22nd Hall of Fame induction highlights MC's Winter Weekend

Jan. 31, 2005
MARIETTA, Ohio – The campus of Marietta College will be a busy place this weekend (Feb. 4-5) as the MC Athletics Department is preparing for its annual Winter Weekend.

Activity will get underway Friday afternoon in the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center when the Pioneer track teams holds the Marietta Open Alumni Meet. The collegiate meet, which will include OAC rival Capital and five or six other teams, is also open to all MC alumni.

There is also action Friday night in Ban Johnson, as an alumni volleyball match is scheduled for 7 p.m. with an women's basketball alumni game slated to follow on Fenton Court at 8:30 p.m. The MC Athletics Department will host an alumni reception after the volleyball and basketball contests in the Board of Trustees Conference Room in Ban Johnson Arena. All alums, families and friends of Marietta athletics are invited to attend.

On Saturday, MC will host an alumni brunch in the Sternwheel Room of the Lafayette Hotel at 10 a.m. The theme of the brunch is "recognizing female multi-sport athletes."

The Pioneer women and men's basketball teams will provide afternoon entertainment, when they host OAC foe Heidelberg on Fenton Court. The women's game will get under way at 1 p.m. and the men will follow with a 3 p.m. tip-off. The 22nd Hall of Fame Class will be introduced at halftime of the men's game and then it will be formally inducted at the banquet later that evening (7 p.m.) in the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center.

Andy Coble ’04 will accept the Way-Weigelt Award and Candice Miller ’04 will receive the Betty Cleland Award Saturday. In addition, a Distinguished Service Award will also be presented to Doug Griebel ’74 at the banquet.

Here are the 2005 MC Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees:

John Foster, Class of 1974, Crew, Football: Foster, a two-sport athlete earned four varsity letters in football and three varsity letters in crew during his time at Marietta. A member of the Pioneers’ 1970s All-Decade Team, the offensive tackle was named All-OAC second team and selected to play in the All-Ohio Shrine Bowl in Columbus his senior year.

Foster’s crew résumé is equally impressive, as he helped the Freshmen Eight to a gold medal at Dad Vails in 1971 and the Varsity Eight to a bronze medal the following year. He was also the captain of both programs his senior year.

Born in Philadelphia, the business & economics major was elected to Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honorary as a junior and was the president as a senior. He was also active in Delta Upsilon fraternity, serving as president and head resident. Foster was also the recipient of the William Bay Irvine award given to the outstanding member of the senior class and won the Way-Weigelt award in 1974.

Foster is currently employed as a Group Vice President and is on the Board of Directors with MAN Ferostaal Incorporated, a trading and engineering firm with headquarters in Houston, Texas.

Foster, who enjoys golfing and cooking, lives in Houston with his wife Kathy.

James Burton, Class of 1979, Baseball: Burton was a two-year letter winner for the Etta Express. The second baseman received All-OAC and second team All-Region honors as a sophomore in 1997. In 1978, Burton helped lead the Pioneers to a runner-up finish in the World Series. He earned first team All-OAC, All-Region and All-American honors in addition to being named to the World Series All-Star team, before signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers after his junior year. Burton also spent one year with the San Diego Padres before retiring.

Following his time in professional baseball, Burton served as a Captain in the Army National Guard for 12 years. He commanded the C Company of the 1st/142nd Aviary Unit, which specialized in flying Cobra Attack Helicopters.

Burton has worked in the mortgage industry for 20 years; he is currently employed as a Vice President of Sales for New England & New York with GMAC Homecoming Financial. He was voted among the Top 100 loan officers in the United States in 1993 and 1994.

Burton, an avid golfer and hockey player, lives in Clifton Park, NY and has two daughters, Laurene and Jamie.

Matt Littlefield, Class of 1986, Basketball: Littlefield was a three-year letter winner and a two-time All-OAC selection on the hardwood for the Pioneers. A co-captain his senior year, he led the Pioneers in field goals (197), field goal percentage (.520), rebounds (158), and points (492) and played a major role in the team’s runner-up finish in the OAC Tournament. Littlefield was named OAC Player-of-the-Week twice and the team MVP in 1986. In addition, he was named the Shrine Tournament MVP in both 1984 and 1985.

At the time of his graduation, Littlefield held the single-season record for blocks (39) and field goal percentage (.557) and was fourth on MC’s all-time scoring list with 1,436 points. He is now sixth on that list. Littlefield works as a shipping associate for Greenville Technology, Inc. and attends the Salem Church of God.

Littlefield resides in Greenville, Ohio, with his wife Kathy and their seven children, Adrienne, Elliot, Mitchell, Ceia, Isabelle, Ella and Meredith.

Jamey Cua, Class of 1990, Football: Cua, a four-year letter winner on the MC football squad, was the Pioneers’ main offensive weapon from 1986-89, leading the team in all-purpose yards in three of his four years. The Pioneer running back was given All-OAC honorable mention as a freshman and sophomore and All-OAC honors as a junior and senior.

Cua was named a Football Gazette third team All-American in 1989 after gaining 1,159 yards and 10 TD on 225 carries his senior year. He also pulled in nine catches for 132 yards and a score in 1989. Cua was given the Way-Weigelt award his senior year.

The Columbus, Ohio, native is currently ranked in the top-five in career touchdowns (31), points (186), rushing attempts (671) and rushing yards (3,274).

Cua, who also played golf and ran track at MC, played two years of professional football in Europe following graduation; he was a member of the Pescara Crabs of the World League of Football from 1990-91.

Cua is currently the Senior Director of Business Development for Cendant Hotel Group. Cendant is one of the foremost providers of travel and real estate services in the world. He was named 2001 Salesman of the Year for North America. Cua’s job has allowed him to travel extensively throughout Europe and China in recent years.

Cua, a member of St. Paul Catholic Church, lives in Westerville with his wife of 10 years Annamaria and their three children, Cameron (7), Anthony (5) and Gianna (1).

Lisa Wagner, Class of 1994, Basketball: Wagner was a four-year letter winner for the Pioneer women’s basketball team from 1989-93. Wagner proved to be Marietta’s first truly dominant post player during her time on the hardwood.

Wagner earned All-OAC recognition all four seasons, including first team honors in 1990-91, and is ranked among the Conference’s all-time leaders in points and rebounds. She totaled 1,818 career points, which ranks second all-time on MC’s and fifth on the OAC’s career scoring list. She holds Marietta’s record for rebounds in a game (20), season (241) and career (938) and was a key figure in the 1989-90 squad that set seven team records.

The Cincinnati, Ohio, native became a research assistant and clinical laboratory technician in the Division of Nephrology at Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She returned to Mother of Mercy High School, where she starred before attending Marietta, and served as the assistant reserve basketball coach. Wagner, who was a role model and mentor for the youth in her area, also coach Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) teams in Cincinnati.

Wagner passed away suddenly at the age of 25 from a brain aneurysm in 1996. To honor her memory, the Most Valuable Player Award, handed out each year at the conclusion of the Thanksgiving weekend Turkey Shoot Tournament in Marietta, was renamed the Lisa Wagner MVP Award.

She is survived by her parents, John and Linda Wagner and her two sisters Lori and Julie Wagner of Cincinnati.