Former Gophers hockey coach Don Lucia, AD Joel Maturi inducted into 'M Club' Hall of Fame

The Minnesota Golden Gophers "M Club" inducted former Gophers hockey coach Don Lucia and former athletic director Joel Maturi as part of an eight-member Hall of Fame Class at Williams Arena on Friday night.

Nicole Chimko-Fahy (track and field), Eric Decker (football and baseball), Tori Dixon (volleyball), Laurie Kaiser Sund (gymnastics), Amanda Kessel (hockey) and Harsh Mankad (tennis) were also inducted at the event while Rachel Banham (basketball) and Sarah Wilhite Parsons (volleyball) were also voted in but were unable to attend.

Lucia began his head coaching career at Alaska-Fairbanks in 1987 and became the head coach at Colorado College in 1993. After seven seasons with the Tigers, Lucia was hired by the Gophers and spent 19 seasons in Minneapolis.

The Gophers thrived under Lucia, reaching the Frozen Four five times (2002, 2003, 2005, 2012, 2014) and winning the NCAA national championship in 2002 and 2003. The Gophers also won the WCHA tournament three times (2003, 2004, 2007), the Big Ten regular season title four times (2014-17) and won the Big Ten Tournament in 2015.

Lucia was also a three-time WCHA Coach of the Year including winning in 2006 with the Gophers and won the Big Ten Coach of the Year Award in 2014. He ranks first in Minnesota hockey history with 457 all-time wins.

Maturi was inducted after becoming the athletic department's first athletic director for both men's and women's programs in July 2002. While the Gophers won seven national championships during Maturi's tenure including two men's hockey titles, three women's hockey titles (2004, 2005, 2012) and one title each in wrestling (2007) and men's golf (2002), he also had an impact off the field, securing funding for Huntington Bank Stadium, which opened in 2009.

Maturi retired from his position in 2012.