Earl D Rich, Class of 1927, has been inducted into the Franklin College Athletic Hall of Fame as a player. A resident of Port Charlotte, FL, Rich was member of the varsity baseball, basketball, football, tennis and track teams while a student at Franklin.
As an athlete, he earned 11 varsity letters, served as baseball team captain and was awarded the Wil B. Nelp Trophy as the outstanding graduating male athlete. He also was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and the F-Men’s Club.
Upon graduation, Rich played semi-pro basketball for two years in Crystal Falls, MI. While a Michigan resident, he served as a football and basketball official 23 years, officiating in 17 district tournaments a, three regionals and one quarter-final state tournament.
Ruth Callon, Class of 1952, currently a Franklin College professor of physical education, has been inducted into the Franklin College Athletic Hall of Fame as a coach. She is the first woman in the college’s history to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
A resident of Whiteland, Callon served as women’s basketball coach at Franklin for 22 years. She also served as women’s athletic director and softball coach and is considered by her peers as one of the pioneers in developing women’s collegiate athletics in Indiana. During her coaching years, she led the basketball team to four state championships and the softball team to three state championships.
Her articles have been published in the Physical Educator, and she has served as the chair of the Women’s Sports Section of the Midwest Association and was a member of the first Indiana High School Athletic Association women’s sports advisory board.
In 1974, she was a recipient of the college’s Alumni Council Athletic Achievement Award and in 1983 was a recipient of the Indiana Girls and Women’s Sports Association Marian Archer Award for her contribution to women’s sports.
