The University of Findlay - UF to Induct Six Into Athletic Hall of Fame

The University of Findlay will induct six former Oiler athletes into its Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 7, at 11:30 a.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union as part of Homecoming activities.

Inductees include tennis stand-out Robert (Bob) Cook ’91 of Findlay; women’s basketball and softball team leader Kelly (Murray) Jay ’88 of St. Marys; nationally recognized wrestling coach John Jeffire of Clinton Township, Mich.; record-holding point guard Jenni McGraw ’96 of Findlay; baseball star Steve Rolston ’77 of McGuffey, inducted posthumously and All-American defensive tackle Chris Smith ’93 of Fremont.

Tickets to the induction ceremony are $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 6 to 12 and can be purchased at the UF Athletic Office. Call 419-434-4663.

Bob Cook '91

A native and resident of Findlay, Cook’s tennis career at Findlay remains unmatched in the 16 years since his collegiate career ended. His tennis achievements while at Findlay include being named All-District 22 all four years and in 1988 earning conference runner-up and being ranked 25th in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Tennis Poll. Cook returned to UF to coach the Oiler tennis teams from 1997-2000.

Cook recently was ranked as the No. 12 player in the men’s over-35 division of the National Poll and has won many open tournaments. He is a certified U.S. Professional Tennis Association Level 1 tennis teaching professional and has worked as a tennis professional in Toledo and Lima. Currently, Cook works at the Findlay YMCA East tennis complex. He resides in Findlay with his wife and daughter.

Kelly (Murray) Jay '88

A stand-out athlete in both basketball and softball, Jay contributed to both UF women’s teams. Jay came to Findlay College in 1984 and earned many awards for her athletic success during her four years of college.

Jay still holds the following women’s basketball records: most assists in a season, most three-point field goals made in a season and during a game, most three-point field goals attempted in a game and highest three-point field goal percentage in a season. She was a three-year letter-winner and led her teams to the Western Buckeye Collegiate Conference (WBCC) championship twice.

Jay was named First Team All-Conference, All-District 22 and NAIA National Scholar-Athlete. For her softball talents, Jay was All-District 22 three times, All-WBCC three times and NAIA Scholar-Athlete. She led her softball teams to three WBCC titles.

Jay resides with her husband and son in St. Marys, Ohio, where she is a high school English teacher.

John Jeffire, former UF wrestling coach

Jeffire came to UF in 1989 as a senior lecturer in English and head wrestling coach. During his eight years at Findlay, Jeffire established the wrestling program’s reputation for excellence and produced 43 NAIA All-Americans, five NAIA individual national champions and six NAIA Academic All-Americans. He remains the wrestling coach with the most wins in UF history with five NAIA national meet top 10 finishes and a NAIA national wrestling title in 1995.

During that year, Jeffire was named NAIA National Wrestling Coach of the Year. In 1998, he was inducted into the Hancock County Athletic Hall of Fame and has been named the Michigan Wrestling Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year twice.

Jeffire currently resides in Clinton Township, Mich., with his wife and two children. He is the head wrestling coach and English teacher at Chippewa Valley High School.

Jenni McGraw '96

As a point guard on the UF women’s basketball team, McGraw earned many honors. In 1996, she was named Mid-Ohio Conference Player of the Year and a member of the NAIA All-American First Team. She was instrumental in leading her teams to the NAIA national tournament in each of her four seasons at UF and remains the all-team leader in assists in a career and is tied in total games played. She is the second leading scorer with 1,497 points.

McGraw is a physical education and health teacher at Allen East High School and resides in Findlay.

Steve Rolston '77,
inducted posthumously

Rolston arrived at Findlay College in 1973 and still holds several school baseball records including the best career batting average and the second most triples. In 1976, his season batting average was, and still is, the best in school history and was the second best in the NAIA. Rolston was named to the First Team All-Hooosier Buckeye Conference and All-District 22.

Upon his college graduation, Rolston returned to his roots in Hardin County where he was an educator and baseball coach for 20 years. Until his death Sept. 7, Rolston lived with his wife and two children, including a daughter who is currently a member of the UF softball team. He was honored to be nominated to the Athletic Hall of Fame, and his plaque will be accepted by his family.

Chris Smith '93

Smith was a dominating defensive tackle on the UF football team and was a member of the NAIA national championship team in 1992. He earned Defensive Player of the Game in both the NAIA national semi-finals and the NAIA national championship, and he was named the Conference Defensive Player of the Week three times during his senior year. In addition, Smith was named NAIA All-American in 1992 and earned All-District 22 honors for both his junior and senior seasons.

A native of Fremont, Smith is the vice president of Smith Crane Services Inc.