Former Wolf Pack stars Lisé Mackie, DeShone Myles, Bill Nicholson, Bob Rautio and Susan Eisele Whitehouse and former swimming and diving coach Jerry Ballew will be inducted into the University of Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame in October, Director of Athletics Cary Groth announced Tuesday.
The group will be inducted into Nevada’s Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 23 at a dinner in the Silver Baron Room at the Silver Legacy Hotel and Casino in Reno. They will also be recognized at halftime of the Homecoming/Hall of Fame football game against Idaho at 1:05 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Mackay Stadium.
“This year’s class represents over 40 years of the success of Wolf Pack Athletics and is made up of six decorated individuals who helped Nevada to numerous team and individual conference championships as well as a national title,” Groth said. “Lisé Mackie was the top swimmer in the Big West Conference in each of her three years at Nevada and represented her home country of Australia in the Summer Olympics, while DeShone Myles was one of the most dominant linebackers in school history, leading the Wolf Pack to four conference titles and setting the school record for career tackles. Bill Nicholson helped Nevada to a pair of Far Western Conference basketball championships before going on to serve as a member of President Gerald Ford’s staff and become a successful leader in the business world, and Bob Rautio was an All-American who won three conference javelin titles despite having his collegiate career interrupted by a stint in the U.S. Army. Susan Eisele Whitehouse established herself as one of the best backstrokers in school history, helping the Wolf Pack to four team titles and 10 individual and relay championships, while Jerry Ballew put the Nevada women’s swimming and diving program on the map, guiding a team that had never won a dual meet to a national championship in just seven years.”
Lisé Mackie – Swimming (1995-98)
One of the top swimmers in Wolf Pack history, Lisé Mackie was named the Big West Conference Swimmer of the Year three times in her career and helped the Wolf Pack to three conference titles. A seven-time NCAA All-American, she still holds the fastest times in school history in the 200 freestyle and 200 individual medley and as part of the 400 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams. The Brisbane, Australia, native still appears on Nevada’s list of top times a total of 13 times. Mackie represented Australia at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain and the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Ga., winning a bronze medal as part of the Aussies’ 800 meter freestyle relay team in 1996.
DeShone Myles – Football (1994-97)
A four-time All-Big West Conference selection at linebacker, DeShone Myles led the team in tackles in all four years at Nevada and is Nevada’s career leader in tackles with 528 (next on the list is Matt Clafton with 388). The 1996 Big West Defensive Player of the Year and a member of Nevada’s Team of the Century, he never missed a game and started all but one in his career and helped the Wolf Pack to four Big West Conference championships and a pair of appearances in the Las Vegas Bowl. Myles turned in four of the top six single-season marks for tackles in school history and still holds Nevada’s single-game tackles record, turning in 20 tackles in a 1995 game at San Diego State. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. He played in 12 games in 1998 and four games in 1999 before a knee injury ended his season.
Bill Nicholson – Men’s Basketball (1963-66)
Bill Nicholson earned All-Far Western Conference accolades and honorable-mention All-America honors in 1964 as a center on the Nevada men’s basketball team. He helped the Wolf Pack to Far Western Conference championships in 1964 and 1966, while Nevada’s 1966 team turned in a 21-6 overall record and went a perfect 10-0 in conference play. Nicholson turned in 876 points and 643 rebounds in 67 career games, and his rebounding mark still ranks eighth in the Nevada career record book. Nicholson served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force from 1966 to 1971 and then embarked on a career in business. He served as appointments secretary to President Gerald Ford from 1974-77. He has also served as the chief executive officer and chief operating officer of several companies, including Amway from 1984-92.
Bob Rautio – Track & Field (1961, 1967-68)
Bob Rautio won Far Western Conference championships in the javelin in 1961, 1967 and 1968, each of his three years as a member of the Wolf Pack men’s track and field team. In 1961, he earned All-America honors and set a national record for javelin throw by a freshman, a mark that stood for four years). He also ranked third in the nation and finished third at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in 1961. He joined the U.S. Army where he was stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and was the All-Army javelin champion in 1966. Rautio returned to Nevada in 1967 and 1968, winning two more Far Western Conference championships in the javelin and finishing fifth at the NCAA Championships in 1968.
Susan Eisele Whitehouse – Swimming & Diving (1995-99)
Susan Eisele Whitehouse helped the Wolf Pack to four consecutive Big West Conference championships during her career at Nevada. She won a total of 10 Big West Conference championships, including five individual championships and five relay titles. Whitehouse won the 200 backstroke race at the Big West Championships in each of her four years at Nevada. She held Nevada’s school record time for the 200 backstroke for 10 years (since broken) and set school and conference records in the 100 back twice. She still has one of the top five fastest times in school history in the 100 back. Whitehouse qualified for the 2000 Olympic Trials but was unable to compete due to injury.
Jerry Ballew – Swimming & Diving Coach (1976-83, 1985-86)
In his seven seasons as the coach of Nevada’s women’s swimming and diving team, Jerry Ballew led the Wolf Pack from never having won a dual meet to winning a national championship. He guided Nevada to the AIAW Small College National Championship in 1979 and coached Nevada to a 68-35 record and six national top 25 finishes. He mentored 29 All-Americans and two individual national champions, including Ann Belikow who won the 50, 100 and 200 breaststroke events at the 1979 AIAW National Championships. His 1979 national championship squad was inducted into the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991.
For more information or to purchase tickets for this year’s Hall of Fame Dinner, call (775) 682-6902. Tickets for the event cost $50 each and the evening begins with a no-host cocktail hour at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m.
Tickets for the Homecoming/Hall of Fame game are available by calling (775) 348-PACK (7225) or going online at www.nevadawolfpack.com.
