May 19, 2009
NORFOLK -- The Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce the six men and women who comprise the 2009 induction class: basketball stars Alonzo Mourning and Anne Donovan, football legend Henry Jordan, professional golfer Curtis Strange, athletic administrator Jim Jarrett and baseball coach Towny Townsend.
These inductees, who comprise the second class in the Hall of Fame's history, were selected by an 18-person committee along with input from fans in online surveys. The date of the induction banquet, along with ticket information, will be announced soon. Last year's inaugural banquet was a sellout.
Here is a brief synopsis of the accomplishments of the inductees, in alphabetical order:
Anne Donovan starred at Old Dominion University in the late 1970s on her way to perhaps the most outstanding career in women's basketball history. Donovan led ODU to two national titles and earned national player of the year honors. She still holds school records for career points (2,719) and rebounds (1,976) and the national record for blocked shots (801). She won two Olympic gold medals as a player and one as a head coach, and she has won a WNBA title as a head coach.
Jim Jarrett has served as athletic director at Old Dominion University since 1970. Under his leadership in the 1970s, ODU became one of the first colleges in the nation to commit to developing women's sports programs. He oversaw ODU's move to Division I and was instrumental in the hiring of many coaches who have gone on to great NCAA success. The school has won 25 national titles during his tenure.
The late Henry Jordan, who grew up in Newport News and graduated from Warwick High School, was a cornerstone of the NFL's first dynasty, anchoring the defensive line of the Green Bay Packers team that won the first two Super Bowls. He played in four Pro Bowls and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. At University of Virginia, he also was national runner-up in his weight class as a wrestler. Jordan died in 1977.
Alonzo Mourning, who grew up in Chesapeake and starred at Indian River High School, starred for 16 seasons in the NBA and won an Olympic gold medal despite needing a kidney transplant at age 33. After an outstanding collegiate career at Georgetown, he went on to an NBA career in which he scored 14,311 points and had 7,137 rebounds. Throughout his career he has devoted considerable time and money to high-profile charity work in Hampton Roads and across the nation.
Curtis Strange, who was born in Norfolk and graduated from Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, won two U.S. Open championships and was one of the top professional golfers of his generation. He won 17 PGA tour events and was the first player ever to win $1 million in tour purses in a single calendar year. He played on five Ryder Cup teams and captained the U.S. team in 2002. He was the longtime resident touring pro at Kingsmill in Williamsburg.
The late Marvin "Towny" Townsend, who grew up in Norfolk and later lived in Chesapeake, established the groundbreaking AAU baseball program that helped establish Hampton Roads as a hotbed of Major League Baseball talent. Through his AAU program and his camps, Townsend helped shape the careers of such future stars as David Wright, Michael Cuddyer and B.J. and Justin Upton. After his own career in minor-league baseball, Townsend was a successful coach at Virginia Wesleyan College, Lake Taylor High School and Greenbrier Christian Academy. Townsend died in 2007.
The Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame, currently housed in the lobby of Harbor Park in Norfolk, was established in 2008 by Tony Mercurio of ESPN Radio 1310 as a way to honor the athletes, coaches and administrators who have made significant contributions to sports in our area.
For more information, contact Tony Mercurio by phone at 671-1000 (ext. 252) or by email at Blastman@espnradio1310.com.