The inaugural class of Garnet Athletic Hall of Fame inductees pictured here are, back row, from left: Dave Sobel ‘87, Vivek Varma ‘88, McWelling Todman ‘77, Rich Dunne ‘87, Jeff Krieger ‘86, Marc Schmidt ‘86, Eric Prothero ‘85, Rick Van Den Bergh ‘86, Shep Davidson ‘86, John Martinez ‘88, Patrick Holmes ‘82, Charles Chevalier ‘93 Front row, from left: Gwyneth Jones Cote ‘84, Danielle Duffy ‘98, Heather Kile Lord ‘02, Dick Esrey ‘50, Avery Blake Jr. ‘53, Dick Hall ‘52

In recognition of its 134-year history of athletics, Swarthmore College inducted 12 outstanding members of its athletics community into its inaugural Garnet Athletics Hall of Fame class in late October.

The public unveiling of the Hall of Fame and the induction of its first class occurred during the College’s annual Garnet Homecoming and Family Weekend on Friday, Oct. 26 in Tarble Pavilion.

The members of the inaugural class are: Avery “Ave” Blake Jr. ’53 (lacrosse, football); Charles “Chip” Chevalier ’93 (football); Danielle Duffy ’98 (field hockey, track and field); Dick Esrey ’50 (football, basketball, baseball); Dick Hall ’52 (baseball, track and field, football, basketball, soccer); Eleanor Kay “Pete” Hess (coach/administrator); Patrick “Hondo” Holmes ’82 (wrestling); Gwyneth Jones Cote ’84 (lacrosse, field hockey); Heather Kile Lord ’02 (basketball, lacrosse); Robert “Tiny” Maxwell, Class of 1907 (football, track and field); McWelling Todman ’77 (soccer, track and field); and the 1984–85 men’s tennis team.

The celebration began with a dinner for the inductees, their families and friends, and guests in Upper Tarble. Gil Kemp ’72, chair of the College’s Board of Managers, gave the opening remarks followed by President Rebecca Chopp. Each inductee was then honored with a Hall of Fame certificate, presented by Marian Ware Director of Athletics Adam Hertz, and given the opportunity to reflect on their time at Swarthmore.

Following the dinner ceremony, the inductees made their way to Tarble Pavilion for the public unveiling of the Hall of Fame display. Before an overflow crowd, Hertz whisked away a piece of garnet-colored fabric to reveal 12 plaques in honor of the hall-of-famers and an interactive touch-screen display that highlights the inductees as well as the history of Swarthmore athletics.

To conclude the special evening, the Class of 2012 was honored at the annual Garnet Weekend pep rally, where a raucous crowd in Tarble Pavilion greeted them with a minutes-long standing ovation.

The Garnet Athletics Hall of Fame was established to honor student-athletes and administrators who have significantly contributed to the College’s success. The charter members were chosen from more than 100 nominations by a selection committee of College administrators, coaches, and alumni for their significant and distinctive impact on Garnet athletics and the College.

View a slide show on the inductees here.