April 18, 2018
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The physical education and athletic programs of Bluffton College/Bluffton University were built on a firm foundation largely through the teaching and coaching efforts of Coach Andrew C. Burcky. In 1962, Burcky was inducted into the NAIA Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Joseph, Missouri. A. C. Burcky was named Faculty Emeritus Professor of Physical Education in 1968 (1922-1968). At Homecoming, 1970, the A. C. Burcky addition to Founders Hall was dedicated in his honor. Each year since 1962, the top male senior athlete each year is recognized as the A.C Burcky Award winner.
On March 19, 1987, along with the dedication of the baseball field portion of the new Emery Sears Athletic Complex, Coach Burcky was on hand to throw the first pitch for the opening home game.
"This award is presented annually to the senior athlete who has proven himself to be the most exemplary of all college products. A man who demonstrates correctness in habit and dress and gives evidence of much professional growth, who has won leadership through fellowship that was promoted, and who kept himself loyal to truth and the sacred profession of friendship." A. C. Burcky, taken from the original 1962 plaque.
Ryan Golden (Findlay) has been named the A.C Burcky Award winner for his work in the classroom and on the diamond. He is an accounting and business administration major from Findlay, OH. Golden is active on campus, working as a tutor in the LRC and also as a student ambassador for three years. He has served as J. Denny Beaver, the mascot of Bluffton University Athletics. Ryan was an RA for two years and served on Marbeck Center Board for a year. He also earned the Beaver-Falcon scholarship, a full tuition scholarship to Bowling Green for a Masters in Accounting. Ryan is a two-time Academic All-HCAC award winner and will receive that honor again after this season.
Currently, Ryan is hitting near .300 with 29 hits, seven doubles, and a triple, along with five home runs including three in a doubleheader last week at Manchester. He leads the team with 27 runs batted in and has six stolen bases.
Ryan, who is the son of Kris Hepperly and Joseph Golden, is a perfect example of the total student-athlete who makes the PROGRAM and TEAM better in a variety of different ways.
Coach Grandey had this to say regarding Ryan:
Ryan has exemplified what it means to be a Division III college athlete in his time at Bluffton University. He has been outstanding in the classroom, earning academic all-conference multiple times. Ryan has worked hard to improve himself on the field as play as well. He has spent countless hours in the weight room, as well as in the batting cage, often hitting by himself to improve himself as a player. Ryan always works like he has something to prove, but also has extreme confidence in himself to accomplish whatever he sets his mind to. He has worked very hard in all areas and squeezed all he could out of his college experience at Bluffton.
-BEAVERS-
Courtesy of Bluffton University public relations