Four individuals will be inducted into the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday, Feb. 10 as the Class of 2024. Raitis Grafs ’03, Jon Robisch ’64, Jordan Rutkowski ’12, and Ozzie Young ’96 comprise the 26^th class in Hall of Fame history.

Grafs was a standout men’s basketball player, earning First Team All-Mid-Continent Conference honors three times. Upon graduation, he held Valpo’s career blocked shots record (228) while also ranking second in rebounding (841) and fourth in scoring (1,621) — today, he ranks second in blocked shots, fourth in rebounds and sixth in scoring. He owns three of the top-seven single-season blocked shot totals in program history and set the then-program record with a Mid-Con best 67 blocks as a sophomore in 2000-01.

In his four years, he helped Valpo to 88 victories, three Mid-Con regular season titles, two Mid-Con tournament titles and two trips to the NCAA Tournament. Grafs, who represented his native Latvia at the senior national team level, played for over a decade professionally in Europe following his graduation and was a FIBA EuroStar in 2007.

Robisch was a two-sport standout, representing Valpo both on the diamond and on the hardwood in the 1960s. His tenure on campus was highlighted by his selection as a Second Team All-American and Indiana Collegiate Conference Baseball Player of the Year as a junior in 1963. A three-time All-ICC selection at pitcher, Robisch helped lead Valpo to two ICC regular season championships and a pair of NCAA Tournament berths. He ranks second in program history in career strikeouts (294) and 10^th in career wins (16), while his 1962 strikeout total of 113 ranks fourth on Valpo’s single-season chart today.

Robisch played three seasons of basketball as well and ranks fifth in program history in rebounds/game (8.7). His average of 10.3 rebounds/game as a senior in 1963-64 still ranks eighth in program single-season history today. Following his graduation, Robisch played four seasons of minor league baseball in the Chicago Cubs organization, advancing as high as AAA with the Tacoma Cubs in 1967.

Rutkowski capped a stellar career on the softball diamond with one of the most prolific seasons in Valpo Athletics history as a senior in 2012. Rutkowski was a First Team All-Horizon League honoree, earned NFCA Second Team All-Region accolades, tabbed one of 25 finalists for the 2012 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award and was named Batter of the Horizon League Tournament. She set eight Valpo single-season records — five of which she still holds today — and ranked among the top-30 nationally in five different statistics. Rutkowski helped lead Valpo to the winningest season in program history, Horizon League regular season and tournament championships and the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth that year.

Rutkowski was a three-time All-Horizon League honoree, as she earned First Team honors as well as a junior in 2011 after picking up a Second Team award in 2010. She ranks among Valpo’s all-time top-five in 11 offensive career categories and still holds the program’s career records today for RBIs (163 — 29 more than second), total bases (376) and home runs.

Young was a three-time All-Pioneer Football League honoree on the gridiron, as he was named First Team All-PFL as a senior in 1995 after previously twice earning Second Team accolades. He ranks fifth all-time at Valpo in career points scored (174) and 10^th in rushing yards (1,678), and also holds three of the top-four single-season all-purpose yard totals in program history. Young scored 11 touchdowns as a senior in 1995, including a four-touchdown effort against Saint Xavier which matched the program’s single-game records for touchdowns and points scored.

A six-time PFL Player of the Week, Young ranks third in league history in career all-purpose yards per game. He led the PFL in punt return average in 1993 and in kickoff return average in 1994. Young was honored as Sports Illustrated National Offensive Player of the Week in October 1994 after rushing for 226 yards, tallying 103 receiving yards and scoring three touchdowns in a Valpo victory over Evansville.

The Hall of Fame induction will take place as part of the inaugural All-Sports Reunion weekend Feb. 9-10, 2024. The induction luncheon is slated for midday on Saturday, Feb. 10, and the inductees will be honored at that afternoon’s men’s basketball game as well. Further details about the induction luncheon and registration information will be available in the coming weeks.