OMAHA, Neb. – Associate athletic director Mike Kemp was one of three people connected to Omaha Athletics inducted into the Omaha Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday night at the Scott Conference Center.
In addition to Kemp, two-time All-American Chris Bober, who played for the UNO football team from 1995-1999, and Dean Thompson Jr., the all-time leading scorer in UNO basketball history who played for the Mavericks from 1980-1984, also were inducted.
Also at the event, track & field standout Sami Spenner was recognized as the Hall's Sportswoman of the Year for her remarkable accomplishments in setting multiple school and national records in the pentathlon and heptathlon.
Kemp thanked the fmembers of his first team at UNO for buying into the concept of hockey in Omaha, remembering that he started his career as head coach in 1996 with nothing more than a desk and a phone.
During a 12-year tenure as head coach, he guided the Mavericks from a fledgling independent to an established program with one of the best followings in college hockey. UNO has ranked among the nation's college hockey elite in attendance from the start. In 2004-05, Kemp was named the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Coach of the Year, and he was named a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Trophy as national coach of the year three times while guiding UNO. He led the Mavericks to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2006. He was inducted into the Omaha Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.
Chris Bober
Bober came to UNO after a standout high school career at Omaha South. He was a two-time All-American (1998, 1999) at UNO and was also selected as the Offensive Lineman of the Year in Division II as a senior. Bober played five years in the NFL with the New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs, retiring in 2006. He was inducted into the UNO Athletics Hall of Fame that same year.
Dean Thompson
Thompson was an accomplished high school player at Westside High School. He was named First-team Super-State and led the Warriors to a class A State Championship in 1980. At UNO, he became the Mavericks' all-time leading scorer, amassing 1,816 points while playing in 117 consecutive games and leading the team to 81 victories during his career. Nicknamed “The Dream” for his smooth, fluid style, UNO earned three trips to the NCAA Division II tournament. Thompson was named All-North Central Conference in each of those seasons and a second-team All-American. In 1984, he was the Omaha Sportscasters' Association Sportsman of the Year. He was inducted into the UNO Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990.
The three UNO inductees were part of a class of 10 who entered the hall this year.
