Mercer CC to honor legendary coach Landa at first HoF induction
The celebration of the rich athletic tradition at Mercer County Community College with the induction of the college’s first Hall of Fame class is now just weeks away.
The inaugural Hall of Fame class will be inducted on Saturday, June 12 at the Trenton Country Club. Ceremonies begin at 6 p.m.
The first induction class resembles a who’s who in Mercer athletics, as it includes three national championship teams, 1963 Men’s Soccer, 1973 Men’s Basketball, and the 1999 Women’s Tennis team.
Also being inducted are Heath Fillmyer (Baseball), Mickey Forker (Soccer), Dave Gallagher (Baseball), Randy Garber (Soccer), Mel Weldon (Basketball), Connie White (Basketball), Elyse Diamond (Soccer), Terri Dorner (Basketball) and Joanne Zola (Softball)
The coaches and administrators being inducted are, Lisa Camillone (Athletic Trainer/ Asst. Athletic Director), Stan Dlugosz (Men’s Soccer and Men’s Tennis), Charlie Inverso (Men’s Soccer), Al Leister (Athletic Director) and Butch Miller (Baseball Coach).
A special recognition will be given to the late Howie Landa, the legendary Vikings basketball coach. Three times Landa was the National Coach of the Year.
“The Athletics Hall of Fame is the highest level of recognition presented to student athletes, teams, coaches and administrators at Mercer County Community College,” said
Dan Klim, the event Co-chair. “We are proud to give them the recognition they deserve.”
The Vikings are members of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 19 and the Garden State Athletic Conference. In its more than half-century of sports excellence, MCCC’s athletics history includes 14 national championship teams, with nearly 250 student athletes achieving All-America honors. Over the past decade, 44 MCCC student athletes have been recognized as Academic All-America students. Many Mercer student athletes successfully transfer to four-year colleges throughout the United States, and dozens have gone on to play professional sports.
The deadline for sponsorships, ads, and ticket purchases is May 10. For questions, please email dodget@mccc.edu or call (609)240-1379.
“It has been wonderful to connect with all these inductees,” said Tatiana Dodge, Mercer’s Development Specialist and Foundation Board Liaison. “To hear them share the feeling that Mercer gave them the foundation they needed to be successful as professionals, athletes and just as members of the community.”
Each of the national championship teams being honored were the first in their sport.
The ‘63 men’s soccer was the first of eight, ‘73 men’s basketball the first of two and the ‘99 women’s tennis was the first of four national championship teams.
Gallagher and Fillmyer are two baseball players that were standouts at Mercer and went on to play in the Major League.
Forker and Garber were both All-America
players at Mercer and Garber continued his All-America career at Penn State.
Weldon and White were both the National Player of the Year when they were winning national titles at Mercer.
Diamond was the first All-America soccer player at Mercer, and she is the current women’s soccer coach.
Dorner, who is also a member of the Rutgers Athletic Hall of Fame, was the first women’s basketball All-America player at Mercer.
Zola, who also coached at Mercer, was the softball program’s first All-America player.
Camillone was a pioneering figure for female Athletic Trainers, Dlugosz was the 18 years men’s soccer coach and the 33year men’s tennis coach, Inverso was the coach of five national championship soccer teams, Miller had a 503-263 record as baseball coach and Al Leister was the Athletic Director for 16 years and professor of Health and Education for 36 years.
“It has been fantastic as a former student athlete at Mercer and being fortunate enough to be the co-chair,” said Klim. “You get to see and hear the stories and the legends of these people and that has been the exciting part.”