CWU Director of Athletics Dennis Francois and the CWU Athletics’ Hall of Fame Committee announced the addition of four new members to the CWU Athletics Hall of Fame this year. This year’s inductees puts the hall of fame at a total of 200 members. This year’s inductees include Mike Reilly, Kate Reome-Ridnour, Lance Den Boer and Joe Sanford.

Mike Reilly

Football – 2005-08

Mike Reilly accomplished many personal achievements in his time at CWU. Reilly still holds the NCAA record for most consecutive games with a passing touchdown, with 46 consecutive games total. That was also the number of games Reilly played at CWU, meaning he threw a touchdown in every single game he played. In 2008, Reilly was named GNAC Offensive Player of the Year, passing for over 3,700 yards and 37 touchdowns. 

“[Reilly is] definitely an outstanding student athlete here at Central, but has gone on to do great things in his professional career in the CFL,” Francois said.

Reilly now plays as a quarterback for the Canadian Football League’s (CFL) British Columbia Lions. He’s played in the CFL for 10 years. In 2017, Reilly led the Lions to a victory in the CFL’s championship game, the Grey Cup, while also earning the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award for that season.

John Picha, the current assistant head coach and tight ends coach for CWU, who was an offensive line coach when Reilly played, said Reilly was a “leader from the get-go.”

“He was fiercely competitive, probably one of the most competitive guys I’ve ever met,” Picha said. “He is probably one of the toughest quarterbacks I’ve ever been around.”

Kate Reome-Ridnour

Women’s Volleyball – 2001-04

Kate Reome-Ridnour was on the women’s volleyball team from 2001-04. In her senior season, the Wildcats had a perfect 26-0 season and Reome-Ridnour was an NCAA DII All-American. She led all of the NCAA DII with 14.25 assists per set, ending the season with 1,297 assists in total. During her four years she amassed a total of 4,780 assists.

Due to outside circumstances, Reome-Ridnour could not graduate after the conclusion of her senior campaign, something that would usually disqualify a former student athlete from being inducted into the hall of fame. In this case, a rare exception was made that the committee fully agreed was the right decision.

“What it takes to get inducted as a non-graduate is a unanimous vote amongst our hall of fame committee, and that was our vote this year,” Francois said. “[Reome-Ridnour is] definitely one of those individuals that is one of our top volleyball players that ever came through here, for sure. She is very deserving.”

Lance Den Boer

Men’s Basketball – 2005-07

Lance Den Boer was a men’s basketball transfer from Washington State University, who played at CWU from 2005-07. Den Boer was named GNAC Player of the Year in 2006, and in his career he averaged 19.9 points per

game and 4.8 rebounds per game. Den Boer was nearly automatic from the charity stripe, finishing second in DII free-throw percentage in both his junior year and senior year. Den Boer is now the athletic director for Kiona Benton High School in Benton City, Washington.

“Den Boer was an outstanding student athlete for us,” Francois said. “He’s in there in the record books in a lot of categories… definitely well-deserving and part of our legacy here in men’s basketball.”

Joe Sanford

Wrestling – 1977-78

Joe Sanford was a CWU wrestler whose legacy continues to this day, long after his career as a Wildcat. The Joe Sanford Invitational youth wrestling tournament is held every year in Pasco, Washington. Sanford was a 1978 NAIA national champion, the 13th wrestler in school history at the time to accomplish the feat. After wrestling in college, Sanford became an educator, wrestling coach and rodeo clown.

“It’s great to see people continue to feel their passion for the sport they were a part of, and wrestling was his,” Francois said.

2020 CWU Wildcat Gala and Athletic Hall of Fame

CWU Athletics is hosting a gala ceremony to induct the members into the hall of fame on May 2 in the SURC ballroom at 6 p.m. Tickets to the event are $50 in advance and $60 at the door. The ceremony features a live auction and silent auction to raise money towards student athlete scholarships. Deputy Director of Athletics Gary Hyatt said the event is Athletics’ number one fundraiser.

“From a standpoint of a single day event, it tries to be our largest fundraiser event,” Hyatt said.