The J-Club | J-Club Hall of Honor

By Frank Rajkowski, SJU Writer/Video Producer

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Multiple generations of Johnnies came together Saturday night, showing their appreciation as another group of standout Saint John's athletes from across the decades took their place in the SJU J-Club Hall of Honor.

The 2022 induction ceremony – held in Guild Hall (the Old Gym) – drew a crowd of around 316, the highest total since the Hall of Honor was first established in 2018.

"I'm truly giddy," said former SJU running back Tim Schmitz '78, who was actually inducted twice Saturday – once on his own and once with his teammates on the 1976 SJU football team, which captured that season's NCAA Division III national title. "I'm so appreciative of all the people who helped me over the years and to everyone who nominated me.

"What can you say about Saint John's that hasn't already been said," he continued. "It's a family, it's a fraternity and a place where you make lifelong friends. An event like this really demonstrates the camaraderie that exists here. You have Johnnies from so many different generations on hand to show their support."



In addition to Schmitz and his 1976 teammates, the 2022 class also included Minga Batsukh '11 (wrestling), Troy Bigalke '01 (basketball), Fred Cremer '67 (football), Matt Erredge '99 (hockey), Jon Habben '79 (swimming and diving), David Lamm '68 (track and field), Mike Lilly '78 (soccer), Cyril Paul '59 (track and field) and Br. Mark Kelly, OSB (J-Club Distinguished Service Award).

"What an amazing night," SJU athletic director Bob Alpers '82 told the crowd. "This is the largest crowd we've ever had and it's such a thrill for us to be able to hear and tell these stories. To all the inductees tonight, you guys are the history of Saint John's athletics."

The first Hall of Honor class consisted of legendary Johnnies head coaches John Gagliardi (football) and Jim Smith (basketball), who were each inducted in separate ceremonies during the 2018-19 school year.

The first full class was inducted in 2019 and the second was inducted last year (no ceremony was held in 2020 due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic).

A physical space for the Hall opened last fall inside the main entrance to the Warner Palaestra. It includes a touchscreen kiosk featuring videos and biographical information on all the past inductees, as well as videos of past induction ceremonies.

"I think it speaks to the humbleness that is Saint John's, but I was shocked when we started this that we didn't already have a Hall of Honor here," J-Club President Tom Freeman '08 said this past summer. "It was really important to us to find a way to honor all the great athletes who have been at Saint John's over the years.

"And to see it flourish the way it has in still such a short time has been amazing to see."

This year's class included two posthumous inductions in Cremer, who passed away in 2012, and Lilly, who passed away in 1997. Cremer was represented Saturday by his daughter Sarah (Cremer) Bell, herself a 1992 graduate of the College of Saint Benedict. 

"From the time I could walk and talk, I knew about Saint John's," Bell told the crowd. "I knew about Coach Gagliardi. He was a mythic name in our household."

Lilly was represented by his brother Pat '79, also a former soccer standout for the Johnnies. He spoke of his family's deep connection to SJU and CSB. His father, LeRoy '55, was a football and baseball standout for the Johnnies who was part of Gagliardi's first team at the school in 1953.

Pat and younger brother Dan played soccer for the Johnnies. Sisters Colleen '81 and Mary both played tennis at CSB. And nephew Michael Wozniak, who was named in honor of his late uncle, is now an All-American defensive lineman on the SJU football team.

"Being LeRoy Lilly's kids, the five of us were born into Saint John's and Saint Ben's," Pat said. "That was the way it was going to be. LeRoy had been in the Marines, and when he got out, not a lot of doors were open to him. But Saint John's opened its doors for him and he never forgot that."
 
Paul, meanwhile, is now 92 and now resides in California. But he made the trip back to Minnesota to be on hand Saturday, and even found his old letter sweater, which he wore on-stage for his induction.

"This whole event was fantastic," he said afterward. "I really enjoyed it. Everything was just phenomenal."

-2022 J-Club Hall of Honor Class: 1976 Football Team
-2022 J-Club Hall of Honor Class: Matt Erredge '99
-2022 J-Club Hall of Honor Class: Fred Cremer '67
-2022 J-Club Hall of Honor Class: Dave Lamm '68
-2022 J-Club Hall of Honor Class: Mike Lilly '78
-2022 J-Club Hall of Honor Class: Jon Habben '79
-2022 J-Club Hall of Honor Class: Minga Batsukh '11 
-2022 J-Club Hall of Honor Class: Cyril Paul '59
-2022 J-Club Hall of Honor Class: Tim Schmitz '78 
-2022 J-Club Hall of Honor Class: Br. Mark Kelly, OSB
-2022 J-Club Hall of Honor Class: Troy Bigalke '01
-SJU to Induct 11 into J-Club Hall of Honor Oct. 1