NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, we will be unable to webcast tonight's Hall of Fame ceremony. We apologize for the inconvenience.

MINNEAPOLIS -- As part of Augsburg College's Homecoming week, eight individuals will be inducted into the college's Athletic Hall of Fame, and two others will be honored with awards for athletic service, during the 2015 Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony, to be held on Thursday (10/8) at the Hoversten Chapel.

Inductees are: Luther Bakken '72 (track and field/football), Barb Blomberg '87 (women's basketball/volleyball), Scot Davis '74 (wrestling), Jeff Kaeppe '95 (football), Kerri Kangas '98 (softball/volleyball), Paul Meissner '78 (men's basketball), Mike Pfeffer '92 (wrestling) and Peter Rutili '95 (men's hockey). In addition, Wayzata High School football coach Brad Anderson '88 (football) will be honored with the college's Excellence in Coaching Award, and longtime broadcaster Tom Witschen will receive the Distinguished Athletic Service Award.

The ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a reception in the Christensen Center, with the ceremony to start at 7 p.m., at the Hoversten Chapel in the Foss Center. For more information, contact the Augsburg Athletics office at 612-330-1249.

Here are biographies of each of Thursday's honorees.

LUTHER BAKKEN '72 (Track and Field/Football) -- Bakken was a standout thrower for the Augsburg track and field teams of the late 60s and early 70s, while also playing football his first two years at Augsburg. Bakken graduated as the school record-holder in the shot put and discus and remains the school record-holder in the outdoor shot put with a throw of 50-feet, 9-inches. His shot put record, set in 1972, is the second-oldest record on the Augsburg men's track and field record list. Bakken graduated from Augsburg with honors, earning a degree in economics and finance, and went on to earn his MBA from the University of Memphis in 1980. He has worked for several companies in the finance industry, including Cargill, Bemis, Tennessee Textiles and the Louisville Bank for Cooperatives/CoBank. Since 2008, he has owned his own agribusiness consulting firm, Agri Financial Consulting LLC. He has also served his church as a deacon and adult Bible teacher, while also taking four evangelistic mission trips to Cuba. Since 2012, he has served as a board member and volunteer for the Hopeful Hearts Foundation, which supports orphans and at-risk children throughout the world. Luther and his wife Karen will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary next year. They have two children, Leigh and Luke; and four grandchildren, Jack, Alex, Walt and Cate, and live in Louisville, Kentucky.

BARB BLOMBERG '87 (Women's Basketball/Volleyball) -- Blomberg finished her career as one of the best players in Augsburg women's basketball history. One of only six players to score 1,000 points or more in program history, she currently sits fifth on the career scoring list with 1,023 points, a 10.4 points per-game average. Her 788 career rebounds (8.0 per-game) is third-most in school history, and her 213 career assists are seventh-most. Blomberg also ranks in the top 10 in school history in career free throws made, rebounds per-game and career field goals made. She has two of the top-10 single-season rebounding totals in school history, and her 23 rebounds in a 1984-85 game against Hamline is tied for third-best in a single game ever. She also played volleyball for four seasons at Augsburg, and served as team captain in both sports. Blomberg received her bachelor's degree in elementary education and physical education in 1987, and later earned her master's degree in education from Saint Mary's University. She was a teacher and coach at the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, where she earned trips to the state tournament three times in volleyball, while earning Section 4A Coach of the Year honors. Blomberg also started the girls' golf program and was an assistant basketball coach at Holy Angels. She currently is a middle school math teacher in Princeton, Minnesota, where she now resides. She also coaches high school golf and middle school volleyball and basketball in Princeton.

SCOT DAVIS '74 (Wrestling) -- Davis transferred to Augsburg after attending his first year at Normandale Community College and became a standout middleweight wrestler, earning All-American honors with a sixth-place finish at 177 pounds at the NAIA National Championships in 1973. Davis was a team captain his senior season for an Auggie squad that had lost just four dual meets in a four-season span. After earning his bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Augsburg, he earned master's degrees from both Minnesota and St. Thomas. He taught health and physical education for 35 years at several high schools, while earning a reputation as one of the best high school wrestling coaches in the nation. Since 1977, teams he coached have more than 1,000 dual meets, the most of any high school wrestling coach in the country. His teams at Owatonna won Minnesota state championships in 1998 and 2005, and he earned State Class AAA Coach of the Year honors after the second title. He earned National Coach of the Year honors twice, by the National High School Coaches Association in 1998 and in 2007 by Wrestling USA Magazine in 2007. He has earned numerous state and national awards during his career, including the Master of Wrestling Award by Wrestling USA Magazine in 2009, the Bob Dellinger Award for wrestling writing in 1986, and the Wrestling USA Magazine Minnesota Man of the Year in 2004. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame-Minnesota Chapter in 2014.  Davis and his wife, Mary, have been married for 38 years and have three children, Alyssa, Ashley and Colin; and two grandchildren, Taylan and Lillian. Davis lives in Owatonna, Minnesota and is currently the wrestling head coach at Eden Prairie High School.

JEFF KAEPPE '95 (Football) -- Kaeppe was an All-MIAC first-team wide receiver and preseason All-American selection on the Auggie football teams of the mid-90s. He was a two-time team Most Valuable Player and, until it was broken last year, held the school record for longest reception -- a 90 yard catch from Pete Kutches in a game against St. Olaf in 1992 -- and sits third all-time in school history in receiving touchdowns in a career, with 28. At the conclusion of his senior year, he was invited to play in the NCAA Division III All-Star Game. Kaeppe lists his greatest athletic highlight at Augsburg as playing the University of St. Thomas in 1992 with his brother Josh, and beating the Tommies 37-7. Kaeppe graduated from Augsburg with a degree in psychology, and for the past 19 years has worked for Starkey Hearing Technologies. He enjoys spending time with his family, watching sports and golfing. He and his wife, Tay, reside in Big Lake, Minnesota with their two children, Dani and Cole.

KERRI KANGAS '98 (Softball/Volleyball) -- Kangas completed her Augsburg career as one of the top softball pitchers in program history. She was a first-team All-MIAC selection in 1997 and 1998 and is currently the Augsburg career leader in games pitched and innings pitched. She finished tied for second all-time with 47 wins and fewest walks with 87, while sitting fifth in school history in shutouts and with 214 career strikeouts. She pitched more than 30 of the team's 40 games in her final three seasons -- posting a career-high 17 wins in 1998. Kerri's greatest highlight during her Auggie years was the friendships and memories she made and the fun that was had. Kangas graduated from Augsburg with a degree in business administration-accounting and went on to earn her MBA from the University of St. Thomas. For the past 17 years, she has been employed by RBC Wealth Management. After graduation, Kerri has remained very active, completing six marathons, a handful of half-marathons and sprint marathons and twice completed a 500-mile biking event from St. Paul to Chicago. She thanks her coaches, Carol Enke and Pam Schreurs, for making her run so much during her playing days. Kerri and her wife Shannon reside in Andover, Minnesota with their daughters, Savannah and Kailey.

PAUL MEISSNER '78 (Men's Basketball) -- Meissner was one of the top players in the history of the Augsburg men's basketball program. He is one of only 18 players in Augsburg men's basketball history to score more than 1,000 career points. and one of only five players to pull down more than 725 rebounds. Paul is currently the school record holder in career games played, with 114, and sits fourth all-time in single-season free throw percentage at 87.5 percent. Meissner was an All-MIAC selection in 1977-78 and was part of three MIAC championship teams, including the 1976-77 team that advanced to the NAIA National Tournament. Paul graduated from Augsburg with a major in education. He has spent most of his career working in the credit and collections field, while working with two large medical device companies in the Twin Cities. Meissner was a long-time member of the NACM of KC - Medical Group for over 25 years and was a member of their Executive Board. After college, Paul was active in competitive softball, volleyball and senior baseball. Paul and his wife, Leslie, reside in Plymouth, Minnesota, and have two grown children and four grandchildren.

MIKE PFEFFER '92 (Wrestling) -- Pfeffer was one of the top lightweight wrestlers in school history. Mike was an MIAC champion, two-time conference runner-up, and earned All-American honors in 1992 with an eighth-place at the 126-pound weight class. During his Auggie career, he was a member of teams that finished with an overall dual meet record of 58-2, including three consecutive years that the team did not lose a dual match. Pfeffer was a member of Augsburg's first NCAA National Championship team in 1991 and was captain of the 1992 team that finished as NCAA Division III runner-up. He finished his career with 123 victories, including a then-school-record 49 pins and 120 near-falls. In addition to his accolades on the mat, Mike was selected as Augsburg's Men's Honor Athlete in 1992. Mike graduated from Augsburg with a major in biology, and went on to receive his Doctor of Chiropractic in 1996 from Northwestern Chiropractic in Bloomington. Mike and his brother Peter established a chiropractic practice, which has been successful for more than 19 years and is now affiliated with Healthsource Chiropractic and Progressive Rehab, one of the top franchises in all of health care. Shortly after returning to Alexandria, Mike joined the Alexandria Fire Department and has completed 17 years as a volunteer fireman. Mike and his family enjoy hunting, fishing, lake activities and attending sporting events in which his sons participate. Mike and his wife Heather, reside in Alexandria, Minnesota with their three sons, MacKenin, Teagan and Treyton.

PETE RUTILI '95 (Men's Hockey) -- Rutili was one of the top forwards in Augsburg men's hockey history. Playing for coach Ed Saugestad, Peter earned All-MIAC honors in 1994 and 1995 and All-MIAC honorable mention honors in 1992 and 1993, and was selected as Team Rookie of the Year and team MVP twice. He was a member of teams that made the playoffs three of his four years at Augsburg. Rutili's teams finished with double-digit win totals in each of his four seasons, including an 11-4-2 mark in conference play his senior season. Peter remembers his greatest athletic highlight being every time his team beat St. Thomas on home ice. Upon graduation from Augsburg, Peter played one year of minor professional hockey in the East Coast Hockey League. After graduating from Augsburg with a major in psychology and minor in communications, he began his business career in sales. In his spare time, he coached high school and club hockey. Rutili's business career took him from Minneapolis to Dallas and Orange County, California, before returning to his hometown of Chicago. In 2009, he was able to combine his business experience with his passion for hockey and transitioned into his current rule as a partner and player agent with Acme World Sports, presenting professional hockey players from all over the world.  Peter and his wife Susan, reside in Winfield, Illinois with their daughters, Ryen, Kathryn and Olivia, and will be welcoming their fourth child in late November.

EXCELLENCE IN COACHING AWARD
BRAD ANDERSON '88 (Football) -- Anderson has had a distinguished high school football coaching career. Anderson is in his 17th season as head coach of the Wayzata High School football team, where he has earned three Minnesota State Class 5A championships and two state runner-up honors. Entering the 2015 season, Anderson's coaching record is 150 and 37, an .802 winning percentage. He has earned multiple coach of the year honors on the state and conference level, and was selected as the Metro head coach in the Minnesota All-Star Game in 2002. Prior to coming to Wayzata, he began his coaching career at Henry Sibley High School, where he served as both an Assistant Coach and Offensive Coordinator. He's had four former Wayzata players advance to the NFL ranks -- Marion Barber III, Dominique Barber, James Laurinaitis and A.J. Tarpley. In addition to his coaching duties, Anderson currently serves as an administrator in the Wayzata School District. Brad graduated from Augsburg with a major in Biology and later went on to earn his Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of St. Thomas and an Administrative License from Saint Mary's University. Brad and his wife Maari reside in Plymouth, Minnesota and have two daughters, Barrett and Isabelle.

DISTINGUISHED ATHLETIC SERVICE AWARD
TOM WITSCHEN (Broadcasting) -- Witschen has spent more than 40 years as a sports broadcaster in the Midwest, including nearly 20 years as the "Voice of the Auggies," broadcasting Augsburg football, volleyball, basketball, hockey and baseball over the air and online. Over his four decades as a broadcaster, he has worked with numerous colleges and high schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin, broadcasting more than 4,000 games -- including more than 1,000 Augsburg contests. In 2007, Witschen was inducted into the Minnesota State High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame, and in 2013, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honored him with the Mike Augustin Award, given by the conference's sports information directors to an member of the media or media relations staff member for their outstanding contributions to the conference. He was just the third play-by-play broadcaster to receive the Mike Augustin Award, and the first individual with a primary association with Augsburg to receive the honor. Witschen, who survived a bout with Hogdkin's disease in 2005, lives in Maplewood, Minnesota.