Hall of Fame
Ron Essink was the first Grand Valley football player to be drafted by an NFL team. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in 1980, and started at offensive tackle for seven years. He retired one week after being traded to the Dallas Cowboys in 1987.
He is one of two GVSU athletes to earn All-American honors in two sports. He was Grand Valley's first Kodak All-American in football in 1979, and twice earned NAIA All-American honors in football. Essink competed in the Triple Crown of wrestling in 1979, winning national titles in the NAIA and NCAA Division II, and earning All-American recognition in NCAA Division I, after placing seventh at the Division I championships.
Essink achieved a 91-10 (.901) record in wrestling at GVSU. He was a member of four GLIAC championship teams. In football, he played on Grand Valley's first ever playoff team, the 1978 squad that reached the semifinals of the NAIA Playoffs,
