Sleight and two teams to be inducted into Olivet College Athletic Hall of Fame

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College Athletic Hall of Fame will officially welcome football standout Travis Sleight, and the 1974 football and 1971-72 men’s basketball teams during Homecoming weekend in October. The ceremony will take place inside The Cutler Event Center, as part of the college’s Alumni Awards Celebration Oct. 7. They will also be recognized the next day prior to the football game vs. Kalamazoo College.

Travis Sleight ’06 was a four-year letterwinner on the football team. He earned first-team All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) honors in 2004 and 2005. Sleight is Olivet’s all-time leader in touchdowns scored in a game (seven), season (20) and career (51). He was named the MIAA Offensive Player of the Week after scoring seven touchdowns in Olivet’s 58-35 win over Albion College on Nov. 11, 2004. Sleight ended his career in a Comet uniform with 2,814 rushing yards, 820 receiving yards, 50 punt return yards and 656 kickoff return yards for 4,340 all-purpose yards. His 2,814 rushing yards currently ranks third all-time at Olivet.

Sleight also excelled in the classroom during his time at Olivet. He earned a bachelor’s degree in health, physical education, recreation and sport. Sleight was a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® selection and a three-time first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV pick. He was also named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll all four years. Sleight received both the MIAA’s Pete Schmidt Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award for being the top football student-athlete in 2005 and Al Deal Male Scholar-Athlete Award for being the top senior male student-athlete in 2006.

A native of Battle Creek, he now lives in Augusta, and is a teacher in the Kalamazoo Public Schools and serves as an assistant coach on the Galesburg-Augusta High School football team. He and his wife, Leah, have a three-year-old daughter, Ava.

Under the leadership of head coach Doug Kay, the 1974 football team won an outright MIAA title with a 5-0 record versus conference teams. The team finished the year with a 7-2 overall record. Running back Tim E. Baker was named the MIAA’s Most Valuable Player, and 10 other players -- Bob Bacon, Tim A. Baker, Eric Boucher, Dave Burland, Jim Chapin, Rick Corser, Jim Crocker, Ken Nowaske, Rick Smith and Bill Ziem -- joined him in earning first-team All-MIAA honors.

Under the tutelage of head coach Gary Morrison, the 1971-72 men’s basketball team captured the MIAA title with a perfect 12-0 record against league opponents. The Comets had a 22-1 overall record, with their only loss being a 107-96 setback in the season-opener against Lake Superior State University. Mike Maciasz was selected as the MIAA’s Most Valuable Player and Rick Clack joined him on the All-MIAA first-team.