UNI unveils Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2025

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- All-Americans, record breakers, leaders and longtime contributors to Panther athletics highlight the UNI Athletics Hall of Fame induction class of 2025.

Representing four different sport programs, the Panthers will recognize six individuals, as well as one team whose contributions to UNI Athletics date back nearly six decades.

This year's class includes record breaking women's basketball standout Diane (Roberts) Harms, along with a trio of All-Americans in wrestler Marv Reiland, high jumper Crystal (Hanson) Cook and linebacker Matt "Bob" Petersen. Three-time Academic All-American James Lindgren will be honored with the Merlin Taylor Academic Award, while the late Mike Allen, a former UNI wrestler and renowned wrestling official will be recognized with the Dr. Jitu Kothari Meritorious Service Award. The Panthers will also induct the 1975 football team during the 50th anniversary of its famous Mud Bowl postseason run.

The 2025 class will formally be inducted on Friday, August 29 in a ceremony at the Hilton Garden Inn in Cedar Falls.

5:30 p.m. social hour | 6:30 p.m. dinner | 7:20 p.m. program
Hilton Garden Inn | 7213 Nordic Drive, Cedar Falls, Iowa

Tickets to the event are available to the public and can be purchased by contacting Kaylyn King at 319-273-2471, or by email at kaylyn.king@uni.edu. The cost of an adult meal is $42 and $15 for children under 3-11. Youths 2 years old and younger without a meal are free. A cash bar will be available.

This year's induction class will also be recognized at halftime of UNI's season opening football game on August 30 against Butler that kicks off at 1 p.m. CT.

Established in 1985, the UNI Athletics Hall of Fame has recognized 241 individuals and teams to date. Click HERE to view the full list of inductees.

DIANE (ROBERTS) HARMS | Women's Basketball
From the moment she stepped onto the court at the old West Gym, Diane Roberts gave UNI a spark on her way to becoming the Panthers' most efficient women's basketball player of the 1980s. Diane Roberts (WBB)

An Eldora, Iowa native, Roberts played for Northern Iowa from 1984 to 1988 and made an immediate impact as a freshman forward for a Panther team that faced stiff competition in only its second season as a Division I program under head coach Kim Mayden.

Playing a program record 38.5 minutes per game, she scored a then-team single-season record 541 points with 19.3 points a game, while also notching a school record 231 made shots on 448 attempts, along with 100 offensive rebounds to earn First Team All-Gateway Conference honors.

Roberts notably played one of her best games in March of 1985, setting single-game team records for points (40), made field goals (17) and field goal attempts (31) against Illinois State.

After earning All-Gateway Honorable Mention recognition as a sophomore in 1986, Roberts posted another strong season in 1986-87, averaging 16.9 points a game to be named Second Team All-Gateway.

Known for her record breaking performances on the floor, Roberts finished her career as UNI's all-time leading scorer with 1,701 career points, currently ranking sixth today. She was also the first player in team history to average over 16 points per game, finishing with 16.8 points per contest, a record that still stands to this day.

With 19 career double-double games to her name, Roberts also set career program records in made field goals (664) and field goal attempts (1,552), and also shot 38.4% from beyond the three-point arc. She finished her Panther career with the third-most offensive rebounds in team history (271), as well as second in both career free throws made (320) and free throws attempted (441).

Currently, Diane and her husband Lawrence reside in Dike, Iowa where she has been a High School Business Teacher and volleyball coach for 22 years at Dike-New Hartford School. Diane has taken 18 teams to the state tournament with nine state championships and four state runner-up finishes. She was named the Iowa Coach of the Year 11 times, awarded the Distinguished Coach of the Year in 2018 by the IGHSAU and inducted into the National High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2022.

MARV REILAND | Wrestling
A successful Panther on the mat, in the coaches corner and in the world of officiating, Marv Reiland is the latest member of the UNI wrestling family to be selected to Northern Iowa's Athletic Hall of Fame. Marv Reiland (WRE)

An Eagle Grove, Iowa native, Reiland wrestled for the Panthers from 1966 to 1970 under Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Patten, becoming a successful lightweight competitor and three-year letter winner. He captured two North Central Conference (NCC) individual titles in his career. He finished second at the 1969 NCAA Division II Championships at 130 pounds to earn All-American honors qualifying for the Division I Championships where he placed sixth and also earned Division I All-American status. He added a third All-American honor as a senior in 1970 at 134 pounds, placing fourth, at the Division II NCAA Championships.

Reiland's wrestling legacy however may be best remembered for his impact as a coach and official following his career at UNI. After his time with the Panthers he returned to his hometown and became the head wrestling coach at Eagle Grove High School, a position he would hold for 17 years. During that time the Eagles became a perennial state power in wrestling.

Reiland's teams captured three Iowa High School State Team Championships (1974, 1986, 1987) , finished runner-up twice (1973, 1982) and won the first Iowa State Dual Team Championship in 1987. Of the 71 state qualifiers Reiland coached at Eagle Grove, 14 would win individual state championships, with another 14 finishing as runners-up. His teams posted a career dual record of (129-62-5). The Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) selected him as Class 2A Coach of the Year in 1982 and he was inducted into the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1989.

Throughout his coaching career and post coaching days, Reiland continued to give back to the sport he loved by working as an official. He was a certified wrestling official for 45 years and worked 22 IHSAA State Wrestling Traditional Tournaments and 17 IHSAA State Dual Team Tournaments. He was selected by the IWCOA as Iowa Wrestling Official of the Year twice (1996, 2015). Reiland was selected to the IHSAA Officials Hall of Fame in 2010.

In 2000, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame recognized him with the Lifetime Service Award to Wrestling. He was also selected to the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Glen Brand Hall of Fame in 2020.

Reiland worked in education for 42 years after graduation from UNI. He and his spouse Marlys currently reside in Iowa City.

CRYSTAL (COOK) HANSON | Track & Field
Known for her athletic prowess in the jumping pits, Crystal Hanson left her mark as a trailblazer for Panther high jumpers. Crystal Hanson (T&F)

A Roland, Iowa native, Hanson first came to UNI in 2003 originally as an outside hitter with the Panther volleyball team before joining the track and field program ahead of the 2004-05 season under UNI Hall of Fame head coach Chris Bucknam.

In just her second season with the Panthers, Hanson earned her first of six career All-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Team selections during the 2005 outdoor campaign. She would break through with a record setting junior season in 2006-07, becoming Northern Iowa's first-ever MVC champion in the women's high jump with a title at the 2007 indoor conference meet. Her career-best mark of five feet, eight and three-quarter inches in both indoor and outdoor competition broke a 25-year old indoor program record, while her mark also registered as second-highest height cleared in outdoor team history.

Hanson would win the 2007 outdoor conference high jump title, and proceed to sweep both the indoor and outdoor MVC titles again in 2008, becoming only the second athlete in conference history to sweep both the indoor and outdoor crowns in the event in consecutive years. Her performance in the jumping pit was also a key factor in helping UNI win both the 2008 MVC indoor and outdoor women's team championships.

As a track and field athlete in high school at Roland-Story, Hanson was a two-time state champion in the high jump, while also winning the 100-meter hurdles. She also captured a high school girls' high jumping title at the Drake Relays.

Hanson, a 2008 Panther graduate with a degree in health promotion with a minor in coaching, currently resides in Adel, Iowa with her husband, Brian, and their two daughters, Kennah and Blakely.

MATT "BOB" PEDERSEN | Football
One of the most fierce defensive players in Panther football history, linebacker Matt "Bob" Pedersen left an indelible mark on his team as one of the program's all-time leading tacklers. Mat "Bob" Pedersen (FB)

The Hudson, Iowa native was a key anchor in Northern Iowa's defensive unit under head coach Mike Dunbar during his three seasons in the lineup. In 33 career games as a starter with the Panthers, Pedersen accounted for 426 total tackles, second-most in team history. His 265 career unassisted tackles remains a school record to this day, as does his single-season mark of 107 unassisted tackles and 16 solo stops against Western Illinois in 1999.

A seven-time All-American selection by the Associated Press, Football Gazette, Sports Network and Phil Steele, Pedersen also notched 150 total tackles during the 1999 campaign, third-most in a single-season in team history, along with 23 total tackles in 1999 against Youngstown State, second-most in any game in school history. He was also the first Panthers in program history to record four sacks in a single-game, a feat he accomplished in 1997 against Indiana State.

The three-time First Team All-Gateway Football Conference selection and member of the league's Silver Anniversary Team in 2009 was also a decorated student-athlete, being named to the Gateway's Scholar-Athlete First Team three times (1997-99), as well as the 1998 Division I-AA Athletic Directors' Academic All-Star Team. He graduated from UNI in 2000 with a degree in marketing.

Pedersen currently resides in Shorewood, Minnesota with his wife of 14 years, Kelly, and his two boys Dillon and Tommy.

1975 FOOTBALL TEAM
Led by UNI Hall of Fame head coach Stan Sheriff, the 1975 UNI football team was among the most dominating squads in the history of Panther football, reaching the national postseason for only the third time in school history, while taking part in one of the most well known playoff games in team history. 1975 Football Team

Posting a 9-3 record overall in Division II play, the 1975 Panthers went 6-1 in North Central Conference (NCC) play, its lone loss coming against North Dakota to finish second in the league standings, thanks in part to a six-game winning streak to end the regular season.

UNI boasted five All-NCC and All-American players, including quarterback Bill Salmon, wide receiver Dave Schooley, offensive tackle Mike Timmermans, defensive tackle Randy Erion and defensive back Nick Maragos. Both Timmermans and Salmon would also earn Associated Press All-American honors during the season.

The 1975 Panthers rewrote the team's record book, with Salmon accounting for 28 total touchdowns on the year with Schooley hauling in 11 touchdown receptions, while the UNI running game accounting for 2,366 yards and 25 rushing touchdowns, all single-season records at the time. Northern Iowa's defense was equally, if not more impressive, recording a single-season record 27 interceptions, a mark that still stands to this day, along with 20 fumble recoveries. UNI notably set a school record with seven interceptions in a single-game in its regular season finale against Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The Panthers, who climbed to tenth in the national rankings, hosted fourth-ranked Western Kentucky in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II playoffs in the final game ever played at O.R. Latham Stadium. Dubbed the "Mud Bowl," the Panthers and Hilltoppers played in 42 degree temperatures with 16 mile an hour winds and a heavy downpour of rain, making the conditions at Latham miserable for both sides. UNI would come up short against Western Kentucky in a 14-12 loss, holding the Hilltoppers scoreless in the first and fourth quarters.

ROSTER: Terry Alberts, Charles Aldrich, John Aldrich, Terry Allen, Dale Blaha, Timothy Blau, Steven Blood, Randall Buchwald, Martin Burroughs, Melvin Campbell, Douglas Carlo,Timothy Carson, Robert Chown, Paul Christenson, William Clark, Carl Davis, Clee Davis, Dallas Deike, Gregory Deines, Steven Denton, Charles Dickens, Ronnie Dodd, Steven Donahue, Patrick Eisenmenger, Randy Erion, David Erstad, Robert Fertig, Ronald Fiacco, Jeffery Fisher, James Fransen, Allan Gabor, Theodore Garner, Thomas Graham, Patrick Hall, Thomas Haning, James Hobert, Randall Hoffa, Steven Houser, Reed Hunemuller, Cassim Igram, Paul James, Douglas Johnson, Timothy Johnson, Douglas Jones, Jerry Kennedy, Randy Kolbe, Karl Kortemeyer, Walter Krebs, Jeffery Lakin, Thomas Lakin, Daniel Lathrop, Terrence Leonardelli, Patrick Lynch, Joseph Manigault, Nick Maragos, Patrick McGrath, Michael Mueller, Richard Nielsen, Dan Norenberg, David Osborne, Scott Peterson, Neil Phipps, James Pitlik, James Ross, Philip Ross, Bill Salmon, Bruce Sanders, Thomas Scalissi, Dave Schooley, Kenneth Schwartz, Randy Scott, Terrence Soli, James Spahn, Martin Stratton, Phillip Swisher, James Thomas, Michael Timmermans, Richard VerHuel, Robert Wentzel, Mark Whitver, Gregory Wolter.

STAFF: Stan Sheriff (head coach), Donald Erusha (offensive line), Dennis Remmert (defensive coordinator), Reginald Green (offensive backfield), Tom Lorenz (defensive backfield), C.J. Lutt (team physician), Elmer Kortemeyer (trainer), Curtis Junker (equipment manager), Edward Adamson (groundskeeper), Paul James (student assistant), Larry Norman (student assistant), Art Gabriel (graduate assistant), Kevin Remillard (graduate assistant), Mike Filer (graduate assistant), Dave McCurry (graduate assistant), Dick Blau (graduate assistant).

JAMES LINDGREN | Football - Merlin Taylor Academic Award
A talented receiver on the field and bright student in the classroom, James Lindgren is the 2025 winner of the Merlin Taylor Academic Excellence Award. James Lindgren (FB)

A native of Odebolt, Iowa, Lindgren saw action in four seasons for the Panthers from 2004 to 2007 as a wide receiver, while also shining as a student-athlete off the field. Picking up three First Team Gateway Conference Scholar-Team nods, he earned First Team Academic All-American honors in 2006 from the College Sports Information Directors of American (CoSIDA), along with three CoSIDA Academic All-District Team selections.

A UNI Presidential Scholar and construction management major, Lindgren was named a semifinalist for the 2006 William V. Campbell Trophy, given to the top college football player with the best combination of academics, leadership and on-field performance, widely considered to be the academic equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. He also was named that season an FCS Athletic Directors' Academic All-Star, a finalist for the FCS ADA Postgraduate Scholarship and a member of the National Football Foundation's Hampshire Society, becoming one of the first two players in UNI history to receive the honor. Lindgren was also named a Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) President's Academic Excellence Award recipient following his senior season.

On the field, Lindgren appeared in 29 games for Northern Iowa under head coach Mark Farley, recording 70 career catches for 862 yards and nine touchdown receptions, as well as a pair of rushing scores. Earning Second Team All-Gateway honors in 2006, he caught a touchdown pass in each of his first five games and notably pulled in 73 receiving yards against both Iowa State and Missouri State.

As a junior, Lindgren caught a pass in all 12 games of the 2005 season, including a career-high 92 yards against Illinois State. In the postseason, he caught a career playoff-high 64 yards on only two catches in the semifinal round at Texas State, helping propel the Panthers to their first national championship game appearance.

Lindgren currently resides in Ida Grove, Iowa, with his spouse, Tisha and their four children, Knox, Beckham, Ava and Jude.

MICHAEL T. "MIKE" ALLEN | Dr. Jitu Kothari Meritorious Service Award
A dedicated and life-long official, the late Michael T. (Mike) Allen is the 2025 recipient of the Dr. Jitu Kothari Meritorious Service Award for his over three decades of contributions to the sport of wrestling. Mike Allen (WRE Headshot)

Remembered for his ability, integrity and professionalism on the mat, Allen, a Waterloo, Iowa native, started wrestling at the age of 12 at McKinstry Middle School in Waterloo. Allen began his athletic career wrestling and playing football at Waterloo East High School. After graduation, he competed in both sports at Ellsworth Community College before transferring to UNI in 1970. As a two-sport Panther athlete, Allen won a North Central Conference (NCC) wrestling title at 190 pounds under head coach Chuck Patten, while also playing football under Stan Sheriff.

Following his college graduation, he obtained employment as principal for the Waterloo Community Schools District. Mike was an assistant wrestling coach at Waterloo Central High School, where he helped guide five student-athletes to state titles over an eight year span. He later went on to become Director of Athletics at Waterloo East.

Allen was well known for his principalship and for his contributions as a wrestling official. He was the first African-American wrestling official in the history of Iowa and worked 20 traditional Iowa High School State Championship events, later earning induction into the Iowa State High School Officials Hall of Fame in 2003.

A three-time Iowa Wrestling Official of the Year (1980, 1987, 1992), Allen also worked numerous NCAA and conference championship events over his career, including 23 NCAA Division I Championships, 12 Division II Championships, three Division III Championships, five NAIA Championships, three NJCAA Championships, 13 Big Ten Championships and 11 Pac-10 Championships. He also officiated four college all-star meets and seven NWCA National Dual competitions.

For his years of service to wrestling, Allen was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Meritorious Official in 2007, the Dan Gable Museum's Glen Brand Hall of Fame in 2010, the Midlands Hall of Fame of Northwestern University, the FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame of Stillwater, Oklahoma. He was recognized by the African-American Museum of Iowa as a history maker in the state of Iowa, a Lifetime Service To Wrestling Award from the Iowa chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014, and inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2024.

Allen passed away on February 28, 2025 and is survived by his wife Arnita Pugh Allen, two children - Denise and Victor, two stepsons - Gregory, and Jeremy, two brothers - Fred and Clifford, four grandchildren, ten step grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, and former students whom he considered his children.

UNI Athletics action can be followed all year long on social media on Facebook (UNI Athletics), X (@UNIAthletics) and on Instagram (@uniathletics). Schedules and rosters, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.

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