Vol. 20, No. 6 |
Nov. 16, 2000 |
Eight to be inducted into UD Athletics Hall of Fame Nov. 17
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The University of Delaware will induct eight new members–the Class of 2000–into the UD Athletics Hall of Fame at a formal ceremony Friday, Nov. 18, at the Bob Carpenter Center. This fourth group of honorees also will be recognized during pre-game festivities at the Delaware vs. Villanova football game Nov. 18 in Delaware Stadium. Irv Wisniewski
Sharon Howett
Anne Wilkinson
Carol Slowik Thomson
Dennis Johnson
Milt Roberts
Don Swan
Hugh Bogovich
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Wisniewski is one of the most dedicated and versatile athletics coaches in UD history. Coach Whiz has lent his talents to the Blue Hen athletics program for nearly a half-century. A 1950 graduate of the University of Michigan, he served as Delaware's offensive line coach in football from 1952-72, head men's basketball coach from 1954-66 and men's golf head coach from 1955-63, while also serving as a physical education professor. His 12-year head coaching tenure is the longest in UD men's basketball history and his 111 coaching wins still rank No. 2 all-time at Delaware.
Howett is considered one of the most talented two-sport athletes in UD women's athletics history. Howett was dominating on both the basketball court and the tennis court as a Blue Hen in the 1970s. A 1978 UD graduate, she was a four-year standout for both teams and served as captain for each her senior year, when she was named the UD Outstanding Senior Female Athlete of the Year for 1977-78. In basketball, she is one of just two players in UD history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. She still holds the UD record for rebounds in a single game with 27 vs. Trenton State in 1976-77. In tennis, Howett posted a career mark of 33-29 at No. 1 singles that stood as a record upon her graduation. She is currently manager of accounting operations at DuPont Pharmaceuticals in Wilmington.
Wilkinson was a prolific scorer for both the Blue Hen field hockey and lacrosse teams and a two-sport All-American on some of the finest teams in Delaware history. A 1986 UD graduate, Wilkinson earned All-American honors in field hockey in 1985 and in lacrosse in 1986. She was named the 1985-86 UD Outstanding Senior Female Athlete of the Year. In field hockey, Wilkinson was the 1985 East Coast Conference Player of the Year and capped her career ranked among the top five scorers all-time in goals. She was a key member of Delaware's 1983 NCAA National championship squad and once scored 10 goals in a game. She ranks among the top five all-time UD scorers in career goals (169), assists (88) and points (257). A former U.S. National Under 21 and Under 23 team member in field hockey, she has moved on to a successful coaching career in collegiate field hockey. After serving as head coach at American University for nine seasons, she is currently in her fifth year as head coach at Ohio State.
Thomson is considered a pioneer in the sport of women's track and field for the Blue Hens and made her mark nationally for the Blue Hens before track even became a varsity sport in 1979-80. While competing for Delaware from 1974-77, Thomson was a two-time All-American and won the AIAW national 100-meter hurdles title in 1977. She was a four-time outdoor hurdles champion and three-time indoor hurdles champion at the EAIAW regionals and was ranked second in the world in the 50-meter hurdles in 1977. She was the U.S. and world record holder in the 60-yard hurdles. A 1979 UD graduate, Thomson moved on to a successful head coaching career at the University of Florida and East Carolina University. She was inducted into the state of Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
Johnson is regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in UD football history and enjoyed an All-American career at defensive tackle for the Blue Hens in 1970-72. As a leader for the Blue Hens under head coach Tubby Raymond, the 1973 UD graduate helped Delaware win consecutive Small College National titles in 1971-72 and three straight Lambert Cup trophies. The 1972 team captain, Mr. Johnson earned All-American honors twice and was named to Delaware's All-Time team in 1989. A 13th round draft pick by Washington in the 1973 National Football League draft, Mr. Johnson went on to play five seasons with the Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills and was the first UD alumus to start a game in the NFL. He died in 1997 at the age of 46.
Roberts is known as the "Father of Lacrosse" in the state of Delaware, and he dedicated his life to the sport that he loved. Mr. Roberts co-founded the UD men's lacrosse program with Harry Rawstrom in 1949 and served as head coach for eight years from 1950-57, leading the 1956 team to a No. 17 national ranking. He later settled in Lewes, and played a prominent role in promoting the development of lacrosse at the high school level, establishing the first public high school lacrosse team at Cape Henlopen High School in 1979. A noted historian of the game, Mr. Roberts became the first Delawarean inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1981. He was inducted into the state of Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. A lacrosse scholarship at UD is named in Mr. Roberts' honor. He died in 1991 at the age of 72.
Swan was one of the most prolific scorers in UD men's lacrosse history, and he earned national recognition as a high-scoring attackman during the first four years of the program's existence in 1948-51. A 1952 UD graduate, Mr. Swan was a two-time United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association second team All-American in 1950-51, the highest award earned by a UD men's lacrosse player until the 1990s. He led the nation in scoring in 1951 when he scored 65 goals and still holds UD records for goals in a game (14) and season (65). Both marks stood as national records when he graduated. The 1951 team captain, Mr. Swan played in the 1951 North-South Senior All-Star Game. His 127 career goals stood as the UD record until 1964. He died in 1991 at the age of 63 in Montana after a career in business.
Bogovich (Godson) was a two-sport standout for the Blue Hens in the pre-World War II era. Mr. Bogovich (who later changed his last name to Godson) was a standout lineman in football and a dominating pitcher in baseball. A 1943 UD engineering graduate, he was the UD Outstanding Senior Male Athlete of the Year in 1942-43. A four-year letterwinner in football, he became the Blue Hens' first, first-team All-American when he was honored by the Associated Press in 1942. Mr. Bogovich was a tri-captain of that 1942 team that posted a perfect 8-0 record. Mr. Bogovich was a three-year baseball letterwinner in 1941-43. He died in 1998 at the age of 77.