As part of its Reunion Weekend activities, Muhlenberg inducted Gary Spengler ’65, Matt German ’87 and the late Helene Hospodar into its Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, June 4.

Spengler put up big numbers as a small (5-foot-8) guard for the Muhlenberg basketball teams of the early 1960s. He scored 1,113 career points, which ranked fifth in team history at the time of his graduation and is now 19th, and averaged 14.1 points per game. Spengler earned All-Middle Atlantic Conference South honors his final two seasons, making the second team as a junior after averaging 17.6 points.

It was during the 1963-64 season that Spengler, currently an area basketball referee, put on his two most memorable performances, two nights apart. On Feb. 6, he scored 40 points against Temple in one of the last games at Memorial Hall against a “big-time” Division I program (Muhlenberg was in the process of moving to Division III). The 40-point effort, which has been topped only five times in school history, prompted legendary Temple coach Harry Litwack to walk the length of the court and shake Spengler’s hand. Two days later, Spengler set a school record that still stands by making all 17 of his free-throw attempts against Scranton.

German also was an outstanding shooting guard, scoring 1,560 points (fourth in school history) and averaging 15.3 points per game. He averaged at least 18 points and was first-team All-ECAC South and All-MAC Southwest both his junior and senior seasons. He earned second-team All-District honors as a junior.

German’s senior season was the first for the three-pointer in college basketball, and he immediately incorporated the trey into his game, sinking 51 to establish a mark that would not be topped for eight years. German set a still-standing school record with eight three-pointers in a 34-point effort against Dickinson.

German also was instrumental in turning around a Muhlenberg program that had won only 30 games in the four years prior to his arrival. The Mules went 64-38 during his career, capturing MAC Southwest titles in 1985 and 1986.

Hospodar was one of the true pioneers of women’s athletics at Muhlenberg, serving as head coach of field hockey, women’s basketball, women’s lacrosse and club softball; cheerleading advisor; women’s intramurals coordinator and physical education instructor. She was hired by Muhlenberg to coach women’s basketball in 1962, just five years after the College went co-educational. She coached the basketball team until 1976, compiling an outstanding 87-45 (.659) record.

It was in field hockey that Hospodar truly made her mark, however, coaching from 1976 to 1990. The Mules were 109-59-17 (.635) during her tenure, earning rankings in the national top 10 numerous times. From 1980 to 1990, Muhlenberg made five appearances in the MAC playoffs, winning the championship in 1989. Hospodar’s team received a bid to the NCAA Tournament that year, the only one on program history.

Hospodar retired from Muhlenberg in 1997 and passed away last September.