Three of Cornell’s all-time greats will be enshrined in the Rams’ Athletics Hall of Fame during Saturday’s Homecoming activities on campus.
The Class of 2022 features high-scoring basketball forward Dave Adkins ‘62, women’s soccer’s most prolific scorer in Trinity (Tisue) McWilliams ‘00 and baseball’s greatest base stealer in Eric Kulbe ‘00.
The Hall of Fame inductions will be held Saturday in conjunction with the Alumni ‘C’ Club Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. in the Smith Dining Room at the Thomas Commons.
Dave AdkinsAdkins, a native of Marion, Iowa, put up points in bunches and was the key cog on one of the most successful men’s basketball teams in Cornell history. The 1961 First Team All-Midwest Conference star netted 1,112 points – in only three varsity seasons – which ranks 14th on the program’s career chart.
Adkins piloted the 1960-61 team to an MWC championship and NCAA Tournament berth. The 18-6 Rams set a school record for wins in a season, a mark that stood for 48 years. The team finished 15-3 in MWC play, which remains the most conference wins by a Cornell squad.
Adkins was a unanimous all-tournament selection at the 1961 NCAA College Division Regional, where he paced the field with 56 points in two games. The Rams placed third at the regional. Adkins netted 512 points during the 1960-61 campaign, the third-highest scoring total ever by a Ram.
Adkins ranks fourth for field goals made in a season (201) and sixth in scoring average (21.3), both achieved in his junior year.
Adkins became an influential basketball figure during a 25-year overseas career as a player, coach, administrator and agent. He was awarded a 2019 NBA Championship ring by Toronto Raptors Coach Nick Nurse, who Adkins helped foster in Nurse’s climb to the NBA. Adkins’ career is documented in a biography: “Journey in Overseas Basketball.”
Trinity (Tisue) McWilliams Two-plus decades following her decorated playing career, McWilliams still holds career records for most points (135) and goals scored (54) by a Cornell soccer player of either gender. Her 27 career assists rank No. 6 in program history.
The San Diego, Calif., native was twice named First Team All-Iowa Conference (1997 and 1998) as a midfielder. McWilliams accumulated 47 points during the 1998 season, for which she was tabbed Second Team All-Central Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association.
McWilliams directed the Rams to their first winning season in 1997 with a 10-9 mark. The following fall, she was the catalyst on the 1998 squad that established a program benchmark for wins in a season at 15-5. The Rams climbed into the region’s top 10 rankings for the first time and finished 9-2 in the IIAC.
McWilliams helped spear a major turnaround for Cornell women’s soccer, which won 39 matches during her four seasons. The Rams went 2-13 in the season prior to McWilliams’ arrival on campus.
McWilliams also excelled on the track as the former school-record holder in the 600-meter run and 4×800 relay. She was selected Cornell’s First-Year Female Athlete of the Year in 1997, and Cornell’s Sportswoman of the Year in 2000.
Eric KulbeKulbe, of Lakewood, Colo., was noted as “one of the nation’s most dangerous base-stealing threats”, according to a local 2000 newspaper clipping. And that was an understatement.
Kulbe twice led all of NCAA Division III in stolen bases, claiming season statistical titles in 1998 (41 steals) and 2000 (school-record 44). The speedy center fielder stands No. 9 in Division III history with 143 career steals, a program standard that may never be threatened. Kulbe swiped 46 consecutive bags during one incredible stretch, the fifth-longest streak in Division III.
Kulbe produced a hefty .923 lifetime stolen base percentage, converting 143 of 155 attempts. A career .320 hitter, Kulbe ranks No. 2 on Cornell’s all-time list for walks (69), No. 3 for runs (116) and No. 12 for hits (140). He was named First Team All-Midwest Conference in 1997 and Second Team All-Iowa Conference in 2000.
Kulbe was the conference king of stolen bases all four seasons with the Rams. In 2000, he signed a professional contract with the San Diego Padres Baseball Club.
Kulbe also made his mark on the grid iron, compiling 154 career tackles and 21 pass breakups as a defensive back. He was voted Cornell’s 1996 Defensive Rookie of the Year and named captain on the 1999 football team. Kulbe was tabbed Cornell’s 1997 First-Year Male Athlete of the Year and 2000 Paul Maaske Scholar-Athlete of the Year.