Former coaches Jung, Fishbein lead Athletic Hall of Fame class for 2006

Published: Monday, April 24, 2006 by Office Alumni Relations and Annual Fund
Author: Chris Aaland, Director of Alumni Relations

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Two coaches who led their teams to a combined seven league championships and three national playoff berths highlight Fort Lewis College’s 2006 Athletic Hall of Fame class, announced by committee chairman Steve Miller today.

Jeremy Fishbein, who coached men’s soccer at Fort Lewis from 1992-98, and Marcy Jung, who coached volleyball from 1986-98, lead the class that includes men’s basketball player Jeff Cremers (1986-90), football player and wrestler Robert DeGuelle (1973-76) and men’s soccer player Brad Greenwood (1998-2001). The quintet will be inducted at the college’s annual Athletic Hall of Fame breakfast and induction ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 19.

“We have an exciting group of inductees into the Athletic Hall of Fame this year,” said Miller, who serves his alma mater as assistant director of human relations. “It includes two very successful coaches and three outstanding athletes from four decades. A broad history of athletic and academic excellence is represented by this group.”

In seven seasons at Fort Lewis (1992-98), Fishbein’s teams posted a 74-47-7 record (.605) and won four league championships — two in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (1997, 1998) and two in the Colorado Athletic Conference (1993, 1995). He also guided the Skyhawks to their first two NCAA Division II playoff trips (1997, 1998).

“Coach Fishbein created something out of nothing at Fort Lewis College,” said Skyhawk men’s soccer coach Jeremy Gunn, who replaced Fishbein at Fort Lewis in 1999. “He created a tradition of excellence that set the standard not only for our soccer program, but for every program in the region.”

Since leaving Fort Lewis, Fishbein has coached at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas, from 1999-2000 (his teams posted a 21-13-3 record in “rebuilding” years) and at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque from 2002 to present. During his four seasons at UNM, the Lobos have posted a pair of 18-win seasons and a 17-win mark — the three best campaigns in Lobo history. His NCAA Division I mark in four years at UNM is a mind-boggling 61-16-8 (.765). Fishbein’s 2005 squad went 18-2-3 and advanced to the NCAA Division I championship game, where they lost 1-0 to Maryland.

Fishbein’s coaching accolades are numerous. At Fort Lewis, he won NCAA Division II West Region Coach of the Year honors in 1993 and RMAC and CAC Coach of the Year awards in 1993, 1997 and 1998. At UNM, he was chosen as Soccer America magazine National Coach of the Year in 2004, NCAA Far West Region Coach of the Year in 2005, and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2005.

Jung, who coached the Raider and Skyhawk volleyball teams from 1986-98, guided her teams to three RMAC titles (1988, 1990, 1994) and one NAIA national championship tournament (1988). Her teams posted a 218-203 record (.518) during her 13 years at the helm.

“Marcy is a fixture in the success of Fort Lewis College volleyball on and off the court,” said current Skyhawk head volleyball coach Shelly Aaland, who played for Jung from 1994-98. “She has coached many talented players, but also very academically-minded student-athletes.”

Jung’s players earned Academic All-RMAC honors 31 times during her career and received the Troy Bledsoe Scholar-Athlete of the Year (awarded to the Fort Lewis senior student-athlete with the highest grade point average) nine times.

As a volleyball (1977-80) and basketball (1977-78) player for the Raiders, Jung received first team all-conference accolades in 1977 and the school’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Jan Wilson-Hetzler Women’s Athlete of the Year awards as a senior in 1981.

She was previously inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the 1988 volleyball team that qualified for the NAIA national championship tournament in 2001.

Cremers, who competed for the Raiders from 1986-90, was an integral part of two RMAC championship squads (1986-87 and 1988-89). He ranks among Fort Lewis’ all-time leaders in scoring (16th, 1,068 points), rebounds (510, 12th), blocked shots (33, 11th) and field goals (8th, 462).

Cremers was a first team All-RMAC selection as a senior in 1989-90 and set the school record for single-season field goal percentage (.683) in 1987-88.

“Jeff was a multitalented, all-around player that could be relied on every night,” said his younger brother, Jon Cremers, who later played for the Raiders and Skyhawks from 1991-95.

DeGuelle played on the offensive line and wrestled for the Raiders from 1973-76. He earned first team All-RMAC honors as a sophomore and later won the RMAC heavyweight wrestling crown.

Upon graduating from Fort Lewis, DeGuelle served as president of DeGuelle Oil Company from 1977 until his retirement in 1999.

Mike Dent, a local realtor and former teammate, called DeGuelle a quiet leader. DeGuelle has been a strong supporter of Fort Lewis athletics over the years and currently serves as an assistant football coach.

As a defender, Greenwood helped guide the Skyhawk men’s soccer team to four straight league titles from 1998-2001 and three NCAA Division II playoff appearances (1998, 1999, 2001). His career-defining moment was recovering from a fractured orbital bone sustained in Fort Lewis’ first-round victory over St. Edwards (Texas). Just two weeks later, he claimed Defensive Most Valuable Player honors and an all-tournament team selection in the 1999 NCAA Final Four, as his Skyhawks lost 2-1 in double overtime to Southern Conn. St.

“The courage Brad displayed in the 1999 postseason, playing through a horrific facial injury, epitomizes everything that he gave to the program,” said Gunn, who coached Greenwood for three years. “Brad was an incredible defender whose one-versus-one and aerial abilities were second to none.”

Greenwood earned second team All-Midwest Region honors in 2000, first team All-RMAC accolades in 1999 and second team All-RMAC awards in 2000 and 2001. He ranks fifth in school history in games played (78), 23rd in assists (5), 25th in goals (7) and 29th in total points (19).

The induction ceremony and breakfast will take place at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19 in the College Union Ballroom.

“We’re particularly excited to hold this event during our Athletic Alumni Weekend that features alumni games for many of our sports,” said Miller. “We had a lot of former teammates in attendance last August, which made the event even more special for our Hall of Fame inductees.”

For more information or questions, please contact Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Fund Chris Aaland at 970-247-7427 or aaland_c@fortlewis.edu. RSVPs are due to Aaland by Friday, Aug. 11.

Author Chris Aaland is the Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Fund in the Fort Lewis College Office of Institutional Advancement.

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