With much excitement and congratulations for Red, we share the following news from The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame:

Portsmouth, VA—The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce the members of the Class of 2009, as chosen by vote of the statewide Honors Court committee. 

The new class features:

·         Harry “Red” Caughron, William & Mary football All-American and longtime coach at Woodberry Forest School;

·         Bill Cochran, Virginia Press Association award recipient and veteran outdoors editor for the Roanoke Times;

·         Tom Dolan, Olympic gold medalist in swimming and world record-holder;

·         Tom Duquette, Virginia Cavalier lacrosse All-American and U. S. Lacrosse Hall of Famer;

·         Brian Jordan, University of Richmond two-sport star, who enjoyed a career in both professional football and baseball;

·         Jane Mack, one of the “Four Aces” of Virginia Ladies Amateur Golf; and

·         George Welsh, College Football Hall of Fame inductee and winningest coach in U. Va. and ACC history.

 

“The Class of 2009 brings seven of the most impressive résumés we have ever seen,” says Hall of Fame President Eddie Webb. “These athletes exemplify the Commonwealth’s diversity in sports from swimming to football, as well as decades of achievement.”

 

The 38th annual induction ceremony will take place on April 25, 2009, at the Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel & Waterfront Conference Center, as the crowning event of Hall of Fame Weekend.  Tickets on sale January 15, 2009. For more information, call (757) 393-8031. 

 

A closer look at the Class of 2009:

 

“Red” Caughron was born in Sevierville, Tennessee, and came to the College of William & Mary to play football. He received All-State, All-Southern and All-American honors during his three-year varsity career.  In 1960, Caughron took over as head coach

of the varsity football team at all-male prep school Woodberry Forest, in Orange, VA.  During his 31-year career, the Tigers compiled a record of 217-56-7, had eight undefeated seasons and won 15 conference championships.  Caughron was named “Football Coach of the Year” eight times by the Virginia Prep League.  At Woodberry Forest, he also coached the track team for 10 years, founded the school’s Summer Sports Camp and served as Athletic Director.  Caughron is a 1983 inductee into the William & Mary Hall of Fame.

 

Bill Cochran, a lifetime resident of Roanoke, is this year’s media inductee.  Cochran began writing about the outdoors while at William Fleming High School.  Following his graduation from Lynchburg College in 1960, his byline appeared more than 300 times in national outdoors magazines, including Outdoor Life, Field & Stream and Sports Afield. In 1962, he began writing for the Roanoke Times, which soon turned into a full-time position as the paper’s first outdoor writer.  His column, “Life Afield,” appeared three times each week for the next 36 years, introducing new concepts and promoting youth interest in outdoor sporting.  Cochran is a 10-time recipient of Virginia Press Association awards, and was honored in 1999 with Virginia House Joint Resolution 520, for using his writing to “fight pollution of the Commonwealth’s matchless environment.”

 

Tom Dolan, originally from Arlington, began his swimming career at age five.  Despite struggling with exercise-induced asthma, Dolan aggressively pursued the sport in high school, which led him to the University of Michigan, where he won nine national championships and earned NCAA “Swimmer of the Year” honors in 1995. Dolan forwent his last year of NCAA eligibility to train for the 1996 Olympics, which paid off with a gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley.  Four years later in Sydney, Dolan successfully defended his gold-medal finish in the 400-meter IM, and also won a silver medal in the 200-meter IM.  During his career, Dolan set five U. S. records and one world record, and in 2006, earned a place in the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

 

Tom Duquette of Virginia Beach garnered much attention on the lacrosse field at the University of Virginia.  As a standout freshman attackman for the Cavaliers, Duquette led the ACC in scoring with 24 goals and 23 assists.  He earned All-American honors all four years, and finished his career as U. Va.’s all-time leading goal scorer (107).  He still ranks in the University’s top ten for goals, assists and total points.  After graduation, Duquette played for the U. S. national team that claimed the world championship in 1974, and then transitioned into coaching.  Duquette has led the Norfolk Academy lacrosse squad since 1978, and has been named Virginia Prep League Coach of the Year five times.  Duquette is a member of the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Men’s Lacrosse Team and a 2001 inductee of the U. S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

 

Brian Jordan, a native of Baltimore, entered the University of Richmond in 1985.  As a three-year starter at cornerback for Spiders football, he earned All-Conference and All-State honors his junior and senior years.  He ranks fifth all-time for career interceptions (11) and second all-time for career punt returns (60 returns for 692 yards).  On the baseball field, Jordan set University records in 1988 with 66 runs scored and 27 stolen bases.  In 1988, he was the first-round draft pick of Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals, and was also offered a football contract with the Atlanta Falcons.  After three seasons, Jordan decided to leave football to concentrate solely on baseball.  He spent the next 12 years in the major leagues, making an All-Star game appearance in 1999 and earning retiring a career .282 batting average, 1,454 hits and 184 home runs.

 

Jane Mack of Richmond began her amateur golf career as a teenager, taking lessons at Willow Oaks Country Club.  An active member of the Virginia State Golf Association (VSGA), Mack notably won four state Women’s Amateur Championships (1977-78-82-92) over a three-decade span.  She competed on the Virginia-Carolinas team from 1967-73, 1976-88 and 1990-97, captaining the team twice.  Mack has also played in three U. S. Opens, three U. S. Amateurs and numerous Trans-National championships.  In 2000, she was named one of the “Four Aces” of Virginia women’s golf, along with Robbye King Unger, Lily Harper Martin and Mary Patton Janssen.  Mack has contributed greatly to golf advocacy in Richmond and throughout Virginia, working closely with the VSGA on course ratings and rules.

 

George Welsh, born in Coaldale, Pennsylvania, graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1956, where he was an All-American quarterback.  After a nine-year turn as an assistant coach at Penn State University, Welsh became head coach at his alma mater, leading the Midshipmen to three bowl appearances and a record of 55-46-1 in nine seasons.  Welsh’s famed career at the University of Virginia began in 1982.  Over 19 seasons, he lifted the Cavaliers to an unprecedented level of success that included 12 bowl game appearances, including their first-ever Peach Bowl in 1984, and two ACC titles.  Welsh was named ACC Coach of the Year five times and National Coach of the Year three times.  He is the all-time winningest coach in U. Va. and ACC history, and is a 2005 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame.