Vermont Sports Hall of Fame welcomes 11 new members

The Vermont Sports Hall of Fame announced its second class of inductees Monday afternoon at historic Centennial Field. The 10 athletes and contributors represent a diverse group of sports and generations from Vermont’s athletic scene and it includes two Olympic medalists, a World Series champion, national award winners and record-setting scorers. In addition, the VTSHoF unveiled two special inductees, one a historic inductee and the other in memory of the Hall’s first chair of its board of directors, David Hakins.
Joining the 13 members inducted in the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 2012 will be: Barbara Cochran and Billy Kidd, Alpine skiing; Keith Cieplicki, basketball; Ollie Dunlap, football; Ralph Lapointe, multi-discipline; Phil Latreille (pronounced ‘la-tray’), ice hockey; Gretchen Scheuermann, field hockey; Jean Robinson (basketball/coach) and Ed Kehoe (outdoors), contributors.
The historical inductee honors someone from Vermont who makes his or her mark in sports outside the Green Mountain State. Not limited to a pioneer from the past, it also acknowledges a one-time Vermonter’s prominent contribution in sports at the regional, national or international level. The first honoree is Newport-native Charles Adams, a businessman who went on to found the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League.
The David Hakins Memorial Award will annually honor a business leader or an organization for exceptional promotion and development of sports, athletics and recreation in the state of Vermont. It is named in memory of the late David Hakins, a businessman who was a founding member of the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame and the inspirational first president of its board of directors. This year’s inductee will be announced at a future date and will be the 11th member of class of ‘13 inductees.
The second annual Vermont Sports Hall of Fame Induction Dinner and Celebration will be held on Sunday, November 17, 2013 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Burlington. Tickets will be available to the public. For information on the Hall, the inductees and the induction, log on to www.vermontsportshall.com.
Introducing the 2013 Vermont Sports Hall of Fame Inductees:
Barbara Ann Cochran, Richmond, skiing: In 1972, Barbara Ann Cochran became the first American in 20 years and only the second in history to win an Olympic gold medal in Alpine skiing, joining fellow Vermonter and 2012 VTSHoF inductee Andrea Mead Lawrence of Rutland. Cochran won the slalom at Sapporo, Japan. Cochran finished her career with several World Cup victories and has previously been inducted into the U.S. and Vermont ski & snowboard Halls of Fame as well as the University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame. She is a member of the famed Cochran family that operates the Cochran Ski Area in Richmond.
Keith Cieplicki, Burlington, basketball: A member of one of Vermont’s foremost basketball families, Cieplicki was the first Vermont high school player to score over 2,000 career points (2,049) and was a two-time Vermont high school athlete of the year at Rice Memorial High School. He excelled at William & Mary, where he was a two-time all-conference guard and a three-time Academic All-American. Also a seventh-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1985, Cieplicki ranked fourth all-time at William & Mary in career scoring (1,812) and 11th in scoring average (16.0 ppg). He later served as the Rice boy’s hoop coach and was the head women’s basketball coach at the University of Vermont and Syracuse University.
Ollie Dunlap, St. Albans, football: A multi-sport star at Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans, Dunlap was most renowned for his football prowess. He is regarded as one of the best if not the premier running back in the state’s history, leading BFA to state championships in his junior and senior years and averaging 29.6 points per game. He also helped BFA win the 1960 state championship in basketball as a senior and won five individual state championships in track & field. He attended Michigan State on a football scholarship, played in the Canadian Football League and was a member of the Washington Redskins practice squad. He later mentored youth and boxers, including Olympic and world champion Sugar Ray Leonard.
Ray Fisher, Middlebury, baseball: A baseball and football star at Middlebury High School, Fisher excelled in football, basketball, baseball and track at Middlebury College. He signed a professional baseball contract in 1908 and became the first Middlebury College alum to reach the big leagues in 1910. He eventually pitched 10 years in the majors with the New York Highlanders (Yankees) and the Cincinnati Reds, with whom he won a World Series in 1919. Fisher finished with a record of 100-94 with a 2.82 earned run average, and was among the league leaders in ERA in three of his 10 seasons. After his pro career, Fisher coached at the University of Michigan for 37 years, winning the school’s first NCAA College World Series crown in 1953. He is a member of the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame and the U. Michigan Hall of Honor.
Edward F ‘Ed’ Kehoe (1917-2000), Outdoors: The native of Rutland County served 17 years as the commissioner of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. His leadership directed the agency through changing times, including the transformation from primarily a law enforcement and fish-stocking agency into a modern, science-driven fish and wildlife management agency. Among the new or revamped programs Kehoe spearheaded were: starting conservation camps for young Vermonters; introducing the mandatory Hunter Education Program; overseeing reintroduction of wild turkeys, perhaps Vermont’s greatest wildlife success story; starting the Lake Champlain trout and salmon restoration programs; and pioneering fish habitat improvements.
Billy Kidd, Burlington/Stowe, skiing: The two-time Olympian became the first great American male Alpine ski racer, breaking into the international scene in 1962 with an eighth in slalom and 12th in giant slalom at the FIS World Championships. In 1964, Kidd became the first US male to win a gold or silver medal, taking the silver in slalom at the Innsbruck Winter Games. He was also seventh in giant slalom and 16th in downhill. Despite injuries, he competed in the 1968 Olympics, then became the first American to win a FIS World Championship by capturing the combined title in 1970. He later turned professional and served as a ski analyst on CBS, and is the longtime director of skiing at Steamboat Springs in Colorado.
Ralph Lapointe, Winooski, multi-discipline: Lapointe was a three-sport star at Winooski High School, leading the Spartans to a baseball state championship. He continued his three-sport success in a career at the University of Vermont that was interrupted by World War II. In 1942, Lapointe scored a school single-season record 67 points as a halfback and was named All-New England and Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American. After returning from military service, Lapointe signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, earning a spot on the Sporting News all-rookie team in 1947 and played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1948. After retiring in 1951, Lapointe returned to UVM where he led the Catamounts baseball team to two Yankee Conference titles and three trips to the NCAA tournament in 16 years before his death in 1967. He is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame and was an inaugural member of the UVM Athletic Hall of Fame in 1969.
Phil Latreille, Middlebury College, hockey (pronounced ‘la-tray’): In U.S. college hockey history, no player in any division has scored more goals in a game (10), in a season (80) or in a career (250) than the Panthers Latreille (Class of 1961), who also was the first Vermont collegian to skate in the National Hockey League. He still holds seven NCAA records, including points per game in a season (5.14) and in a career (4.07) as well as goals per game in a season (3.81) and in a career (2.94). A first-team Division I All-American in 1960 and 1961, he later played four games with the New York Rangers of the NHL and had a stint in the minor leagues.
Jean Robinson, Essex, contributor/coach: In a 34-year high school coaching career at Burlington and Essex , Robinson had a record of 623-174, a winning percentage of .782 that ranks among the best in Vermont and the nation. She was named the 1998 National Girls High School Basketball Coach of the Year by the National Federation of Coaches. Under her direction, the Hornets won eight state champions including five in a row (1994-98) that featured three unbeaten seasons. She has won numerous awards and been named to several halls of fame for her accomplishments.
Gretchen Scheuermann, Stowe, field hockey: A standout at Stowe High School, Scheuermann excelled at Northwestern University where she was an All-American in 1993 and 1994. She was named the Big Ten player of the year and offensive player of the year in 1994 as Northwestern won the Big 10 and reached the NCAA Final Four. That year, she won the Honda Broderick Cup Award as the national field hockey player of the year, field hockey’s version of the Heisman Trophy. She was also a finalist for the Suzy Favor Award as the Big Ten Athlete of the year and was a member of the U.S. national field hockey team for two years. She is an LPGA teaching and club professional in Virginia.
Charles F. Adams, Newport, historical inductee: A native of Newport, Charles F. Adams was a successful New England businessman who went on to found the Boston Bruins in 1924, the first American franchise in the National Hockey League. The team won three Stanley Cup championships before Adams’ death in 1947 and he was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1960. He also was instrumental in the building of the Boston Garden, one of the nation’s venerable sports venues and served as president of the baseball Boston Braves of the National League and the Suffolk Downs thoroughbred track in Revere, Mass. The NHL’s Adams Division was named in honor of him and his family- his son and grandson served as presidents of the Bruins until 1975.
2013 Inductees (click on inductee's name for individual bio page):
Charles Adams, historical pioneer, Newport
Barbara Ann Cochran, Alpine Skiing, Richmond
Keith Cieplicki, basketball, Burlington
Ollie Dunlap, football, St. Albans
Edward F. 'Ed' Kehoe, contributor-outdoors, Rutland/Montpelier
Ray Fisher, baseball, Middlebury
Billy Kidd, Alpine Skiing, Stowe/Burlington
Ralph Lapointe, multi-discipline: athlete (baseball/football)/coach (baseball)
Phil Latreille, ice hockey, Middlebury College
Jean Robinson, contributor-coach, Essex Junction
Gretchen Scheuermann, field hockey, Stowe