Coaching legends, football greats headline 2020 CMU Hall of Fame class
Central Michigan women's basketball coach, Sue Guevara, celebrates after cutting the net down following a win over Western Michigan on March 6. at McGuirk Arena. The Chippewas clinched a share of the MAC regular season title with the victory.
Six of Central Michigan's best coaches and student-athletes have been inducted to the CMU Athletics Hall of Fame in the Class of 2020.
Sue Guevara, Margo Jonker, Dan LeFevour, Katie Simon, Joe Staley and Tyler Stovall were all named to the class, the department announced on Aug. 24.
Sue Guevara, women's basketball
Guevara, the head coach for the Chippewas' women's basketball team for 12 seasons, made the NCAA Tournament three times under her guidance, including the run to the Sweet 16 in 2018 when the Chippewas upset No. 24-ranked LSU and 10th-ranked Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.
Guevara retired from coaching in 2019 as the program's winningest coach with a 231-156 record and won the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year honors three times (2016, 2018, 2019).
During Guevara's time at CMU, her teams won five MAC West Division titles, three MAC regular-season championships and two MAC Tournament titles.
Including the three NCAA Tournament bids, Guevara led the Chippewas to eight postseason tournaments.
Margo Jonker, softball
Jonker, the long-time softball coach for CMU, brought the program from the ground up in her 39 seasons at the helm.
Jonker had a 1,268-808-7 record, the best in MAC history and ninth all-time in NCAA Division I, while leading the Chippewas to 13 NCAA Tournaments, 10 MAC Tournament and regular-season titles and an appearance in the Women's College World Series and AIAW National Championship.
Jonker represented CMU while serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic softball team, which won the gold medal in the 2002 games in Sydney, Australia. She also was involved with USA Softball's top international teams and served as an assistant coach for the gold medal-winning team at the 1998 World Championships in Japan.
Now, Jonker is a member of seven halls of fame: National Fastpitch Coaches Association (inducted in 2003), Grand Valley State University (1990), Michigan Amateur Softball (2000), West Ottawa High School (2001), Metro Detroit Amateur Softball Association (2014) and Mid-American Conference (2020) and CMU Athletics (2020).
In 2008, the softball facility was named Margo Jonker Stadium to honor the legendary coach.
Dan LeFevour, football
LeFevour was a four-year starter at quarterback for the Chippewas and his name is toward the top of most offensive categories in the record book.
In his four years, the Chippewas had a 38-17 record and won three MAC Championships (2006, 2007, 2009). LeFevour was also a All-MAC First Team honoree three times and was All-MAC Second Team once. He is one of two players to earn all-conference honors all four years.
LeFevour remains the all-time leader in total touchdowns with 150 (102 passing, 47 rushing, one receiving) in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision history and ranks third in Division I with 15,833 total yards of offense.
In terms of records, LeFevour still holds the MAC career records for total offense, passing yards, touchdown passes completions and attempts. He also holds 11 school career and single-season records.
Katie Simon, gymnastics
In her career at CMU, Simon racked up seven MAC individual championships. She won four -- all-around, vault, bars and floor -- at the 2009 MAC Championships. She won the other three in the all-around, vault and floor in 2010 and was named MAC Senior Gymnast of the Year on Chippewas' way to the MAC team title.
Simon was an All-MAC honoree three times and was named MAC Freshman of the Year in 2007 and helped CMU win the MAC regular-season title.
Simon qualified for Regionals in 2009 and 2010 individually and helped lead CMU to team Regional appearances in those years.
As it stands, Simon's career-best scores in the all-around, vault and bars are still in the top 10 in school history.
Joe Staley, football
Staley, an offensive tackle for the Chippewas, made 47 appearances, including 11 as a tight end his freshman year, and led the team to the 2006 MAC title and first bowl win as its captain.
After earning First Team All-MAC honors in his senior year, San Francisco took Staley with the No. 28 pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. At the time, he was the highest Chippewa selected.
Staley went on to play 13 seasons with the 49ers and was voted to the Pro Bowl five times, named All-Pro three times and played in two Super Bowls. Staley retired from the NFL in April.
Tyler Stovall, baseball
In 2007 alone, Stovall was named Third Team All-America by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Collegiate Baseball on top of earning MAC Player of the Year.
Stovall was twice named All-MAC and in 2007 earned All-Mideast Region honors from the ABCA and earned several academic honors in 2007 and 2008.
With 88 hits in 2007, Stovall remains fourth-highest in program history. His six runs and four doubles remain a CMU record in a single game. Stovall ranked eighth in school history with 39 doubles and 10th with 203 hits and 292 total bases.
