Miami Ohio University Athletics
1996 Hall of Fame Inductees
1996 Hall of Fame Members
Gary Arthur '70: Gary Arthur lettered as a tight end from 1967-69 and is one of only seven players in Miami history to earn first-team all-MAC honors three times. He led the Redskins in receiving as a sophomore (14 catches for 145 yards). As a senior he was the squad's second-leading receiver (25 catches for 429 yards). His 17.2-yard average led the team and is still the sixth-best season average in school history. His 85-yard touchdown reception against Ohio his senior year remains the fifth-longest reception in school history. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Arthur participated in the North-South Shrine game as a senior and went on to play for the New York Jets from 1970-71. He now resides in Englewood, Colo.
Dave Jennings: Dave Jennings, a 1978 graduate of Ashland College, has served as Miami's women's swimming coach since 1983. He has been named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year nine times, including four consecutive seasons from 1983-86. His most recent honor was for the 1997-98 season. He has led Miami to 12 MAC titles and has coached 164 individual and relay MAC champions. Under Jennings' direction, 23 Miamians have been NCAA Championship qualifiers, 79 have been U.S. Senior National qualifiers and five have been Olympic Trials qualifiers. Jennings owns a 153-83 dual-meet record at Miami. A native of Lexington, Ohio, he coached at Upper Arlington (Ohio) High School from 1979-82 before coming to Oxford.
Dennis O'Brien '57: Dennis O'Brien earned all-America honors in the 200-yard butterfly in 1956 and 1957, the first Miami swimmer to earn all-America recognition. One of the most versatile swimmers in school history, he won seven individual titles at the Mid-American Conference Championships during his career, including titles in the 440-yard freestyle, 150-yard individual medley, 200-yards individual medley, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard butterfly and the 100-yard backstroke. As a sophomore, in his first year of varsity competition, he led Miami to its first MAC team championship. In the summer following his sophomore year, he swam on two American record-setting relay teams for the Cincinnati Coca-colas, a nearby AAU team. At one point during his junior season, he held the world record in the 50-yard butterfly. O'Brien now lives in Durango, Colo.
James (Moose) Wilkinson '52: James Wilkinson was a three-year baseball letterwinner from 1950-52, serving as the Redskins' catcher. He earned all-MAC honors three times and served as Miami's co-captain his senior year. He led the MAC in hitting as a sophomore (.341) and junior (.357) and was second in the league as a senior (.370). The Mariemont, Ohio, native went on to play minor league baseball in the Cleveland Indians' organization for three years after graduating from Miami. He later returned to Oxford and earned a master's degree in health/physical education/recreation and administration in 1958. Wilkinson now lives in Montevallo, Ala.
Woody Wills: Woody Wills was Miami's head baseball coach from 1950-67, during which times he compiled a record of 175-186-7. He also served as an assistant football coach from 1948-64 under head coaches George Blackburn, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian, John Pont and Bo Schembechler. During his tenure as an assistant, the Redskins posted a 114-40-7 record (.730), won six Mid-American Conference championships and participated in two bowl games. Wills is a 1937 graduate of Ohio University, where he was a three-year letterwinner in football and baseball. He was an all-Ohio quarterback as a sophomore and an all-Ohio fullback as a senior. Wills lives in Oxford.