Football | September 29, 2017

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan Division of Intercollegiate Athletics will induct the 2017 Hall of Fame class on Friday, Sept. 29, at the Fetzer Center. The inductees also will be introduced at the Mid-American Conference home-opening football game vs. Ball State on Sept. 30 at Waldo Stadium at 7 p.m. This week www.wmubroncos.com will take a closer look at each of our inductees:  Allen Hughes (football), Robert Louis (men's track & field), Ron Miller (wrestling), Casey Rost-Danzy (women's basketball), and Laura Stewart (softball).
 
ALLEN HUGHES
Allen Hughes, a fearsome defensive lineman from Detroit, Mich., played Western Michigan from 1978-81. Hughes had his career-best 85 tackles during the 1980 season, which included 16 tackles for loss that ranked third in program history at the time. He as a First Team All-MAC selection in 1980 and 1981 and was later named to the WMU Football All-Century Team. Hughes helped the Broncos to four-straight winning seasons and finished his career with 202 tackles and 30 tackles for loss. He was a 12th round selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1982 NFL Draft and also played professional in the CFL and the USFL.
 
Q & A With ALLEN HUGHES

Q: What was your reaction when you found out you were being inducted?
I was extremely excited and happy. I got the call from Kathy Beauregard to let me know. It was a life-time goal. It's the ultimate honor.

Q: What kind of player were you at WMU?
I played with a lot of intensity and excitement, always trying to make big plays. Getting after the quarterback and making plays was the name of the game. Being effective at eliminating the person in front of you and making your way to the football.

Q: Do you have some favorite memories from your time playing at WMU?
I played at Michigan State and busted a finger on my right hand. I came off the field and the coach asked me what I wanted to do and I said "Tape it up." So we taped it up and went back to play. We didn't win the game but the following Monday I had surgery on my right hand and didn't practice all week. Coach Krasula (the WMU defensive coordinator at the time) said to me, "I thought you were going to play in this game this weekend? A little pinky is going to keep you out of the game?"

So Lee Kermode, our trainer at the time, and our doctor created this pad for me to play with. And it's a little ironic because we played Ball State that game and I get to be inducted at the Ball State game. I had a couple of sacks and tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. It was a great game and I played it basically with one hand because I was trying not to get my finger hit because there was still a pin inside it.

Q: Who were some of the people at Western Michigan that made your time memorable?
The whole University was great. I had a great time athletically and academically. Coach Chuck Comer was very influential. He was that blind-side coach that you always have. He was always giving critiques on how I was playing and what I needed to work on. You hear from the head coach but to hear it from someone else was key.
The whole athletic department was cool. Watching the track team winning, the basketball team winning. I remember when Hal Bates was coaching track and he helped me run my 40-yard dash the right way, keeping my feet straight. Kathy was there as the gymnastics coach at the time. During conditioning we would be running in and out of her area during their practice. Everybody shared space and everybody knew everybody.

Q: Have you kept up with the program since you left?
You always want to go to Homecoming. We have good group from the 70's and the 80's that will tailgate at one or two games a year and then I always watch them when they are on TV. 

Q: What has life been like for you since leaving Western Michigan?
I was drafted by the Steelers and played professionally for the Michigan Panthers in the USFL when they won the Championship in 1983. I was also in camp with the Detroit Lions but I broke my leg and my ankle in the final preseason game.
Professionally I was in pharmaceutical sales, I was a scout for the Detroit Lions for several years and now I'm working with ARK Laboratory selling laboratory services.