11 inductees named to Adams Athletics Hall of Fame
THE Adams State University Athletics Hall of Fame committee announced 11 new inductees who have been elected into the storied Hall as members of the Class of 2022.
The 2022 inductees include Marty Heaton (FB), Manny Wasinger (FB), Dominique Davis (VB), Deprece Washington (VB), Alicia Nelson (XC & TF), Adam Mars (WRES), Chris Day (SID), Shane Barnes (WRES), Tabor Stevens (XC & TF), Carl Palazzo (FB), and Travis Koppenhafer (WRES). Alamosa icons Lorey and Duane Bussey have been tabbed to be honored with the Ted and Janet Morrison Special Citation. In addition, the 1990 & 1992 Wrestling teams, who were elected as members of the Class of 2021, will be in attendance to be inducted.
Marty Heaton
| Football
Former Grizzly Head Football Coach Marty Heaton spent 14 years as a coach for Adams State after having a stellar career as a defensive back for the Grizzlies from 1978-1981.
As a player, Heaton was voted the Most Inspirational Player on the 1980 RMAC Champion and Hall of Fame Team, where he finished as the second-leading tackler with 100 tackles. In addition, he led the team in pass breakups with 12 and had seven takeaways, including four interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Because of his accolades, he was named RMAC All-Conference twice and made the Academic All-District and All-American teams.
HALL OF FAME CEREMONY
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 30, at 4 p.m
WHERE: Inside the Student Union Building (SUB) banquet rooms.
TICKETS: Call 719-587-7401 or email Chandelle Lancaster at clancaster@adams.edu.
MORE: For more about the ASU Athletics Hall of Fame or to nominate a future inductee, email the chair of the ASU Athletics Hall of Fame Committee, Eric Flores, at erflores@adams.edu
At the helm of the Grizzlies, Heaton served as an Assistant Coach and Defensive Coordinator from 2000 to 2006 before taking over as the head coach from 2008-2014. During his stint as the Head Coach, the Grizzlies went 42-35, the second most wins overall and the most in NCAA Division II (1992-Present) history. He is ranked No. 6 in ASU history with a .519 winning percentage.
Touting one of the most respected and dominant defenses in Division II, Heaton’s defense in 2004 was named the Division II Defense of the Year. The Grizzlies led the nation in sacks at 65 in 2007 and led the nation in takeaways at 40 in 2012. In addition, the Grizzlies led the RMAC in total defense eight times, led the conference in pass defense seven times, led the conference in sacks four times, had the best scoring defense in the conference, and led the conference in takeaways three times each.
He also coached high school football at Highlands Ranch and ThnderRidge, where his teams won eight league titles and one state championship while garnering four Coach of the Year awards. He has been inducted into both high school’s Halls of Fame.
Manny Wasinger | Football
When you think of the history of football in the city of Alamosa, fans can reminisce about two undefeated seasons for the Alamosa Mean Moose under the helm of Manny Wasinger in 2001 and 2006. However, Wasinger made his mark nearly twenty years earlier as a student-athlete and then as an assistant coach at Adams State University. His success here at Adams State helped propel him to one of the best careers in Colorado’s Coaching history.
An All-State football athlete for the Arvada Wildcats, Wasinger came to Adams State, where he helped propel the then-named Indians to a 1980 Co-RMAC Football Championship. He was named an Academic All-American honorable mention selection and the 1982 RMAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year as he graduated with a 3.95 GPA. Wasinger joined his teammates in 2016 as a team inducted into the ASU Athletics Hall of Fame.
After three years as an assistant coach for Adams State University, Wasinger moved to the high school ranks, where he spent 23 years at Alamosa High School, leading the Mean Moose to 20 years of qualifying for the state tournament with a 190-78 record with two state championships. He went from not qualifying for the state tournament in 2000 to the title in 2001.
Wasinger then returned to Adams State, where he served as the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator under fellow inductee Marty Heaton. During those five seasons, the Grizzlies went 29-26.
Wasinger returned to the high school ranks and is in his tenth year at the helm of the Monte Vista Pirates. He has led the Pirates to two league championships and seven trips to the postseason. He has a 53-35 record for the Pirates.
Overall, Wasinger is 11th All-Time with wins in Colorado Coaching History as he has a 243-113 record.
Dominique Davis | Volleyball
A four-year star for the Adams State University volleyball team, Davis was fierce at the net as she finished her career with 1,434 kills and 159 blocks. Davis, who had a career 0.173 attacking percentage, 57 assists, and 56 aces, helped lead the Grizzlies to a 67-46 record in her four years as a player (2009-10 to 2012-13).
During her senior year, Davis and the Grizzlies finished the season with the second most wins in Grizzly NCAA Division II (1992-present) history with 25 wins as the Grizzlies made it to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Deprece Washington | Volleyball
Like Davis, Washington was also a four-year star for Coach Lindy Mortensen as she redshirted her first season and finished her playing career after the 2013-14 season. Washington posted 1,035 kills with a hitting percentage of 0.233. She also had 38 assists, 34 aces, and 353 blocks in the 119 matches she played for the Grizzlies that finished 84-59 during her five years on the roster.
Washington went on to play volleyball overseas.
Alicia Nelson | Cross Country, Track and Field
Nelson is one of the most decorated Grizzly runners in history. As a nine-time NCAA Individual National Champion and a two-time NCAA Team National Champion. She holds the NCAA Division II 3,000-meter steeplechase national record of 9 minutes, 54.02 seconds. She is a 15-time NCAA All-American.
Nelson holds personal records of 4:22 for the 1,500, 9:19 for the 3,000, 9:48 for the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and 16:13 for the 5,000. She has qualified for the USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships on three occasions and represented the United States at the 2015 Pan American Cross Country Championships in Barranquilla, Colombia.
Nelson graduated from Adams State with a degree in fine arts with an emphasis in painting.
Chris Day | Sports Information Director
& Associate AD
Sitting in the Sports Information Director seat from 1999 to 2013, Chris Day was the go-to man for anything related to Adams State Athletics. His steel-trap mind could rattle off any statistic imaginable. He did everything from writing stories, and statistics, taking pictures, running the Grizzly Club, negotiating TV and Radio contracts, and taking care of schedules.
Day, who was a three-time J.W. Cambell/Con Marshall RMAC SID of the Year (2-22, 2006 and 2008), was elevated to Associate Athletic Director, where he served in that role from 2003-2013. In addition, he served as the meet director for the 2010 & 2011 NCAA Division II National Track & Field Championships that Adams State hosted in Albuquerque. In addition, Day was recognized by various organizations for his work.
Day is currently a soccer referee assigner in Grand Junction, Colo., and the Assistant SID at Colorado Mesa, where the Sports Information Department earned the RMAC SID of the Year accolade in 2021.
Travis Koppenhafer | Wrestling
Travis Koppenhafer etched his name in the Grizzly record book as a three-time All-American at 157 pounds in 2001, 2003, and 2004 seasons. The four-time RMAC finalist won three matches to be RMAC Champion while earning the 2001 RMAC Freshman of the Year and the 2002 RMAC Wrestler of the Year.
He capped off his career with a national championship to be named the Colorado Collegiate Wrestler of the Year and the 2004 NWCA Outstanding Wrestler of the Year.
In addition to his success on the mat, Koppenhafer was also a three-time Academic All-American. He graduated from Adams State with a B.A. in Exercise Physiology and Pueblo Community College, where he has pursued a career in the health field.
Shane Barnes | Wrestling
A champion on 2003, Shane Barnes was a three-time All-American at 141 pounds for the Grizzlies as he finished seventh in 2002 before winning the championship in 2003. He finished his career in 2004 when he finished in second place.
Barnes has an impressive multidisciplinary background, serving as a professor of business leadership, an executive level manager, and general counsel for a prominent organization in the cost containment space. In addition, Barnes extensive educational background includes two BAs Adams State, MS Grand Canyon University, JD Lewis and Clark Law School, and a LLM Lewis and Clark Law School.
He has also added more to his resume. He is not only a distinguished professor, business leader, and attorney he is also a steward of his community, serving on multiple county Bar Associations and Chambers of Commerce and volunteering with local youth sports organizations.
Tabor Stevens | Cross Country, Track and Field
Tabor Stevens makes his way into the Hall of Fame with a lot of accolades. The seven-time national champion was also a 15-time All-American.
He was a back-to-back individual champion in cross country as he won the 2013 and 2014 crowns, only the third Grizzly to do that for the Grizzlies after ASU Athletic Hall of Famers Pat Porter (1980 & 1981) and Rick Robirds (1986 & 1987).
In indoor track, Stevens won the 2013 title in the mile, while he claimed four national championships in the outdoor arena. In addition, Stevens won the 2013 3,000-meter steeplechase title, the 2014 3,000-meter steeplechase title, the 2015 3,000-meter steeplechase title, and the 2015 5,000-meter title.
Carl Palazzo | Football
After a stellar career at Adams State in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Carl Palazzo went on to play in the NFL as he was drafted 141st overall to play for the then-Washington Redskins.
While at Adams State, Palazzo was a two-time All-American in 1960 and 1961.
Adam Mars | Wrestling
Adam Mars was able to pin Mack LaRock of the University of Nebraska-Omaha for the 125-pound championship during the 2001 NCAA Division II National Wrestling Championships held in the Butler-Hancock Hall on the University of Northern Colorado campus in Greeley, Colo.
Mars was also a two-time All-American, finishing sixth in the 2003 tournament.
Lorey and Duane Bussey
| Ted and Janet Morrison Special Citation
Lorey and Duane Bussey have not only made their impact on the University itself, but as Grizzly Club members, they have earned the Ted and Janet Morrison Special Citation for their contributions to the student-athletes and the athletic department.
