Five Hilltopper Greats to be Inducted into WKU Athletic Hall of Fame

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Five great names in the history of WKU Athletics will be inducted as the 31st class into the WKU Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies set for Homecoming weekend this fall.

The 2022 class includes Claire Donahue (women's swimming), Chuck Eneix (men's track & field), Bobby Rainey (football), Dean Tiebout (football) and Harry Todd (men's basketball).

The induction of the 2022 class will bring the number of former WKU athletes and coaches to earn berths in the school's Athletic Hall of Fame to 166 since its founding in 1991.

The 2022 class will be inducted in a ceremony highlighting the annual W-Club Homecoming Brunch, set for 10 a.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 29, on the main floor (John Oldham Court) in E.A. Diddle Arena on the WKU campus in Bowling Green.

Tickets for the event, which is open to the general public, are $30 each and can be purchased and/or reserved:
• online at alumni.wku.edu/wclubbrunch22 (then click on the "Registration" box and fill out the reservation form)
• by calling the Alumni Office at 270-745-2586
• by contacting either W-Club Treasurer Bill Edwards (270-791-9881; bill.edwards@wku.edu) or W-Club Executive Director Paul Just (270-792-4247; paul.just@wku.edu)

Each active W-Club member who has paid his/her 2022-23 dues (or is a Lifetime member) may purchase up to two seats at the member discounted rate of $20 each (additional seats will be at the general public rate -- $30 each). However, seating is limited and reservations MUST be made — either online, by phone with the Alumni Association, or with Edwards or Just — to ensure seating is available. Non-members and the general public are welcome, but must purchase seats (see above). Letterwinners who have not yet paid their '22-23 dues may do so online with a credit card (at alumni.wku.edu/joinwclub) or at the door with a prior reservation for the event.

The inductees will also be honored in ceremonies on Jimmy Feix Field at halftime of the annual Homecoming football game, set to kickoff at 2:30 p.m. WKU Head Coach Tyson Helton will pit his Hilltoppers against Conference USA foe North Texas at Houchens-Smith Stadium. Tickets for the game are available by calling 1-800-5-BIG-RED (or 270-745-5222). W-Club members with a valid 2022-23 membership card may purchase game tickets at a discounted rate at the W-Club Window at Gate 5 prior to the game.

More about the members of the 2022 WKU Athletic Hall of Fame class:

Claire Donahue / Swimming, 4 letters (2008-11) -- Donahue is the only WKU athlete to win an Olympic gold medal -- as a part of the USA 400 medley relay team at the London Olympics in 2012. And, she is the only Lady Topper swimmer to earn All-America honors, a feat she accomplished twice -- as a junior in 2010 (finishing fourth in the NCAA 100 butterfly) and as a senior in 2011 (second in the 100 fly). Donahue qualified for the NCAA championships three times -- 2009 and '10 (in both the 100 and 200 fly) and in 2011 (in both of the butterfly events along with the 50 freestyle). She led the Toppers to Sun Belt Conference team championships in 2008, '09 and '10 before finishing as the runner-up in 2011. The SBC Women's Swimmer of the Year in both 2010 and '11, she was the Lady Topper team MVP in all four of her seasons on The Hill. Her 51.68 time in the 100 fly in 2011 remains the WKU record; and, her 1:56.41 in the 200 in 2009 stood as the school standard until 2015. Her 52.79 in the 100 (2010) and 1:59.50 in the 200 (also in 2010) are Powell Natatorium records ..... in 2011, she won gold medals in the 100 fly and as a member of the 400 medley relay team in the Pan American Games. Donahue, who came to The Hill from Lenoir City, Tenn., lives in Raleigh, N.C.

Chuck Eneix / Track & Field, 4 letters (1970-73) -- A three-time Ohio Valley Conference discus champion (1971-73), Eneix finished 4th in the discus at the 1973 NCAA Championships to claim All-America honors in the event. His throw of 192-2 in 1973 was the WKU school record the ninth best throw in the nation that spring. The mark lasted 32 years until fellow WKU Athletic Hall of Famer bested the distance by eight inches (192-10). Eneix still holds the OVC championship meet record in the discus with the 179-2.5 effort he had as a senior (breaking his own record – 174-6 -- set the previous spring) . That is – here, 49 years later – the oldest OVC outdoor track record in a currently competed event. He also competed in the shot put where his heave of 58-4.75 in 1972 bettered the previous WKU standard (57-10.25, by WKU Hall of Famer Eugene Smith in 1970). Overall, Eneix won four OVC titles – the three in the discus and one (1972) in the shot put. He resides in his hometown, Washington, Pa.

Bobby Rainey / Football, 4 letters (2008-11) -- A two-time All-America running back and SBC Offensive Player of the Year (2010 & '11) as well as a member of WKU's All-Century Team (2018), Rainey was a three-time All-Sun Belt Conference pick and ranked among the nation's leaders in all-purpose yards three seasons and in rushing in both '10 & '11. He led the Hilltoppers in all-purpose yardage all four seasons and completed his career with a record 6,906 yards -- still the Topper standard. He set nine additional school records, five that still stand -- career rushing plays (895), yards (4,542) and 150-yard games (11); and, the single season (369) and single game (45) marks for rushing plays. His records for career 200-yard games and consecutive 100-yard games, along with single season rushing yards (1,625) and all-purpose yards (2,101) have been bettered, however, he still ranks among the best ever on The Hill in 27 stat categories. Rainey led the team in rushing each of his last three seasons and was the WKU's top scorer in both 2010 (90 points) & 2011 (102). He played in the East-West Shrine Bowl in 2012 and then played six seasons in the NFL with Baltimore, Cleveland, Tampa Bay and the New York Giants. Rainey, who came to WKU from Griffin, Ga., lives in Fayetteville, Ga.

Dean Tiebout / Football, 3 letters (1986-88) -- Tiebout earned 1st-team All-America honors on teams selected by the AP, the Walter Camp Foundation & The Sports Network as a senior in 1988 and was also a third team pick by Hansen's Gazette. A transfer from Iowa, Tiebout started all 35 Hilltopper games in the offensive line in his three seasons on The Hill. He was a key figure in the O-line in front of prominent Toppers Jeff Cesarone (QB) and Joe Arnold (RB), both members of the WKU Athletic Hall of Fame. Six times he was selected the team's Offensive Player-of-the-Week ..... and, as a senior, he was named the Toppers' "Best Offensive Player" on an offense that gained 2,912 yards rushing. His last two teams went a combined 16-8 and earned berths in the I-AA Championship Playoffs both seasons. In October, 1990, the College Heights Herald made Tiebout an unanimous pick on its "All Decade Team" for the 1980s. Tiebout signed as a free agent with the New York Giants, but a chronic knee injury ended his pro career. He then returned to WKU as a grad assistant on Coach Jack Harbaugh's staff in 1990. From Maywood, Ill., he resides in Country Club Hills, Ill.

Harry Todd / Basketball, 3 letters (1960-62) -- The Hilltopper team captain in 1962 and an All-Ohio Valley Conference selection in both '61 and '62, Todd helped lead the Toppers to three OVC championships and two berths in the NCAA Tournament (1960 and '62). He led his team in rebounding each of his three varsity seasons and is one of only six Hilltoppers on record to average a "double-double" in three-or-more seasons (12.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg as a sophomore; 11.2 ppg, 11.6 rpg as a junior; and 11.8 ppg, 12.5 rpg as a senior) along with WKU Athletic Hall of Famers Ralph Crosthwaite, Clem Haskins, Tom Marshall, Jim McDaniels and Art Spoelstra. His 924 career rebounds still rank him eighth among all Hilltoppers here 60 years after he completed his playing career on The Hill. He remains one of just 10 Toppers on record to lead the team in rebounds three-or-more times. Kentucky's "Mr. Basketball" as a high school senior at Earlington in 1958, Todd was elected to the KHSAA Hall of Fame in 1995. He resides in Cadiz, Ky.

Five Hilltopper Greats to be Inducted into WKU Athletic Hall of Fame

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