MONTGOMERY — The WVU Institute of Technology Athletic Department has announced a six-member 2012 class for induction to the WVU Tech Athletic Hall of Fame.

The 2012 inductees into the Kelley Hall of Fame include:

— John B. “Mike” Bell (basketball, 1960);

— Rodney “Pete” Cosby (football, 1985);

— Don Davis (basketball, 1960);

— Ken Dillo (basketball, 1964);

— Donald “Don” Thompson (basketball, 1956); and

— Kenneth Ray Zigmond (baseball, 1972).

The 2012 class induction banquet will take place Friday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Tech Center Ballroom.

For more information about tickets to the Hall of Fame Banquet, contact the WVU Tech Athletic Department at 304-442-3121.



Bell (1956-1960) was born in Gauley Bridge in 1938. Bell entered WVIT in 1956 after a successful high school career at Nicholas County High. He joined Tech’s “Century-Limited” basketball team in 1955-56. As a guard, he was the leader of the fast break offense that averaged 100-plus points per game. The team led the nation in scoring while he was at Tech.

Bell averaged 15.2 points per game during his career and led the conference in free throw shooting (89.4%) in 1959-60. After graduating with a degree in business management in 1960, Bell joined the United States Navy and entered pre-flight school. During his time with the Navy, he served four years as a flight officer.

After his tour of duty, Bell worked for General Motors Corporation in Saginaw, Mich. as a financial supervisor. Years later, he made a career change and moved back to West Virginia where he worked with Cannelton Industries as a health benefits and worker’s compensation supervisor.  Bell also spent 13 years working in real estate in Charleston until his retirement in 2007.

Recently, Bell became the first athlete to be inducted into Nicholas High School’s Athletics Hall of Fame.

Bell and his wife, Ann (Gay) Bell, have two children, Lynn Bell and Kathi Wiley, and reside in Charleston.

Cosby (1981-1985) was born in Fayette County in 1963. Cosby came to Tech in 1981 after graduating from Valley High School. After a successful high school career, Cosby joined Tech’s football team in 1981. As a defensive back, he was a standout on the Golden Bear defense, receiving all-conference first-team honors in 1984 and 1985. He was also selected to the College All-American team while the team reached its highest ranking of 18th in the nation, boasting a 5-1-1 record.

Cosby graduated with a bachelor’s degree in printing management in 1985. Currently, he owns a construction company and builds and remodels commercial properties throughout the United States.

In November 2009, he founded Bridge Ministries. This ministry establishes community outreach at the LaBelle Theatre in South Charleston. In addition, Cosby presently coaches a North American Youth Sports high school boys basketball team.

Cosby and his wife, Martha, have three children, Caleb, Isaac, and Jonah, and reside in South Charleston.

Davis (1956-1960) was born in Vanceburg, Ky. in 1938, graduated from Poca High School in 1956 then entered WVU Tech the following fall. Davis was a member of the “Century-Limited” basketball team in 1955-56. As a center, he was the team’s defensive and rebound specialist.

Davis led the squad to two consecutive conference championships (1957-58 and 1958-59 seasons) while also leading the West Virginia Conference in rebounds (15.5 a game) in 1958-59. His single-game rebound record of 33 still stands today. Davis averaged 9.5 points and 4.5 blocks per game during 1958-59 and 1959-60. He was named an all-tournament selection during the team’s Christmas tournament in 1959-60.

Davis graduated in 1960 with bachelor’s degrees in physical education and history and government. After graduation, he worked for four years with Air Force security, law enforcement, and K-9 Corp. before joining the YMCA as a youth director and physical director for five years. Davis also spent seven years with Nationwide Insurance as an agent and claims representative. In 1978, he founded the Don Davis Construction Company. Recently retired, he owns and operates a bed and breakfast in Columbus, Ohio’s Art District.

Davis and his wife, Sandy Harris, have two children, D. Scott Davis and Christina (Davis) Demetry, and reside in Columbus, Ohio.

Dillo (1960-1964) was born in Pineville in 1942. He graduated from Oceana High School in 1960 and came to Tech the following fall. Dillo was a member of the basketball team where he played guard and forward. In 1961-62, the team went 23-11 with Dillo averaging 11.1 points per game. He was selected to the second-team all-tournament at the Rochester Invitational where he made the game winning free throws in a 21-19 overtime win against Illinois Tech.

During his junior season (1962-63), the team accumulated a 23-9 record and won the WVIAC tournament. During his senior season, he served as co-captain for the team that went 21-2 for the season. He and his teammates, including Mike Barrett and Herb Carpenter, went on to lose a double-overtime thriller against Morris Harvey in the NAIA Regional Championship. Dillo was also a member of the golf team for two seasons.

He graduated with a bachelor’s in printing management in 1964. A few months after that, he joined the IBM Corporation in Greencastle, Ind. working in the manufacturing facility. In 1968, he progressed to first line manager in Sherman, Texas, then to Atlanta, Ga. in 1971 with the same position. Dillo made several advancements and shifts including branch manager, executive training program manager and branch manager of military service operations before his retirement in 1994.

Along the way, Dillo received a master’s in human resource development from the American University in 1986. Dillo’s most recent position before re-entered retirement was held at Wake Tech Community College, where he was director of the Small Business Center from 2001 until 2011. Currently, he is the owner of DMD Associates, LLC, an international business sales, consulting and training company.

Dillo and his wife, Diane (Michaelson) Dillo, have two children, Leigh Ann (Dillo) Cannady and Todd Michael Dillo, and six grandchildren, Cameron, Krista, Jake, Ethan, Griffin and Owen, and reside in Raleigh, N.C.

Thompson (1952-55, 1957-58) was born in Little Rock, Ark. in 1935. He graduated from East High School in Huntington in 1952 and joined Tech’s basketball program the following fall.  Thompson’s career at Tech was filled with great success and accomplishment. As a center, he led the program in rebounds during his four years. The Golden Bear squad was conference champions all four years (1952-53 through 1955-56), averaging over 103 points per game in one season and over 107 points per game in another. The “Century Limited” program won the Hofstra University tournament and the Paris Island Marine Christmas Tournament while Thompson was a part of the program. One of Thompson’s shining achievements was leading the team to an appearance in the NAIA Tournament in St. Louis.

After his time at Tech, Thompson worked 31 years for the Corps of Engineers. During his last 10 years before retiring, he served as the chief of real estate division where he was responsible for 250,000 acres of federal lands that covered four states and employed 150 employees. Thompson is also a member of the Huntington District’s Corps of Engineers Hall of Fame.

Thompson and his wife, Luchanne, have two children, Corby D’Amico and Karen Lewis, and reside in Huntington.

Zigmond (1965-66, 1968-71) was born in Logan in 1946. He graduated from Chapmanville High School in 1964. He joined Tech as a member of the baseball team. As a shortstop, he was a four-year starter, concluding his career in 1971 with an overall batting average of .390. Under his leadership, the team was the two-time Southern Division champion. As a senior, Zigmond had the second highest batting average in the conference at .415 and slugging percentage at .736. In 1971, he was named to the WVIAC All-Conference Team and was a member of the NAIA Division TOPPS all-star team.

Zigmond received an associate’s degree in electrical engineering technology in 1970 and a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1972. In his professional career, Zigmond worked as the vice president of operations at National Cable Repair from 1972 until 1995. In 1995, he became the vice president of the Southern Equipment Company until his retirement in June 2012.  Zigmond served two terms as a member of the Logan County BOE and was president of the BOE for four years. In 2004, he was inducted into the Chapmanville High School Hall of Fame.

Zigmond and his wife, Wilma, have two children, Kendra Schilling and Kenneth Ray Zigmond II, and four grandchildren, Kenlie, Kallie, Kennedy, and Sydney, and reside in Logan.