2007 inductees

Eldon Schulte '58
Football, basketbll, men's track and field

The powerful Alexander, Iowa farm boy had a colorful athletics career. Schulte lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track at Central and excelled in them all. After hitting .471 he was invited to try out for baseball’s Milwaukee Braves. He later tried out for the All-Army basketball squad. But after coaching two years at Central, Schulte chose football. He signed with the Chicago Bears and later also received offers from the AFL’s New York Titans (Jets) and the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes. He was a member of the taxi squad for the 1963 NFL champions, but was injured during training camp in 1964, ending his career. Schulte returned to Iowa and came back to Central in 1969. He was head baseball coach for nine seasons and was a long-time football assistant, equipment manager and fields caretaker, retiring in 2005. He and his wife Mary have three children who were each athletic standouts at Central.

Lisa Broek '83
Women's track and field

A key contributor to Central’s 1982 NCAA Division III women’s track and field title, Broek was one of the top sprinters in school history. The 1982 women’s meet was the first ever staged by the NCAA The Sioux Center native ran the lead leg of Central’s 1982 and 1983 national championship 4x100 meter relay units and helped the foursome place second at the 1981 AIAW Division III meet while finishing second in the 800 meter medley relay as well. The 4x100 relay’s 1982 title-winning time of 47.43 seconds still stands as a Central record. Broek also placed third in the NCAA 100 meters in 1982. She was part of a Dutch track and field dynasty as the squad rolled up huge margins in winning state AIAW meets in 1980, 1981 and 1982 and the first Iowa Conference women’s track and field meet in 1983. A classroom standout as well, Broek was the first Central female to receive both an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and CoSIDA Academic All-America distinction. She received a master’s degree at the University of Iowa and became associate director of health services at Macalester College (Minn.).

Rich Thomas '87
Football

Thomas anchored one of the stingiest defenses in Central football history. A two-time all-America honoree in the defensive line, Thomas was the 1985 Iowa Conference MVP and a three-time first-team all-league selection. He helped lead Central to three straight conference titles and two NCAA Division III playoff trips, reaching the Stagg Bowl in 1984 and the national semifinals in 1985. The Dutch won his final 24 regular-season games. Central’s 1985 defense was especially dominant, never yielding more than 14 points in a game and posting four shutouts. Winner of the team’s O’Donnell Award as outstanding freshman, Lankelma Award as outstanding underclassman and Heerema-Schilder Blanket as team MVP, the Eddyville native became an elementary school principal at Martensdale-St. Marys and is now a middle school teacher in Pleasantville.