The University of Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame Plaza honors all 24 Husker Athletic programs and the elite student-athletes and coaches who have continued the tradition of excellence at Nebraska.

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Jim Hartung

Jim Hartung

Men's Gymnastics, 2015

Jim Hartung owns the most individual NCAA titles (7) and most All-America (22) accolades of any male student-athlete in the history of Nebraska Athletics and is the only member of the 2015 class to lead his Husker teams to four-straight NCAA Championships from 1979 to 1982. A seven-time NCAA champion, Hartung was the NCAA All-Around champion in 1980 and 1981.  He was a three-time NCAA champion on the still rings and a two-time national champion on the parallel bars. Hartung won two individual titles at the 1980 NCAA Championships, three at the 1981 event and two at the 1982 NCAA Championships. In 1982, Hartung won Nebraska's first Nissen-Emery Award, described as the “Heisman Trophy” of men's gymnastics. In addition to his 11 combined NCAA championships, Hartung was a 22-time All-American. He captured at least five All-America honors every season of his career, including earning All-America recognition in every event at both the 1981 and 1982 NCAA Championships. An 11-time individual conference champion, Hartung also represented the United States as a two-time Olympian. Although he did not compete in the 1980 Olympics due to a U.S. boycott, Hartung was a member of the 1984 squad that won the first men's gymnastics team Gold Medal in U.S. Olympic history. Hartung was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2006, and he is also enshrined in the U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Hartung earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska in 1983 with a major in business administration. He returned to Nebraska as an assistant coach in 2006.

Penny Heyns

Penny Heyns

Women's Swimming and Diving, 2015

Penny Heyns earned multiple All-America accolades all four years of her career as a Nebraska women's swimmer. She capped her career by winning the 1996 NCAA 100-yard breaststroke title, the only NCAA title in program history. In her decorated career, Heyns was a 15-time All-American. She earned a pair of All-America accolades as a freshman at the 1993 NCAA Championships, before earning four All-America awards in each of her final three seasons. Heyns was also a 14-time conference champion who helped Nebraska to three consecutive conference titles. Internationally, Heyns was a three-time Olympian. Mere months after her decorated Husker career ended, Heyns won a pair of Gold Medals in unprecedented fashion at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She became the first woman in Olympic history to win both the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke events at the same games and is the only female Nebraska student-athlete to win an Olympic Gold Medal. She won South Africa's first Gold Medal in 44 years and is South Africa's only double Olympic individual Gold Medalist.  She held a total of 14 individual world records during her career; and more breaststroke world records than any other swimmer in history, male or female. Heyns was named the Female World Swimmer of the Year in 1996 and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Florida in 2007. In her final Olympic appearance in 2000, Heyns took home the Bronze Medal in the 100-meter breaststroke. She won the award again in 1999, after setting 11 world records in a span of three months. During that time, Heyns simultaneously held five of the possible six breaststroke world records, a feat that had never been achieved in the history of swimming.

Jordan Hooper

Jordan Hooper

Women's Basketball, 2024

Jordan Hooper was a three-time All-American as one of the most decorated women’s basketball players in Nebraska history. She was an honorable-mention All-American as a sophomore and junior before a standout senior season. In her final season, Hooper was the 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year, a Wade Trophy Finalist, a Wooden Ward Finalist and a first-team All-American. She finished her career as the No. 2 all-time scorer in program history with 2,357 points. At the conclusion of her career, Hooper owned Nebraska career records for three-pointers (295) and double-doubles (40). Hooper was the only player in Nebraska history and one of just two players in Big Ten history to score 2,300 career points and grab 1,100 career rebounds. Following her career, she ranked sixth on the Big Ten’s all-time scoring list and ninth in rebounds. Hooper led Nebraska to the 2013 NCAA Sweet 16 and to a 2014 Big Ten Tournament title. After an outstanding career at Nebraska, Hooper was the No. 13 overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft. Hooper’s No. 35 jersey was retired in January of 2024. She earned her degree in psychology from the University of Nebraska in 2014.

Dave Hoppen

Dave Hoppen

Men's Basketball, 2017

Dave Hoppen is the all-time leading scorer in the history of Nebraska men's basketball, having amassed 2,167 points in his four-year career. The only 2,000-point scorer in program history, Hoppen scored 233 more points than any other Husker, a notable accomplishment considering Hoppen's career was cut short by a knee injury at Colorado on Feb. 1 of his senior season. Despite the injury, Hoppen still broke or tied 19 Nebraska records and five Big Eight marks during his standout career. He helped the Huskers to 75 wins during his career, including the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1986. Hoppen was a four-time All-Big Eight selection, joining Jerry Fort as the only Huskers to be a three-time first-team all-conference honoree. After being a second-team All-Big Eight pick as a freshman and first-team selection as a sophomore, Hoppen was a unanimous first-team All-Big Eight pick as a sophomore after averaging a school-record 23.5 points per game. One of only two unanimous selections, Hoppen was the only first-team All-Big Eight selection to also earn academic all-conference honors. As a senior in 1986, Hoppen was again honored as a first-team All-Big Eight selection in addition to earning honorable-mention All-America accolades. An Omaha native, Hoppen was the first player in Nebraska basketball history to have his jersey retired, when his No. 42 was enshrined in 1986 as part of his Senior Day. Following his Husker career, Hoppen was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the third round of the 1986 NBA Draft and played six seasons in the NBA. He also represented Team USA at the 1983 U.S. Olympic Festival (bronze medal) and the 1985 World University Games (silver medal).

Christina Houghtelling

Christina Houghtelling

Women's Volleyball, 2022

Christina Houghtelling was the National Player of the Year, a two-time All-American, a two-time Academic All-American and a national champion during her distinguished career as a Nebraska volleyball player. She displayed great perseverance by overcoming injuries throughout her career. Houghtelling missed six weeks as a freshman with an injury and had knee surgery prior to her sophomore season. She returned from the surgery to emerge as the top player in the country as a junior in 2005. That season, she was chosen as the National Player of the Year and a first-team All-American after averaging 3.69 kills, 2.49 digs and 1.03 blocks per set. Houghtelling bumped those averages to 4.00 kills, 2.54 digs and 1.29 blocks per set against top-10 opponents, helping the Huskers to an NCAA runner-up finish. Nebraska would go on to win the national championship in 2006, but Houghtelling had to sit out that season following surgery on both her shoulder and knee. She came back for a fifth season in 2007 and earned second-team All-America honors while being named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. In addition to her accomplishments on the court, Houghtelling was also a standout in the classroom. She was a first-team Academic All-American in both 2005 and 2007, being recognized as an All-American and Academic All-American both seasons. Nebraska posted a 154-12 record during Houghtelling’s five season, won four Big 12 titles and advanced to a pair of NCAA Finals. Houghtelling earned her degree in elementary education from Nebraska in 2007.