The Ohio Sports Hall of Fame will formally introduce 10 former Xavier Musketeers as part of its 2025 induction class in a banquet held at the Dayton Convention Center on Saturday, July 26.
The banquet will also honor members from the 2024 class, which includes former Xavier player and head coach Chris Mack.
The 10 Musketeers in the 2025 class covers former standouts from men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball and Xavier football, which was discontinued after the 1973 season.
Here are the 10 former Musketeers being inducted into the Ohio Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
Football
Dan Abramowicz (1967): A three-year letterwinner at wide receiver for Xavier and a member of the Legion of Honor. Abramowicz, a Steubenville, Ohio native, holds Xavier single-season and career records for receptions and touchdowns.
He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints and was a first-team All-Pro selection in 1969. He later played for the 49ers before retiring in 1974. He once held the NFL record for consecutive games with a catch (105) before it was broken in 1982.
Women’s soccer
Amanda Gruber (1998): She holds the school record for single-season goals (24), career goals (67), single-season points (59) and career points (160). Gruber is also No. 2 in Xavier history in assists (26). She was a third-team All-American and the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in 1997.
A three-time first-team all-conference selection, Gruber helped lead the Musketeers to the Atlantic 10 finals.
Men’s soccer
Nick Hagglund (2014): A Lakota West High School product, Hagglund was a two-time conference player of the year at Xavier, helping anchor a Musketeers’ defense that notched 31 shutouts.
Hagglund helped lead Xavier to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and the program’s first NCAA Tournament win in 2012. He was the 2013 Big East Defensive Player of the Year and an All-American. Hagglund was the 10th overall pick by Toronto FC in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft and won the 2017 MLS Cup.
He has been one of the veteran leaders for FC Cincinnati since 2019.
Men’s basketball
Brian Grant (1994): The Georgetown, Ohio native ranks 11th all-time in Xavier history in scoring (1,719 points) and fourth in rebounds (1,080). He helped lead the Musketeers to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and was the MCC Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons. He was the eighth overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft and played 13 seasons in the NBA.
Tyrone Hill (1990): The first Xavier alum to be selected as a lottery pick and to earn NBA All-Star honors, Hill was a four-year starter for the Musketeers and part of four NCAA Tournament appearances. He was part of Xavier’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win (1987) and Sweet 16 appearance. Hill is Xavier’s all-time leading rebounder (1,380) and fifth in career points (2,003). He played 14 NBA seasons.
Byron Larkin (1988): The longtime Xavier radio analyst, Larkin is the all-time leading scorer in school history. He led Xavier to three MCC Tournament Championships, two MCC regular-season titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances. He scored 29 points in Xavier’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win in 1987. Larkin was a two-time MCC Player of the Year, was named an All-American and earned a spot on the 1987 U.S. Pan Am Team.
Romain Sato (2004): Sato helped lead Xavier to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including the school’s first Elite Eight trip in 2004. Sato was a 2004 AP Honorable Mention All-American along with multiple all-league honors. He is fourth on Xavier’s all-time scoring list (2,005 points) and eighth in rebounds (892). He was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs and later enjoyed a successful career in Europe. He was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2004.
Women’s basketball
Ta’Shia Phillips (2011): The 2009 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and two-time Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, Phillips is Xavier’s all-time leading rebounder (1,552). She had 77 career double-doubles and helped lead Xavier to the Elite Eight in 2010. She was the No. 8 pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft.
Carol Madsen (1994): She was a two-time MCC Player of the Year and the 1993 MCC Tournament MVP. She still holds the Xavier single-game scoring record (46 points) and ranks No. 7 in school history in career points (1,702). She helped lead Xavier to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1993.
Amber Harris (2010): The 2010 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year is the second all-time leading scorer in Xavier history (2,205 points). She was the first Xavier player to be named a State Farm All-American in 2010, an honor she repeated in 2011. Harris also ranks second all-time in Xavier history in rebounds (1,226) and first in blocks (361). She is the highest draft pick in Xavier history, going fourth overall in the 2011 WNBA Draft to Minnesota, where she won a pair of championships (2011, 2013).
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Sports Hall of Fame to honor 11 former Xavier Musketeers in 2025 class
Reporting by Shelby Dermer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
