season, Warden backstopped the Huskies to the third national championship in the program’s history in 1975. He was named most valuable player of the NCAA Tournament that season and, with the help of a school-record four shutouts, helped Tech tabulate a 32-10-0 overall record. Warden was an All-WCHA Honorable Mention on the Huskies’ 1973-74 team that won a WCHA Championship and finished second in the nation. The Altadena, California, native went on to play for the 1975 USA National Team and the 1976 Olympic Team. Following his playing days, Warden served as an assistant coach at Michigan Tech from 1980-82. Warden currently resides with his family in Wilkesboro, N.C.