OMAHA, Neb. – Omaha Athletics will welcome five inductees into the UNO Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2024.
The induction will be held on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the UNO Alumni Association’s Honors Brunch held at the Thompson Alumni Center. The inductees will be recognized at the Omaha hockey game later in the evening on Nov. 9 at Baxter Arena with the opening faceoff set for 7:07 p.m. CT.
This year’s class includes Mitch Albers (men’s basketball), Mike Denney (wrestling head coach), Dan Ellis (hockey), Zach Miller (football) and Lindsey Slocum-Robertson (softball).
“The impact of the 2024 Athletics Hall of Fame class is truly immeasurable,” said Vice Chancellor / Director of Athletics Adrian Dowell. “These inductees serve as incredible examples to our Maverick student-athletes and as an inspiration to our institution. We are incredibly grateful for their contributions to the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and we look forward to celebrating their careers during homecoming weekend.”
MITCH ALBERS
Men’s Basketball
Mitch Albers is the first Maverick men’s basketball player inducted into the Omaha Athletic Hall of Fame since Dean Thompson Jr. in 1990. Albers was a four-year letterwinner for UNO, lettering from 2007-09 and 2010-12. He finished his career as the No. 2 scorer in program history with 1,790 points, just 26 shy of all-time leader Thompson.
As a senior, Albers averaged 18.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and one steal per game. It was the Mavericks’ first year as a Division I program. Albers ranked 36th among Division I scorers that season and was named a first-team All-Independent selection by College Sports Madness. He also was third-team All-MIAA. His career totals place him third all-time for field goals made (633) and fourth in 3-pointers (187). At the conclusion of his career he also ranked 19th all time for assists (230).
He had five 3-pointers and 26 points in a win over Northern Illinois, UNO’s first-ever over a fellow Division I opponent. His career high for points was 31 against Avila.
Albers started his UNO career in 2007 and played in all 32 games that season. As a sophomore, he ranked second on the team in scoring at 15.7 points per game. He was named honorable mention All-MIAA recognition in 2008-09. Albers then transferred to Nebraska. However, he returned to UNO in the spring semester and sat out the season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. He resumed his Maverick career in 2010-11, averaging 17.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2 assists per game.
Albers came to UNO from Papillion-La Vista High School, where he was named captain of the Omaha World-Herald all-state team as a senior when he averaged 23.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3 assists per game. He finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,357 points. His brother Tyler played basketball for UNO from 2007 to 2009.
He is the sixth men’s basketball player to be inducted into the UNO Athletic Hall of Fame.
MIKE DENNEY
Wrestling
Mike Denney is the most accomplished coach in the history of UNO Athletics. He led the program from 1979 until it was discontinued in 2011 when UNO transitioned to Division I. At UNO, he compiled a record of 314-111-5 with seven national championships. Twice his teams won three consecutive national titles (2004-06; 2009-11).
Denney coached 181 NCAA Division II All-Americans, 33 NCAA Division II National Champions and four NCAA Division I All-Americans. Three of his wrestlers were selected Outstanding Wrestler in the NCAA II National Tournament.
His teams were outstanding in the classroom, too. The 2004-05 Mavs were Academic National Champions, the first time a team had won the academic and team championships in the same year. Four of Denney’s wrestlers were NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship Winners and 104 were selected to the NCAA Division II All-Academic wrestling team.
Denney’s honors include InterMat NCAA Wrestling Coach of the Year (2011); NCAA Division II Wrestling Coach of the Year (1981,1991, 2009); and Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year (2006). He has been inducted into seven halls of fame.
Denney earned an MS in physical education from UNO in 1974. The university awarded him the UNO Chancellor’s Medal in 2000 in honor of significant contributions to the university. The UNO College of Education, Health and Human Sciences gave him its Distinguished Alumni Award in 1999, and the UNO Alumni Association its Citation for Alumni Achievement Award in 2006.
Prior to joining UNO Denney coached at Omaha South and Omaha Bryan high schools. Before that the Neligh, Neb., native was a four-year starter in football and wrestling at Dakota Wesleyan University.
After UNO, he became the inaugural head coach at the University of Maryville. He retired from there in 2023 with a record of 72-53.
Denney joins 12 of his former wrestlers inducted into the UNO Athletic Hall of Fame.
DAN ELLIS
Hockey
A goaltender, Dan Ellis played three seasons for the Mavericks, from 2000 to 2003. As a sophomore, he reset the UNO hockey record books with a 2.42 goals against average and .919 save percentage and became the first Maverick goaltender to reach 1,000 saves in a season (1,098), still a UNO record. That made him the first Maverick goaltender to earn postseason honors by being named to the CCHA All-Rookie Team. The following season, he was named CCHA Defensive Player of the Week three consecutive weeks, the first time that happened in league history.
In his final year, he set the single-game record for saves with 53 against Ohio State. He also has the season record for wins with 21 as a freshman, and set standards for games (40) and minutes played (2,404) as a sophomore.
He ranks first on the UNO career list in games (118) and minutes (6,900) played and is second all-time for career saves (3,125), save percentage (.910), goals-against average (2.69), wins (53) and shutouts (7).
In 2002 he was named CCHA Second Team All-Conference and was CCHA Academic Honorable Mention.
Ellis had been selected in the second round (60th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the by Dallas Stars. He left UNO for Dallas after his junior campaign. On Feb. 18, 2004, he became the first former Maverick to play in an NHL game, making 25 saves in a win against the Los Angeles Kings. Ellis played in 212 NHL games, also for Nashville, Tampa Bay, Anaheim, Carolina and Florida. He finished with a career record of 87-79, a 2.79 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Today he is a goaltending scout for the Chicago Blackhawks.
He is the fifth hockey player to be inducted into the UNO Athletic Hall of Fame.
ZACH MILLER
Football
Zach Miller was a three-sport athlete at Bishop Neumann High School in Wahoo, Nebraska, earning all-state honors in basketball and leading the football team to the Class C-1 state championship in 2002. He attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a redshirt walk-on, but transferred to UNO in December 2004. He played four years for UNO, becoming one of the all-time Maverick greats. Miller finished as UNO’s all-time leader in points (306) and touchdowns (51). He also finished No. 2 in career total offense (7,218 yards) and rushing (3,122 yards). He set single-season standards in TDs (19) and points (114) and had the fourth-best season for total offense (2,569 yards). He set the record for completion percentage in a single game (.895) and had the fifth-most rushing yards in a single game (239).
Miller was named all-North Central Conference in 2006 and 2007 and was second-team all-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics in 2008. In 2006 he was named NCC Offensive MVP and was a regional finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy. At UNO, he received the Brad Beckman award for offensive excellence in 2006 and 2007. During his four years, the Mavericks had a combined record of 33-11 with three NCC championships and four NCAA playoff appearances.
Following his UNO career, he played in the 2009 Division II All-Star Game, the Valero Cactus Bowl — but as a tight end. Jacksonville drafted him in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played three seasons for the Jaguars followed by a brief stint with Tampa Bayu before joining the Chicago Bears in 2014. He had his most success in Chicago, playing four seasons before his career ended with a knee injury in 2017. He finished his NFL career with 146 receptions for 1,631 yards and 15 TDs.
LINDSEY SLOCUM-ROBERTSON
Softball
Lindsey Slocum-Robertson was a four-year letter winner for the UNO softball team and a two-time Louisville Slugger/NFCA First Team All-American. She left her mark in the Maverick record book as both an outfielder and a pitcher.
She came to UNO from Omaha Marian High School, where she was a first-team all-state selection as a pitcher and outfielder. She redshirted at UNO in 2007, then was a regular fixture in the UNO lineup the next four seasons, starting 221 of 225 career games.
Slocum-Robertson ranks second all-time with 54 career doubles, fourth all-time in career RBI with 153 and total bases (363) and is tied for ninth all-time with 27 career home runs. She finished with a career batting average of .318 in 226 career games. As a pitcher, Slocum-Robertson struck out 480 batters, fifth most on the UNO career list. She finished with a 2.03 ERA while putting together a career record of 52-12 with four saves in 444.2 innings. She ranks 10th all-time in wins. She averaged 7.56 strikeouts per game during her career which is first all-time.
Playing under Coach Jeanne Scarpello, Slocum-Robertson helped the Mavericks make the NCAA Division II playoffs all four years. Those teams had a combined mark of 186-54 and won MIAA regular season championships in 2010 and 2011. She was named an NFCA All-America first-team selection both those seasons. She also was a three-time first-team NFCA all-region selection.
Since 2012 she has been a personal softball coach.
She is the 11th softball player to be inducted into the UNO Athletic Hall of Fame.
