16 in first class of Pitt Hall
Four months after its creation was announced, the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame now has its first class.
The university unveiled a 16-member inaugural group of inductees Thursday, a collection of some of the most recognizable names who have passed through the school.
The honorees are, in alphabetical order:
• Henry Clifford “Doc” Carlson (athlete: football, basketball, baseball; coach: basketball) • Mike Ditka (football) • Tony Dorsett (football) • Herb Douglas (track and field) • Bill Fralic (football) • Marshall Goldberg (football) • Hugh Green (football) • Trecia-Kaye Smith (track and field)
• Roger Kingdom (track and field)
• Billy Knight (basketball) • Dan Marino (football) • Lisa Shirk (gymnastics) • Charles Smith (basketball)
• Kathy Stetler (swimming)
• John Bain “Jock” Sutherland (athlete: football; coach: football)
• John Woodruff (track and field)
The bulk of the class, not surprisingly, comes from football, as exactly half of the class played or coached the sport. Three of those inductees — Marino, Ditka and Dorsett — are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The group also includes six Olympians, two Super Bowl champions, a basketball Hall of Famer and seven members of the College Football Hall of Fame.
The class was chosen by an 18-member selection committee, which reviewed submissions from the general public. That committee, according to the school, provided recommendations to athletic director Heather Lyke, who was on the committee. The athletes, all but four of whom are alive, will be inducted at a dinner Sept. 7 at the Petersen Events Center and introduced as a group the next day at Heinz Field during Pitt’s game against Penn State.
“I love to remind people that Pitt could have its own wing in so many different halls of fame,” Lyke said in a statement. “Our athletic history is that rich and accomplished. I certainly tasked the selection committee with a huge challenge in trying to pare down 150 years of history for this inaugural class. In looking at our many deserving candidates, it is obvious that this 2018 group will be the first of many legendary Hall of Fame classes at Pitt. We’re thrilled to celebrate their achievements with a fitting showcase.”