(release from Maine
Sports Hall of Fame via Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway)
ORONO, ME—Information regarding the
Maine Sports Hall of Fame 43rd annual induction.
Date…Sunday, June 3, 2018, 2 PM,
Collins Center for the Arts, University of Maine, Orono
Inductees (alphabetically)…Jason Bartlett, Dana Bullen,
Reagan Carey, Patrick Dempsey, Dewey Dewitt, Tammy Jacques, Robert “Bob”
McAllister, Richard “Dick” Meader, Anita Murphy, Carl Nelson, Leroy Patterson,
Bobby Wilder, Kristen Kenoyer Woodland
Scholarships…$5,000 to five senior high school
scholar-athletes, TBD
Tickets…$25 each at www.mshof.com
or MSHOF, P.O. Box 2619, South Portland, ME 04116. Contact Mary@mshof.com.
Patrick Dempsey, actor-sportsman-philanthropist
and founder of the Dempsey Challenge; Bobby Wilder, an assistant at the
University of Maine for 17 years and head football coach at Old Dominion
University for the last 10; and Carl Nelson, a two-time head Olympic trainer,
are among the 2018 class of inductees for the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.
“This is another exceptional
class,” said Dick Whitmore, chairman of the board for the Maine Sports Hall of
Fame. “The credentials of the inductees illustrate a distinctive array of
achievement and exemplify the motto of our organization – A Better Maine
Through Sport.”
About the Inductees…
Jason Bartlett—World-class harness drive and
winner of more than 7,000 races, Bartlett represented the U.S. in World
Championships and is among the top three drivers in America. He has accumulated
more than $87 million in career purses. Currently 37, he may well become the
greatest driver in harness racing history.
Dana Bullen—President of Sunday River Ski for
over a decade, Bullen has not only built the most dynamic winter sport entity
in Maine, but he’s developed and utilized programs hastening the growth of the
ski industry in the state. His work with Sunday River and Black and Titcomb
mountains, and his assistance in creating the Outdoor Recreation Business Administration
at his alma mater — the University of Maine at Farmington, exemplify his
passion for Maine skiing.
Reagan Carey—From an historic Maine winter
sport family (her grandfather is the late Wendall ‘Chummy’ Broomhall, the most
celebrated ski person in Maine history, MSHOF Class of 1979), Carey was a
superb hockey player at Colby College and is general manager of USA Hockey and
manages the U.S. Women’s National Team preparing for the 2018 Olympic Games. In
2015, in her continuing efforts to grow the game of hockey for Maine girls, she
launched the USA Hockey U18 Select Women’s National Camp at UNE in Biddeford.
The camp annually brings the top 66 female players in the country to Maine for
the primary development/selection camp.
Patrick Dempsey—Maine native who has achieved
ultimate success in the film industry, Dempsey achieved international acclaim
in auto racing and most importantly, created the DEMPSEY CHALLENGE, an event
that has raised many millions of dollars to fight cancer in Maine. His
dedication, personal leadership, commitment to excellence and presence combine
to make his gifts to Maine unmatched and exemplifies the MSHOF motto of A
Better Maine Through Sport!
Dewey Dewitt—The voice of Aroostook County and
northern Maine sports for six decades, Dewitt has broadcast every level of
sport, promoted the same on radio and TV, and was the first announcer of the
big radio and television sport events in Maine. At 93, he has achieved a
lifetime plus of success.
Tammy Jacques—World-class cyclist and mountain
bike rider, Jacques reached the pinnacle of her sport in the 1990s, capped with
an Olympic alternate position on the 1996 USA Mountain Biking Team. She had
great success both on the USA cycling team and the USA mountain biking team, finishing
with 20 Top-5 World Cup Podium Medals and eight Top 3 Podium Medals.
Robert ‘Bob’ McAllister—Bangor native and John Bapst
graduate, McAllister was an all-state basketball player, then moved west to
become one of the top basketball officials in the high school and college
ranks, ultimately reaching the pinnacle of his chosen career by becoming
Maine’s only NBA official. In a four-decade career, his eminence is top
quality.
Richard ‘Dick’ Meader—Native of Solon, Meader became the
greatest player from his area, one of the all-time best at UMF and began a
four-decade career coaching at the college level, first at Thomas College, then
at UMF where he accumulated more than 400 victories. He additionally was a
founder and director of Pine Tree Camp, serving more than 50,000 Maine
basketball players over four decades.
Anita Murphy—The most celebrated girls’ tennis
coach in Maine history, Murphy has led Lewiston High School teams to a
remarkable 12 state championships and was named National Girls’ Tennis Coach of
the Year in 2008 and 2011. Additionally, Murphy led the Lewiston
Recreation Tennis program for 29 years making it the most successful in the
state.
Carl Nelson—Colby’s distinguished trainer for
four decades, Nelson pioneered sports medicine in Central Maine, served as head
trainer for the 1972 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan and the 1976 Games
in Innsbruck, Austria. He also had great success as director of the Pine
Tree Camp for children with physical disabilities for more than 30 years.
Leroy Patterson--Bangor athlete of distinction and
the finest all-around athlete of his generation. As a football player,
Patterson was twice named All-America, was a scholarship player at the
University of Cincinnati, and was twice named All-State. In basketball, he led
Bangor High School to the 1962 Eastern Maine championship and was twice named
all-state. In baseball, Patterson was an outfielder with power and attracted
professional scouts.
Bobby Wilder—Native of Madison, all-state in
basketball and football, Wilder attended the University of Maine, becoming
starting quarterback as a sophomore and leading the 1986 team to a Yankee
Conference Championship. He graduated as the program’s all-time leading passer.
After serving as a UMaine assistant for 17 years, Wilder was named head coach
of football at Old Dominion University in 2007. He built a program (that did not
exist when he arrived) to a Bowl bid in 2016.
Kristen Kenoyer Woodland—Native of Whitefield and the most
storied gymnast from Maine, Woodland led
Cony to great success and went on to train in Allentown, Pennsylvania with a
famed national program called the Parkettes. She had a significant career at
the University of Utah, where she earned 14 first team All-America honors,
winning the 1992 NCAA vault championship. Excelling in international
competition, Wood land was named Utah’s NCAA Woman of the Year in 1992.
Additionally, she achieved distinction on the national and international
gymnastics stages.
About
the Maine Sports Hall of Fame…the
Maine Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1972. It is governed by a board of
directors, awards scholarships to outstanding Maine high school
scholar-athletes and inducts Maine athletes and sports figures who have brought
distinction and honor to the state. Fo rmore information, contact Dick
Whitmore, 207-649-9367, rlwhitmo@colby.edu)
