DEKALB, Ill. – On Saturday night, April 29, Northern Illinois University Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics Sean T. Frazier unveiled the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017 at the Victor E. Ball, held at the Kenneth and Ellen Chessick Practice Center. The six-member class of 2017 includes: Dee Abrahamson (Softball Head Coach, 1980-94/Athletics Administrator, 1995-2011/NCAA Secretary-Rules Editor, 1996-2015), Steve Azar (Football, 2000-03), Mark Goodson (Men's Gymnastics, 1976-80), Ed Kositzki (Men's Soccer, 1969-71), Angela Lockett (Women's Basketball, 1990-92, 1993-95) and Garrett Wolfe (Football, 2004-06). 

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Friday, Oct. 6, at the Holmes Student Center's Duke Ellington ballroom as part of NIU's 111th Homecoming celebration. Complimentary tickets to the ceremony and cocktail reception will be made available later this summer.

Dee Abrahamson (Softball Head Coach/Athletics Administrator -- Wilmette, Ill./New Trier East)
The winningest coach in NIU softball history, Abrahamson led the Huskies to a remarkable 416-286-5 record over 15 seasons from 1980-94, including a trip to the Women's College World Series in 1988. That 1988 season saw the Huskies reach as high as No. 10 in the national poll while also recording a 16-game winning streak. During her tenure as the head coach of the Huskies, NIU won 30-or-more games seven different times, including a 40-win season in 1993, a mark that still stands as the school record. Following her coaching career, Abrahamson moved into athletics administration at NIU, serving in numerous posts from 1994-2011. In addition to her work at NIU, Abrahamson became the NCAA Softball Secretary Rules editor in 1996, a position she held until 2015. 

Steve Azar (Football -- Colorado Springs, Colo./Highlands Ranch)
NIU's all-time leading scorer, Azar is the only player in NIU football history to earn all-conference honors four times. As a freshman in 2000, Azar not only earned All-MAC honorable mention recognition, but was also named a First Team Freshman All-America by Football News and a Second Team Freshman All-America by The Sporting News. During his sophomore campaign in 2001, Azar was a First Team All-MAC honoree as he set a school-record with 20 field goals made, a mark he would later break during his senior season. An All-MAC Second Team honoree in 2002, Azar closed his career as an All-MAC First Team recipient in 2003, while being named a Lou Groza award semifinalist for the second time in his Huskie career. Azar, who was named one of the "50 Greatest Players in the History of Huskie Stadium" in 2015, finished his outstanding career with 370 points, including 73 field goals made. 

Mark Goodson (Men's Gymnastics -- Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard South)
A two-time All-America on the floor exercise, Goodson was a four-time NCAA qualifier in that event. As a freshman, Goodson qualified for the 1977 NCAA Championships on the floor, taking 12th in the event. The following year, Goodson earned All-America honors for the first time, posting a combined score of 18.90 on the floor to take fourth at the National Championships. As a junior in 1979, Goodson once again posted a combined score of 18.90 at the NCAA finals, tying for fifth-place while earning his second-straight All-America honor. During his senior season, Goodson once again qualified for the NCAA Championships while setting a pair of school record, matching his own mark on the floor of 9.55, first set at the 1979 NCAA Championships, while also tying the NIU record in the vault, posting a score of 9.55.

Ed Kositzki (Men's Soccer – Chicago, Ill./Lindblom)
One of the most prolific scorers in NIU soccer history, Kositzki became just the second All-American in program history when he earned the honor in 1971. The Huskie record-holder for goals in a career (45), season (27) and game (seven, done twice), Kositzki was more than just a goalscorer, as he also ranks fifth in program history with 21 career assists. During his junior season in 1970, Kositzki scored eight goals and tallied four assists, earning NCAA All-Midwest Honorable Mention recognition. The following season, Kositzki's scoring exploded as he scored 27 goals and notched nine assists, leading NIU to a 7-2-1 record. Those numbers helped Kositzki earn Honorable Mention All-America honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, along with being named an All-Midwest Second Team recipient. 

Angela Lockett (Women's Basketball -- Gary, Ind./Horace Mann)
Eighth on NIU's all-time scoring list, Lockett helped guide the NIU women's basketball team to the postseason in each of her four seasons on the court for the Huskies. In addition to her scoring prowess, Lockett led NIU in rebounding for four seasons, closing her career with 1,014 career boards, the third-best mark in school history. As a sophomore in 1991-92, Lockett earned All-North Star Conference Second Team honors, and was the league's tournament MVP, as she averaged 13.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. After redshirting the next season, Lockett earned First Team All-Mid-Continent Conference recognition in 1993-94, as she again averaged better than 13 points and eight rebounds per game. As a senior, Lockett averaged a career-high 15.7 points per contest while earning All-Midwestern Collegiate Conference Second Team honors. She was also named the MCC Tournament MVP in 1995, helping NIU with the conference crown and reach the NCAA Tournament for the third time in her career. 

Garrett Wolfe (Football -- Chicago, Ill./River Grove Holy Cross)
An elusive All-America running back, Wolfe is NIU's all-time leader in career rushing yards (5,164) and rushing touchdowns (52). In 2004, Wolfe burst onto the scene with 1,656 rushing yards, at the time the fourth-best single-season mark in school history, to go along with 18 touchdowns, to earn Honorable Mention All-America recognition from College Football News and CNN/Sports Illustrated. The following season, Wolfe tallied 1,580 yards and once again earned Honorable Mention All-America accolades from College Football News. In 2006, along with his nation-leading 1,928 rushing yards, and 18 touchdowns, Wolfe was named an All-American by numerous outlets, including Third Team honors from the Associated Press, while finishing 11th in the voting for the Heisman Trophy and semifinalist recognition from the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards. A Three-Time First Team All-MAC honoree, Wolfe was named the league's Player of the Year in 2005 by the Columbus Touchdown Club and earned the Vern Smith Leadership Award in 2006. Wolfe went on to be selected by the Chicago Bears in the 2007 NFL Draft, playing four seasons in the league.