On Saturday, Oct. 18, the FDU Athletics community and the Alumni Association honored former student-athletes at the Division III Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

The ceremony, which took place at the Ferguson Recreation Center, gathered both former and present inductees for a night of celebration and recognized those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to our campus’ athletics department. About 130 people attended.

William T. Klika, FDU’s athletic director, started the event with a welcoming ceremony. Before getting into the awards, Klika took a moment of silence to honor Bob Shields, FDU’s first athletic director, who recently passed away; the night’s festivities were dedicated to honoring his legacy. The campus’ football field is also named in honor of Shields, who is credited for his tremendous work and perseverance in building FDU’s athletic program.

Six new inductees were presented with Hall of Fame honors. Two members from the basketball team, one member of the baseball team, the football team, the softball team and the lacrosse team were honored.

The ceremony recognized the first three Hall of Fame Inductees before switching gears to feature a couple of other awards as well. The renowned 1986 field hockey team, which held a winning school record of 15-3, was recognized during the ceremony and their award was presented to them by the FDU Hall of Fame Coach Hallie Cohen. After the team award, the spotlight turned to presenting a current FDU student and member of the field hockey team, Lauren Wright, with the Dennis McAdam’s Scholarship. McAdam was a former FDU athlete, but three days before he was to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, he passed away. In his honor, McAdam’s family has created a scholarship to recognize his legacy. The award is presented to a student-athlete who is in good academic standing and who is active on campus.

After that award, three more inductees were honored and the night ended with the presentation of the Contribution Award, which was awarded to a former basketball player and coach. The night was very memorable for a number of individuals who have made their mark and left their legacy at FDU. These athletes are also still very active in the community of their alma mater.

Check out the second floor of the gymnasium to see the new Hall of Fame photos that will be added to the collection, commemorating some of the history of FDU athletics.

MEGHAN DROGE
Staff Writer