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Summer 09 GRIFFinfo archives

Athletic Department Canisius College Athletics

Canisius Adds Four to Sports Hall of Fame This Sunday

The Canisius College athletic department will welcome four new members to the College's Sports Hall of Fame this Sunday, Feb. 8, when the men's basketball team plays host to Saint Peter's at 11:30 a.m., in the Koessler Athletic Center. The game will be broadcast live on MSG.

The Sports Hall of Fame class of 2008 features three former student-athletes and a former head coach. The four new members are: Scott Dochat '98 ? football, Jill (Evans) Benham '96 ? synchronized swimming, Richard Foit '95 ? baseball, and Joanne Wright ? former synchronized swimming coach.

To be eligible for the Canisius College Sports Hall of Fame, a student-athlete must have completed his/her eligibility 10 years prior to induction, be a graduate of the College, been acclaimed, as an undergraduate, as one of the outstanding athletes in the history of the school and, since graduation, the athlete's life must have continued to reflect favorably on the College. Non-athletes may be inducted if they have made outstanding contributions to Canisius College athletics.

The Canisius Sports Hall of Fame, which began in 1963, now boasts 157 members with the addition of the 2008 class. Each day this week, GoGriffs.com will feature a profile on each of this year's inductees, starting Tuesday with a question-and-answer piece compiled by Canisius master of sport administration student Russ Burton.

CANISIUS SPORTS HALL OF FAME - FACTS AND FIGURES

  • This will be the 46th induction class into the Canisius College Sports Hall of Fame.
  • Since the induction ceremony was moved to February, the men's basketball team is 4-1 on Hall of Fame Day.
  • This marks the seventh time in Hall of Fame history where four members were added to the group.
  • Twenty-three of the first 25 inductees were members of the football or men's basketball program.
  • The men's basketball team claims the most Hall of Fame honorees - 51 individuals in all.
  • The 1955-56 men's basketball team was the first team voted into the Hall in 2007.
  • The first women inducted into the Hall were Kathryn Alveras Nardini '77 and Denise Tenny Wiesner '77 - both former gymnasts.
  • A total of 25 previous inductees were multi-sport student-athletes during their time at the College.
  • Current men's lacrosse coach Randy Mearns '92 is the only active Canisius coach in the Hall of Fame, as he was inducted for his playing career in 2004.
  • Jill (Evans) Benham '96 and Joanne Wright are the first representatives from the synchronized swimming program to be honored into the Hall.
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