2005 Z.G. Clevenger Award Recipients
2005 Winners
Terry Cole, Ron Remak, Dave Martin, John Laskowski
Terry Cole
Terry was an outstanding high school football player, graduating from Mitchell High School. Terry may be one of the best who played at the high-school level. Terry, as you can expect, was heavily recruited by major universities, but Terry saw the light that led to Bloomington to join the Hoosiers under coach Phil Dickens. As Terry will tell you, Ted Smith, a former IU football player and captain of the 1959-60 team, was the leading recruiter who persuaded him to attend Indiana University. Coach John Pont took over the Hoosier football program in 1965 and led the Hoosiers to the Big Ten Championship in 1967 and a trip to the Rose Bowl. Terry was an important member of this team and I can still see the 19-14 win over Purdue and Terry’s two touchdown runs that sealed the trip to Pasadena.
Following graduation, he was drafted by the Baltimore Colts, coached by Don Shula. In Terry’s first year with the Colts, he was named runner-up NFL Rookie of the Year and the Colts enjoyed a trip to Super Bowl III. Terry followed coach Shula to Miami, where he played in Super Bowls VI and VII for the Miami Dolphins. Terry finished his pro career by playing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Following Terry’s pro career he ventured into the chemical business and in 1986 he founded Cole-Chem Corporation, which now has offices in Indianapolis and Los Angeles. Terry was an active supporter of Indiana University and the athletic program and was a member of the I-Men’s Association Board of Directors. He passed away on Nov. 11, 2005.
John J. Laskowski
John (better known as Laz) was recruited to play basketball at Indiana University by coach Bob Knight following an outstanding career at St. Joseph High School in South Bend, Ind. He was a member of coach Knight’s first recruiting class and had an outstanding career playing for Indiana University. He played on three Big Ten championship teams, including the 1975 team which went undefeated during the regular season. John was twice named to the Big Ten All-American Academic team. He was nicknamed “Super Sub” for his ability to come off the bench and spark the team. Following graduation, he was drafted in the NBA by the Chicago Bulls where he played for two years and was named second-team rookie his first year. John is starting his 28th year of covering IU basketball on television for ESPN. He served the Indiana University Alumni Association as vice president of marketing and membership services for nine years. John currently is employed as a vice president of Marsh Affinity Group in Chicago. John is a former I-Men’s Association board member, having served for 18 years. He is also a life member of the Indiana University Alumni Association and a Varsity Club donor.
W. David Martin
Dave came to Indiana University in 1958 to play football for coach Phil Dickens following an outstanding high school career at Bloomington High School. Dave earned his first varsity letter in 1959. Following graduation, he stayed at IU working on his master's degree and was involved in the real estate business in the community. In 1969, Dave joined the IU Foundation and worked on the university’s 150th birthday celebration. Frank Jones, executive director of the Indiana University Alumni Association, hired Dave in 1970 to serve as director of alumni clubs. In 1971, Dave moved to the Varsity Club as its director. At that time, the Varsity Club was under the umbrella of the Alumni Association. In 1976, Dave and the Varsity Club moved to the athletic department. During Dave’s 31 years as Varsity Club director, the annual giving went from $175,000 in 1971 to $7.5 million in 2004. During his tenure as the director of the Varsity Club, Dave was instrumental in forming the Varsity Club National Board of Directors, the point system, the Claude Rich Scholarship Golf Tournament, and the IU Hall of Fame. Dave is currently a member of the I-Men’s Association Board of Directors.
Ronald F. Remak
Ron, a graduate of Bloomington High School South, enrolled at Indiana University in 1975. He received his letter in tennis during the 1976-77 season. He was captain of the tennis team during his senior year. While a student majoring in marketing and advertising, Ron participated as a member of the Indiana University Student Foundation Steering Committee and Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. Following his graduation, he joined Bill C. Brown & Associates and American United Life. Ron has an outstanding career in the insurance and investments industries, receiving numerous awards for his excellence. Following 17 years as an agent, he took over in 1997 as the owner and general agent of Bill C. Brown & Associates. He has served his university as a member of the Indiana University Insurance Committee and is currently president of the National Varsity Club Board of Directors where he is completing a three-year term as president. Under Ron’s leadership, the Varsity Club has continued to excel at raising funds for scholarships for student athletes.