Monthly Archives: April 2014

LUBBOCK, Texas — The only umpire to work a College World Series in four separate decades will be honored as the recipient of the National Collegiate Umpire Award, presented by the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.

Henry “Hank” Rountree, who died in 2006, worked as a college umpire for 38 years. He umpired 25 Division I regionals, eight College World Series — including one in the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s — and one Junior College World Series.

“We are excited to be able to honor the late Hank Rountree,” said Mike Gustafson, president and CEO of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. “He had an amazing career as an umpire and he is a very deserving recipient of this award.”

Rountree’s selection for the lifetime achievement award was the result of a nomination and screening process by past and current NCAA national coordinators of umpires, NCAA regional advisers, umpire conference coordinators and four collegiate head coaches.

Tony Thompson, coordinator of umpires for several conferences including the ACC, SEC, Sun Belt and Ohio Valley, will accept the award on behalf of Rountree’s family.

“Henry Rountree being honored by the Hall of Fame is a well-deserved honor,” Thompson said. “I, along with the umpires who knew and worked with Hank, are elated to see his achievements recognized by this great honor.”

Dick Runchey, winner of the inaugural National Collegiate Umpire Award, worked with Rountree and said Rountree is very much a worthy recipient of the award.

“I had the honor to work three CWS with Hank in 1982, ’83 and 1990,” Runchey said. “An umpire’s umpire, he took you in as a crewmate and made sure he had your back and made you feel confident both on and off the field. His working the CWS in four decades is a record that will never be broken.”

Rountree will be honored as part of the Hall of Fame’s annual Night of Champions on June 28 in Lubbock, Texas.

Since 1976, the fourth round of the U.S. Open Championship has been played on Father’s Day, producing many heartwarming moments in which fathers and sons have embraced after one of them captured our national championship. In 2013, Justin Rose walked to victory in this pair of shoes, each marked with his children’s names – Leo, 4, and Charlotte, 1 – on the back. Rose spoke of his father, who died of cancer in 2002 at age 57, during a post-round interview with Bob Costas:

“I think a lot of us come from great men, and we have that responsibility to our children to show them what a great man can be. That was my goal today, to carry myself in a way that I could be proud of. And for it all to work out for me on such an emotional day, I just couldn’t help but look up to the heavens and think that my old dad Ken had something to do with it.”

The St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame has been busy the last few months and will continue that trend in the coming months.

The St. Louis group just completed its highly successful “Salute to Mizzou in St. Lou.” Some 450 people jammed into Rams Park, the indoor practice facility of the NFL St. Louis Rams, at which three long-time University of Missouri legends were inducted into the HOF:

• Norm Stewart, the highly successful former basketball coach at Mizzou, who won 731 Division I games and won two National Coach of the Year Awards

• John Kadlec, who has been an assistant football coach and broadcast analyst during a five-decade tenure at Mizzou.

• Johnny Roland, an All-America running back and defensive standout who performed in the ’60s and went on to gain Rookie of the Year honors while playing running back for the old St. Louis Football Cardinals.

Also honored at the event were:

• Current Mizzou football coach Gary Pinkel, who received the Sportsman of the Year Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sports for directing the Tigers to a 2013 Southeastern Conference (SEC) East Championship and going on to defeat Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl.

• Mike Alden, the university’s athletic director, who received the August A. Busch Jr. Award for Excellence in Sports Business for his run of successes during his 16-year tenure as Mizzou A.D., including bringing the Tigers into the SEC.

• The 1981-82 and 1982-83 Mizzou basketball teams, which were perhaps the best teams produced under Coach Stewart. In attendance were several players from those teams, including Steve Stepanovich, who was the No. 2 player taken in the NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers.

But the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame doesn’t have long to rest on its laurels.

The group’s 4th annual Celebrity Golf Classic is scheduled June 26 at Glen Echo Country Club, which was home of the 1904 Olympic golf tournament. The event not only celebrates the course’s 110-year anniversary of hosting the event, but also will be unique to the St. Louis HOF, which will induct the first establishment, other than a person, into its Shrine.

Golf was an “official” competition of the 1904 Olympics. Glen Echo, which opened in 1901, is the oldest country club west of the Mississippi. We will honor the club by inducting it into the Sports Hall of Fame for its contribution to sports history in St. Louis.

Then, the St. Louis Hall of Fame will mark the 70th anniversary of the only all-St. Louis World Series – the Cardinals and the old Browns – by sponsoring a trip to Baltimore on August 8-11. The St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore after the 1953 season and the 1944 World Series was the only time they represented the American League in the World Series as the Browns.

Along with taking in the series between the Cardinals and Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, stories of the old rivals will be the order of the day during the weekend.

Then, on September 24, the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame will induct it’s sixth Induction Class. The Class is highlighted by St. Louis Cardinals’ greats pitcher Chris Carpenter and Cooperstown Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda plus new NFL Hall of Famer Aeneus Williams of the Football Cardinals and St. Louis Rams.

 

A 20-person nomination committee selects Raymond Clayborn, Ty Law and Bill Parcells as the 2014 Patriots Hall of Fame finalists.

Patriots fans have until May 15 to vote for the nominee most deserving of hall of fame honors.

 

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced that three former Patriots have been selected as finalists for this year’s induction into the team’s hall of fame. This year’s finalists (listed in alphabetical order) are cornerback Raymond Clayborn, cornerback Ty Law and head coach Bill Parcells. Clayborn and Law are first-time finalists, while Parcells was a finalist in 2011 and 2012. For Law, 2014 is the first year he was eligible to be nominated.

Starting today, Patriots fans are encouraged to vote for the former Patriot most deserving of hall of fame enshrinement. Fans can vote on www.patriots.com for the next month. Voting will end on May 15, 2014 and the Patriots will announce the 2014 Patriots Hall of Fame selection in ea

rly June.

This year’s selection will become the 22nd person to be enshrined into the Patriots Hall of Fame. The Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony is held on the plaza just outside The H

all at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon. The outdoor ceremony is free and open to the public. Patriots fans of all ages are welcome and encouraged to attend. The date and time of this year’s event will be announced at a later date.

Beginning in 2007, the Patriots started a new hall of fame tradition, inducting one pl

ayer or head coach to The Hall each year. The process for induction now involves a panel of media, alumni and staff, who collectively nominate the players or head coaches most deserving of induction. After the nominations are made, the committee votes and the top three tallies become that year’s

finalists. The Patriots then give their fans the opportunity to vote online to select each year’s winner.

Earlier this month, a 20-person nomination committee met to discuss this year’s candidates for induction. Now it is up to the fans to select this year’s honoree.

This year’s finalists are listed below:

Raymond Clayborn

Raymond Clayborn was a three-time Pro Bowl (1983, 1985, 1986) player for the Patriots from 1977 through 1989. He joined the Patriots as a first round pick (16th overall) out of Texas in 1977 and quickly established himself as a top-notch defensive back as well as a superb kickoff returner. He finished his career with a franchise-leading 36 interceptions (tied with Ty Law) for 555 yards for a 15.4 yard per interception average. His 555 interception return yards are second in franchise history to Ty Law’s 583 return yards. Clayborn also returned 57 kickoffs for 1,538 yards and three touchdowns. As a rookie in 1977, Clayborn returned 28 kickoffs for 869 yards and led the NFL with a 31.0-yard return average and returned three kicks for touchdowns, both of which remain franchise records. He is one of just 16 NFL players since the 1970 merger to finish a season with a 30.0-yard average on kickoff returns (min. 20 returns) and is the only Patriots player to accomplish the feat. Clayborn played a vital role in bringing the Patriots to respectability in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During his 13 seasons with the Patriots, he helped the Patriots to 10 winning seasons, including four postseason berths. Clayborn intercepted Hall of Famer Dan Marino and recorded six passes defensed to help end an 18-game losing streak to the Miami Dolphins in the Orange Bowl in a 31-14 AFC Championship victory that lifted the Patriots to their first Super Bowl. Clayborn was a member of the Patriots 1970s and 1980s all-decade teams.

 

       

Patriots Hall of Fame finalist Ty Law

Patriots Hall of Fame finalist Ty Law

Ty Law spent 10 seasons with the Patriots (1995-2004) after joining the team as a first round (23rd overall) draft pick out of Michigan in 1995. Law was a three-time Super Bowl Champion (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX), a four-time Pro Bowl player (1998, 2001, 2002, 2003) and a two-time All-Pro (1998, 2003) during his tenure with the Patriots. Law tied Raymond Clayborn’s career franchise-record with 36 interceptions and finished with the most interception-return yards in team history with 583. His six interceptions returned for touchdowns are also a franchise best. Law had nine interceptions in 1998 to become the first Patriots player to lead the NFL in that category. He was a playmaker who played some of his best games in the postseason. He helped lead the Patriots to their first Super Bowl title in 2001 when he intercepted a Kurt Warner pass against the Rams and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown for the first points of the game. In the 2003 AFC Championship Game, Law intercepted three Peyton Manning passes while leading the Patriots to a 24-14 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Law was part of a record-breaking Patriots defense in 2003 that led the NFL in five key categories: opponents points per game (14.9), interceptions (29), fewest touchdown receptions allowed (11), opponent’s passer rating (56.2) and pass deflections (121) as the team captured its second Super Bowl title in a win over the Carolina Panthers. Law is a member of the NFL’s all-decade team for the 2000s as well as the Patriots’ all-1990s and all-2000s decade teams. He was also selected to the Patriots’ 50th Anniversary Team.

 

        SideStage070Bill Parcells was the head coach of the New England Patriots for four seasons (1993-96) and led the team to the playoffs twice. After inheriting a team that had finished 14-50 in the previous four years, including an NFL worst 2-14 season in 1992, he brought the clout of a two-time Super Bowl Champion to the Patriots sidelines, infusing instant credibility in 1993. In 1994, a season-ending seven-game win streak allowed the Patriots to clinch their first playoff berth in eight years. The performance earned Parcells NFL Coach of the Year honors. After finishing 6-10 in 1995, the Patriots rebounded with an 11-win season in 1996, tying the then franchise record for wins and earning their first division title in 10 years. After a convincing victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers (28-3) in the divisional playoff game in foggy Foxborough, the Patriots hosted their first AFC Championship game and defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 20-6, to earn a trip to the Super Bowl for just the second time in franchise history. This is the third time that the Patriots Hall of Fame Nomination Committee has nominated Bill Parcells for Patriots Hall of Fame induction (2011, 2012 and 2014). On Feb. 2, 2013, Parcells was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Parcells is the only coach in NFL history ever to lead four different teams to the playoffs and three different teams to a conference championship game. He is a member of the Patriots all-1990s team.

 

VOTE NOW BY CLICKING HERE

 

About the Patriots Hall of Fame

The Patriots Hall of Fame was officially formed in 1991 after John Hannah became the first Patriots player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With the hall of fame, the Patriots created a new way of honoring their greatest players. It wasn’t until 2008, with the opening of The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon, that Patriots players, past and present, truly had a place to call home that they could share with their fans. Now, enshrinement into The Hall is an honor befitting of the franchise’s greatest players, with 30-foot video pylons displaying each enshrinee. Beginning in 2007, fans became part of the hall of fame tradition and active participants in the selection process.

This year’s inductee will join 19 other Patriot greats and two contributors as a member of the New England Patriots’ Hall of Fame (listed in alphabetical order below with year of induction):

 

 

Bruce Armstrong (2001)

Drew Bledsoe (2011)

Troy Brown (2012)

Tedy Bruschi (2013)

Nick Buoniconti (1992)

Gino Cappelletti (1992)

Ben Coates (2008)

Sam Cunningham (2010)

Bob Dee (1993)

Steve Grogan (1995)

John Hannah (1991)

Mike Haynes (1994)

Jim Lee Hunt (1993)

Stanley Morgan (2007

Jon Morris (2011)

Jim Nance (2009)

Steve Nelson (1993)

Vito “Babe” Parilli (1993)

Andre Tippett (1999)

Contributors:

William H. “Billy” Sullivan, Jr. (2009)

Gil Santos (2013)

 

About The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon

The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon is the crown jewel of Patriot Place and the only sports and education experience of its kind. Through a dazzling array of interactive multimedia exhibits and artifacts never before viewable by the public, The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon showcases the tradition of the New England Patriots, explores the history of football in New England, and promotes math and science education for the thousands of schoolchildren expected to visit each year. For more information, please visit www.thehallatpatriotplace.com.

 

The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame has announced the ten (10) inductees who will become the newest members to be enshrined as part of the Class of 2014. The inductees, including four in the athlete category, two in the category of builder and four in the team category will be officially inducted at the 48th Annual Induction Ceremony to be held at the Delta Regina on Friday, June 13, 2014.

The 2014 inductees are:

IN THE ATHLETE CATEGORY:

Cpt. Edward Lyman Abbott, MC/Bar (Deceased) – Hockey

Bob Bourne (Kindersley) – Hockey

Jacqueline Lavallee (Saskatoon) – Basketball

Keith Magnuson (Deceased) – Hockey

IN THE BUILDER CATEGORY:

Brian Clark (Saskatoon) – Athletics

Claude Petit, C.M., S.O.M. (Duck Lake) – Boxing

IN THE TEAM CATEGORY:

1996 Randy Bryden Mixed Curling Team – 1996 National Mixed Curling Champions

2001 Saskatoon Hilltop Football Club – 2001 Canadian Junior Football Champions

2002 Saskatoon Hilltop Football Club – 2002 Canadian Junior Football Champions

2003 Saskatoon Hilltop Football Club – 2003 Canadian Junior Football Champions

“2014 is another exciting year for the Saskatchewan Sport Hall of Fame,” said Linda Burnham, Co-Chair of the Induction Weekend. “We have a strong slate of new inductees who have achieved success and recognition in their chosen sports as either athletes or builders. We look forward to enshrining them during our Induction Weekend events.  Their accomplishments will also be featured in our Dedication to Sport exhibit as we share with the people of Saskatchewan the great sport history of our province.”

Tickets to the 48th Annual Induction Dinner & Ceremony are $100/person and are available directly from the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.

For further information contact:

Sheila Kelly, Executive Director, (306) 780-9232
Linda Burnham, Co-Chair Induction Weekend, (306) 584-8944

The NASCAR Hall of Fame is pleased to welcome new team member Mike Laheta as manager, corporate partnerships. Laheta will be responsible for developing corporate partnerships, sponsorship sales and activation opportunities for the NASCAR Hall of Fame with current and prospective partners.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Laheta earned his Bachelor of Business with a concentration in motorsports management from Belmont Abbey College. Laheta most recently served as director, marketing and business affairs for Front Row Motorsports (FRM), which fields the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams for drivers David Ragan and David Gilliland. Partnerships Laheta developed for FRM include CSX Transportation, Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Farm Rich, Dish Network and McCall Farms through their Glory Foods and Peanut Patch brands among others. Laheta also has experience with Bulldawg Marketing, the NASCAR Kinetics Marketing in Motion College program, and worked on Lionel’s “Where’s Waldo” 25th anniversary celebration.

Major League Baseball standout Ryan Klesko, heavyweight boxing champion Duane Bobick and All-American lineman Walt Patulski have been elected into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame for 2014.  Additionally, U.S. Women’s Open bowling champion Liz Johnson has been chosen to receive this year’s Excellence in Sports Award.

Ryan Klesko played 16 Major League Baseball seasons (1992-2007) with Atlanta, San Diego and San Francisco, belting 278 home runs, 987 RBI, and 1,564 hits during his major league career.  He was an integral part of the Braves World Series Championship team of 1985, as well as two other Braves World Series teams.  Named to the 2001 All-Star team in San Diego, Klesko batted .300 or better in four seasons and hit 21 or more home runs in eight seasons. He finished with an impressive .279 career batting average.

Duane Bobick started boxing at age 16 in Golden Gloves, and became one of the best amateur boxers in the United States.  He was a three-time All-Navy champion and two-time All-Service champion. Standing 6’3” and weighing 215 pounds, he won the United States AAU Heavyweight Championship in 1971 and also won the gold medal at the 1971 Pan American Games. As an amateur, he compiled a record of 93-16 with 61 KO’s, beating Larry Holmes to be named to the ’72 US Olympic team for the summer games in Munich. After turning pro, Bobick won his first 19 fights by knockout, gaining a top-10 ranking. He was 38-0 before he lost his first fight, a heavyweight title elimination bout in 1977.  He retired in 1979 at age 28 with a professional record of 48-4 with 41 KO’s.

Walt Patulski, a three-year starter at The University of Notre Dame, was generally considered the best collegiate lineman in the country from 1969-71. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound defensive end was a unanimous All-American in 1971, winning both the UPI Lineman of the Year award, and the Lombardi Award, given annually to the nation’s outstanding lineman.  He finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting that same year, and was selected for the College All-Star and Hula Bowl games.  The Buffalo Bills made Patulski the first overall pick of the 1972 NFL Draft, an honor not since bestowed upon any Notre Dame player. His NFL career was cut short in 1977 due to a knee injury.

Bowler Liz Johnson earns this year’s NPASHF Excellence in Sports Award, by virtue of her 2013 U.S. Women’s Open Championship, the pinnacle of success in women’s bowling.  With her 257-195 victory over defending champion Kelli Kulick, Johnson joins Kulick and only two other women to have ever won the event three times. Following her victory, Johnson added “icing on the cake” by defeating U.S. Men’s Open champion Wes Malott in a special “Battle of the Sexes” one game roll-off. Johnson becomes the second individual ever to be awarded the NPASHF Excellence in Sports Award, succeeding last year’s inaugural award winner, 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Brad Keselowski.

The awards will be presented to the recipients at the 42nd Anniversary Induction Banquet on Thursday, June 19, 2014, at the American Polish-Cultural Center in Troy, Michigan, with Fox 2 Sports anchor Jennifer Hammond serving as Master of Ceremonies. Tickets for the banquet, which begins at 6 p.m., are $100 and can be ordered by calling (313) 407-3300.  Information on the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame is available at www.polishsportshof.com.

The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame’s newest exhibit, The Big Dance: Georgia Basketball Teams in the NCAA Tournament, is now on display in the museum’s rotunda.  From the 1960 Georgia Tech men’s basketball team to the 2014 Mercer University men’s basketball team, the exhibit traces the history of both men’s and women’s college basketball teams from Georgia who have played in the NCAA’s annual “March Madness” tournament.  Featuring jerseys, basketballs, trophies, and images from such schools as the University of Georgia, Georgia Southern University, and Georgia State University, the exhibit highlights some of the greatest players and coaches in college basketball history including University of Georgia guard Teresa Edwards, Georgia Tech men’s basketball coach Bobby Cremins, and University of Georgia women’s basketball coach Andy Landers.  Opening just in time for the Final Four, The Big Dance: Georgia Basketball Teams in the NCAA Tournament will remain on display through the spring.