Four Teams and 1970's Women Honored as 2011 Dragon Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees

MOORHEAD, Minn. – Four former teams and the women student-athletes of the 1970's will be inducted to the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragon Athletics Hall of Fame this fall.

This year's Hall of Fame celebration will honor four teams including the 1971, 1981 and 1991 Dragon football teams, and the 1991 Dragon men's cross country team. The Distinguished Service to Athletics award will also be awarded for the first time in four years to the 1970s women student-athletes.

The group will be honored at the MSUM Dragon Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, Sept. 23. Hall of Fame member Mike Berg will also be honored at the celebration. He was inducted into the NSIC Hall of Fame in July.

To join the Dragon Athletics Hall of Fame celebration, contact Gloria Riopelle at 218-477-5824 or riopelg@mnstate.edu You can also register for the event on www.dragonhomecoming.com

The 1970's women student-athletes will be honored with the Distinguished Service Award to Athletics, an award that has not been given out since 2008. The group of women were selected for their dedication and service to ensuring Dragon women's athletics was started and supported, and their opportunities could continue and flourish for years to come. It is in their honor that the Distinguished Service Award is being named for 2011.

The 1971 Dragon football team, after beginning their season 0-1-1, closed with a seven-game winning streak to capture its first Northern Intercollegiate Conference title since 1966, and the first of nine under coach Ross Fortier. The Dragons' late season rush included a dramatic 6-0 upset of unbeaten Michigan Tech University, ranked fourth nationally. It has been 40 years since the first NIC title won under the Fortier regime.

Arguably the greatest football team in the rich tradition of Dragon football, the 1981 team posted a 10-0-1 regular season record, finished No.1 in the final NAIA Division I regular season poll and made its first post-season appearance. MSU led the nation in scoring defense and set a national record with five consecutive shutouts. Pittsburg State (Kan.) rallied for a 14-13 victory over Moorhead State in the opening round of the NAIA National Playoffs at Pittsburg, KS.

The 1991 football team was the last of nine conference championship teams produced by Fortier. The team finished the regular season 9-1 and claimed the NIC title with a wild 30-26 last second victory over Southwest State. MSU whipped Iowa Wesleyan 47-14 in the first round of the national playoffs but fell at Central Arkansas 38-14 in the second round. In all, Moorhead State claimed seven All-American awards.

The men's 1991 cross country team is one of the most decorated distance squads in the history of the program. The team finished ninth at the NAIA National Championships and crowned four All-Americans. The Dragons captured the NSIC title and breezed to a near perfect finish at the NAIA Region 13 Championships with 16 points, one place shy of a perfect 15.