V I E W   F R O M   T H E   H I L L T O P

November 25, 2010

Thanks for the Memories

Happy Thanks to All!

Established in 1953, the Georgetown Athletic Hall of Fame honors the greatest athletes and coaches in the history of the University. From among the numerous team MVP's and outstanding performers of the past, only a few are selected for enshrinement in the Hall. The next induction ceremony will take place on Friday, February 25, 2011.

From the Hall of Fame Committee comes the following announcement: . . .
From the Hall of Fame Committee comes the following announcement:

Alonzo Mourning Headlines Class of Seven Hoya Stars to be Inducted into Georgetown Athletic Hall of Fame

The Department of Athletics, in conjunction with Hoyas Unlimited and the Georgetown University Alumni Association, will host the 19th edition of the Georgetown Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Dinner on Friday, February 25, 2011. Seven former Hoyas will be honored at the event, including All-America basketball player Alonzo Mourning (C'92), track and field national champion Michael Stahr (C' 88), tennis star Kathryn Federici (C'87), prolific football running back Dean Lowry (C'89), linchpin lacrosse goaltender James Kenny (B'90), Big East swimming champion Mark Marilley (C'86), and offensive soccer force Andrew Hoffmann (B'90). Cocktails will begin at 6:30 p.m., and the dinner and ceremony will commence at 7:30 p.m in the Leavey Center on the Georgetown campus.

Alonzo Mourning is one of only two Georgetown basketball players to have graduated with 2,000 or more points and 1,000 or more rebounds. A three-time All-America selection, Alonzo led the Hoyas to four NCAA appearances and three Big East finals appearances from 1988 through 1992. As a senior, he became the first player ever named the Big East Conference's Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Tournament MVP in the same season.

Michael Stahr is one of 16 individual national champions in Georgetown's track history. A four-time All-America honoree, Mike captured the NCAA indoor mile title and anchored Georgetown's world record-setting distance medley relay at the Penn Relays with the fastest split in Relay's history. He set an IC4A record in winning the second of two IC4A indoor mile crowns, and led the men's indoor team to a third place in the NCAA track championships in 1987 and to Big East and IC4A titles in 1988.

Tennis player Kathy Federici was a dominating force at the net, playing at the number one singles position for most of her career on the Hilltop. In three of her four years of competition, Kathy was selected individually to participate in the NCAA championship tournament, reaching the quarterfinals on two occasions. She also reached the finals of the Big East championships in both singles and doubles. A two-time All-America selection, she led her team to the 1986 NCAA tournament, the first and only time the team has participated in NCAA post-season play.

The most productive Georgetown running back of the 1980's, Dean Lowry graduated as the school's all-time leader in rushing and scoring following a four-year career from the 1985 through 1988 seasons. Dean rushed for 2,619 yards and scored 31 touchdowns, becoming the first Georgetown back in the modern era (1964-present) to rush for more than 200 yards in a single game. He is presently second all-time in career rushing yardage, second in career touchdowns, and third in scoring.

One of the bright lights in Georgetown men's lacrosse history, Jim Kenny is the Hoyas' all-time career saves leader against NCAA competition with 722 saves. A big-play goalie and inspirational talent, Jim remains among the all-time single season and career leaders in save percentage and goals against average. One of Coach Dave Urick's first captains at Georgetown, he is the only player ever to receive the Corcoran Memorial Trophy as the team's most valuable player three times.

Mark Marilley was one of the leading swimmers in the 60+ year history of the program. A consistent scorer at the Big East championships, Mark captured two conference championship titles in 1985 in the 50-yard and 100-yard free style events, and earned a top five finish in the 200-yard free style event. By graduation, he had set GU all-time records in three free style events: 50, 100, and 200 yards and was twice named team MVP.

Andy Hoffmann earned Best Offensive Player honors four times on the Hilltop, the only player ever so recognized. Twice named to the All-South Atlantic team, Andy graduated as Georgetown's all-time leader in goals, assists, and total points. He began his career as Georgetown's rookie-of-the-year and concluded it as team MVP. With a conference-leading 12 assists, he led his team in 1988 to the best record in school history and its first-ever berth in the Big East tournament.

The Athletic Hall of Fame Citation is a University-wide award presented to a graduate of Georgetown or to a coach or administrator who qualifies for recognition on the basis of superior athletic achievement or contribution to athletics at Georgetown. The Georgetown Hall of Fame was established in 1953 and is located in the southwest gallery of the Leavey Student Center on GU's campus. More than 230 student-athletes and leaders from the annals of Georgetown have been enshrined.

For more information on the Hall of Fame Induction, please contact Hoyas Unlimited at 202-687-7159 or hoyasunlimited@georgetown.edu.


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November 2, 2010

Last Hurrah for Marty G.

Take a look at this video footage.

Marty Gallagher was inducted into Georgetown's Athletics Hall of Fame two years ago. Thought-to-be-erased video of his induction ceremony was recently discovered and is now available in the following embedded segments . . .
Take a look at this video footage.

Marty Gallagher was inducted into Georgetown's Athletics Hall of Fame two years ago. Thought-to-be-erased video of his induction ceremony was recently discovered and is now available in the following embedded segments:



Marty Gallagher Induction - Part 1

 


Marty Gallagher Induction - Part 2



 
Marty Gallagher Induction - Part 3




Marty Gallagher Induction - Part 4




Marty Gallagher Induction - Part 5


An original blog posting on his induction in 2008 can be found here: This Bud's For You

A followup blog post in 2009 by Tom Quinn '55, Marty's prize pupil and successor instructor, can be found here: The Red Corner



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October 22, 2010

Rivals and Friends : Utraque Unam

This story received some coverage at the time, but it was never fully recounted from a Georgetown perspective. At the end of June, 2010, a Syracuse temple presented its Citizen of the Year award to former Hoya basketball coach John Thompson, Jr.

On hand to introduce John was rival head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange . . .



This story received some coverage at the time, but it was never fully recounted from a Georgetown perspective. At the end of June, 2010, a Syracuse temple presented its Citizen of the Year award to former Hoya basketball coach John Thompson, Jr.

On hand to introduce John was rival head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange.

Prior to the dinner, Coach Thompson and local Hoya alum Denny Owen were interviewed by the local TV station. That interview can be found here: TV interview.

You can also hear Coach Thompson's dinner remarks by playing the embedded video below.

John Thompson, Temple Adath Yeshurun's 2010 Citizen of the Year


What was not chronicled in most accounts was the turnout of the Georgetown alumni at the dinner. A distinguished group of Hoyas was there to support Coach Thompson and to defend the honor of Georgetown. But, lest you think that the Georgetown-Syracuse connection begins and ends with basketball, you are only half-right.

You see, former hoopster Denny Owen '51 stands in the middle of a long line of star athletes who came to the Hilltop from Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse. It started with Hoya basketball Hall of Famers, Fred Mesmer '30 and Ed Hargaden '35, and continued with the likes of footballer Ed Moses '65, runner Dave Dobrzynski '79 and more recently, the football Paulus brothers '03-'07 and baseballer Matt Harrigan '08.

A bad knee sidelined Denny during his playing days, but he has played a starring role ever since as an alumnus. He was one of the first in the nation to sign on as an alumni interviewer. As alumni club president and then as Hoya patriarch, Denny and a hardy group of Hoya alumni have, over the past fifty years, built the Georgetown Club of Central New York into a model organization for small but energized alumni groups. They are the only Georgetown alumni club in the nation who has established three named John Carroll Scholarships for needy students from their club region. A Knight of Malta, Denny went on to serve as national president of the Georgetown Alumni Association as well as a member of the University's board of directors. In alumni circles, he is a living legend.

Hoya alums who live in central New York -- Hoya-cusans, I call them -- are a breed apart. If you are a Hoya fan who lives between Albany and Buffalo, and have walked into the Carrier Dome wearing your blue and gray, you have had to learn the meaning of standing tall while unwelcome in your homeland. With roots in that region, I am more than familiar with what our Georgetown faithful endure each year living in the land of the Orange. Three years ago, I wrote about my experiences in this linked blog posting. As my Hoya brethren living among the Orange know so well, we stand as rivals and friends, utraque unam -- according to our University's motto -- both and one.

Hoya, Hoya Saxa!

Hoya, Hoya - Cusans!

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