By Paul Brunskole

The Buffalo State Bengals Football team won the game earlier in the day and then a world class champion and Buffalo State graduate was inducted into the Buffalo State Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday Oct. 22. The induction came on homecoming, as all five inductees were introduced prior to the football game to the crowd. The Hall of fame has inducted 143 previous athletes and athletic program supporters.

Associate athletics director for external affairs Tom Koller introduced the inductees prior to the football game on the field.

“We have a selection committee made up of hall-of-famers, faculty members, staffers that put a lot of hard work and effort into selecting the inductees,” said Koller. “As my athletic directors (Jerry Boyes) says before every selection committee meeting every year says ‘we only want the best of the best.’”                           

Paul Childress, who graduated in 1996 was an All-American football player for the Bengals and is also a world record holding powerlifter. Childress helped lead Buffalo State to its first Eastern College Athletic Conference. Childress currently holds bench press, squat and combined weight records in the 308-pound weight class.

Childress’ Records

• Bench Press – 690 pounds
• Squat – 1,124 pounds
• Total Weight – 2,579 pounds

“I think anytime you have an all-American at any kind of athletics, you’re adding to the prestige of your hall of fame,” said Koller. “Here was one of the best not only at Buffalo State, but he was the best in the entire country. So if you can put that on the wall and people can read that, and students coming in, student-athletes can read that and say wow, they have had some great all-Americans here, I can be an all-American too.”

Amy Danner, who graduated in 1997 and played basketball for the Bengals, helped lead the Bengals to three NCAA playoff appearances and a State University of New York Athletic Conference Championship in 1994. She currently ranks fourth on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,147 points and earned the Ruth Houston Award for “Outstanding Career Accomplishments” by a female student-athlete.

• First-Team All-SUNYAC All-Tournament Member in 1994-95

Jack Foster, who graduated in 1951, was a member of the cross-country team for the Bengals. Foster was the first scoring member of the Buffalo State team which finished fifth at the National AAU 10,000-meter Cross Country Championship in 1949. Following graduation, Foster was activated in the U.S. Army from the National Guard with the rank of sergeant. He went on to compete in six Boston Marathons and earned several coach of the year honors while coaching at Southern Connecticut State University.         

Thomas M. Strutt, who graduated in 1980 and played soccer for the Bengals, only played two seasons for the Bengals but both seasons earned him All-State and All-SUNYAC honors each year. He was also named All-American in the year of 1980 and was presented the Huntley Parker SUNYAC Player of the Year Award in 1980.

Joe LoTempio graduated in 1966 with a degree in exceptional education and competed in basketball and tennis while enrolled on the campus. LoTempio has won over 100 racquetball championships throughout the United States over a 30-year span. LoTempio is a “Lifetime Member” of the Buffalo State Bengal Booster Club and has supported the Bengal Booster Club for numerous years.

To view a story on the homecoming activities, click the link

Contact Paul Brunskole at BrunPJ08@mail.buffalostate.edu