Register for the Hall of Fame & Homecoming Weekend

Oberlin, Ohio – It will be a special evening on Friday, September 19, when the John W. Heisman Club officially enshrines five new members into its hall of fame.
 
The event will kickoff what is sure to be a memorable and historic Homecoming Weekend for the Department of Athletics and Physical Education.
 
The five members of the class are: Hank L. Danaceau  '59, John Merrill Shanks '61, Bill Keller '63, Amie N. Ely '99, and legendary coach Dick Michaels.
 
 Henry [Hank] L. Danaceau, MD '59 – Wrestling
 
Hank Danaceau is one of the greatest Oberlin wrestlers to ever take to the mat. A three-time Ohio Athletic Conference Individual Champion, Dr. Danaceau also lettered in track and field and lacrosse.
 
A fierce competitor, Dr. Danaceau didn't like to lose and it didn't happen very often, as he amassed a staggering 34 wins against just one defeat in his career.
 
After graduating from Oberlin, Danaceau went on to earn his MD at The Ohio State University School of Medicine in 1965 and later became a board certified Orthopedic Surgeon in 1972.
 
Holding medical licensures in three states (Ohio, Michigan, and Virginia).  Dr. Danaceau was a clinical assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at Georgetown University while holding a private practice at Arlington Hospital from 1971-2006.
 
Dr. Danaceau now makes his home in McLean, Virginia and is currently working as Federal Aviation Administration senior medical examiner.
 
John Merrill Shanks '61 – Basketball
 
A four-year standout on the hardwood, Merrill Shanks led the Yeomen in scoring three of his four years with the team.
 
Playing from 1958-1961, Shanks rewrote the Oberlin record books, departing as one of the school's all-time leading scorers at the time of his graduation. He also held the single-game scoring record and his single-game free-throws-made mark of 16 still stands to this day.
 
Shanks' play on the court was to be marveled at, as his efforts helped the Yeomen secure 47 wins during his illustrious career.
 
Once Shanks graduated from Oberlin that didn't mean his basketball playing days were behind him, as he continued to play the game he loved while attending graduate school at the University of Michigan. He and fellow graduate students would take on the freshmen of the varsity team as they were ineligible to play as freshmen at that time.
 
However, Shanks also took his studies very serious at Michigan, ultimately earning a PhD in 1970.

Now retired, Shanks worked as a professor of political science at UC Berkeley, where he also led the Survey Research Center and later the Computer-assisted Survey Methods Program and Social Science Computing Laboratory.

Dr. Bill Keller, PhD '63 – Track & Field and Cross Country
Dr. Bill Keller was a decorated distance runner. An NCAA Champion, multiple-time Ohio Athletic Conference selection, and conference record holder, Keller was a prolific two-sport athlete.

As a member of the track and field and cross country teams, Keller served as a co-captain four times.

Under the guidance of head coach Billy Dale Tidwell, Keller helped guide the Yeomen cross country team to an OAC Championship in 1960 and 1961. As a member of the team, Keller finished as a runner-up twice at the conference meet, and ultimately won an OAC championship as a junior in 1961.

Between the indoor and outdoor seasons, Keller ran his way to six OAC championships ('61, '62, '63) in the two-mile run. As a senior, Keller broke the OAC record in the two-mile, which had stood for over two decades.

In his final race as a Yeoman, Keller brought an NCAA title to Oberlin in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase.

With aspirations of being a coach, Dr. Keller earned his degree in physical education from Oberlin in 1963 and went on to earn two master's degrees. Keller received an MS in physical education from Ohio University in 1965. 

Keller traveled to Michigan State University where he earned a master's degree in social work in 1971 before obtaining a PhD in social work/social science in 1981.

Dr. Keller worked with the state of Michigan Medicaid Program in health policy for over 30 years.

Amie N. Ely '99 – Track & Field
 
Amie N. Ely was a star athlete on the Oberlin indoor and outdoor track and field teams in the late 1990s. During her illustrious career, Ely was an eight-time North Coast Athletic Conference Champion and earned All-NCAC honors 19 times.
 
As a senior in 1999, Ely was the conference champion in the heptathlon, 100-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles, and long jump. Additionally, she was a part of two championship relay teams. Her career was capped with a trip to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship meet, where she placed 13^th in the country in the heptathlon.
 
At the time of her graduation, Ely held four school records. Today, her score of 4,387 points in the heptathlon still stands as well as her team's 4x100 relay record of 48.49.
 
Ely, who graduated from Oberlin with degrees in psychology, neuroscience, and biology, went on to attend law school at Cornell University where she earned a Juris Doctor degree. 

Currently, Ely is working for the United States Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York state where she is an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Violent Crimes Unit.
 
Dick Michaels
 
Dick Michaels joined the Oberlin Department of Physical Education as an instructor in 1970, retiring in 2006 after 36 years. During his time at Oberlin, he was promoted to the academic rank of full professor on the Oberlin faculty. He coached men's swimming for all 36 of his years, women's swimming for 11 years, men's cross country for 19 years. Additionally, Michaels was responsible for starting women's cross country in the early 1970s in defiance of the existing Ohio Athletic Conference rules which specifically forbade women from competition.
 
He also was assistant coach of men's and women's soccer as well as track and field. Michaels' swimmers and divers won 41 individual conference championships and were named to the All-America squad 72 times, including six NCAA national championship titles. Thirteen swimmers placed third or better in the NCAA Championships.
 
 In 1984, his women's cross country team won the first team championship awarded by the North Coast Athletic Conference. Currently, 13 of his athletes have been elected to the Oberlin College Athletics Heisman Hall of Fame. He was Director of Physical Education and published over 20 articles in professional journals, as well as a book entitled Swimming Workouts for Fitness and Training.
 
 As a swimmer at The Ohio State University, Michaels was named to the All-American team three times in the backstroke and competed in the 1964 Olympic Trials in the 100-meter backstroke. After graduating from OSU in 1967 with a BS in physical education, he went on to earn his master's degree from Western Michigan University while serving as assistant swimming coach.
 
Upon entering the U.S. Army in 1968 as a second lieutenant, he was named to the United States Modern Pentathlon Team. He competed in a number of national and international competitions, finishing eighth in the 1969 United States National Championships.
  
Upon his retirement in 2006, he and his wife Jan moved to Three Rivers, Michigan, where they have spent their summers since 1974.