IL1 Rochester Red Wings

Frontier Field Walk of Fame to Welcome 24 New Members on Sunday

Published on August 22, 2014 under International League (IL1)
Rochester Red Wings News Release


ROCHESTER, NY (Friday, August 22) - The Frontier Field Walk of Fame will induct 24 new members in a pre-game ceremony prior to Sunday's 1:05 p.m. Red Wings game at Frontier Field.

Since 1997, a special section at the center of the Frontier Field Walk of Fame has been designated to honor Rochester's sports legends. Each year members of the community vote to induct individuals (coaches, players, management and media spanning Rochester's sports history) who have made a monumental impact on the community through their achievements in the Rochester-area sports scene. In commemoration of these historic individuals we honor them by adding a brick to the Walk of Fame in their honor.

This year's inductees are listed below:

MEDIA

LARY BUMP: Lary is a freelance writer and editor, specializing in sports and education. Highlights of his writing career include: covering the Buffalo Bills for the Democrat and Chronicle, the Associated Press, and Buffalo Bills Weekly. He may be best known for his articles on fantasy baseball and fantasy football.

JEFF DIVERONICA: Jeff has been a sportswriter for the Democrat and Chronicle since 1993.He covers: high school sports, Syracuse University basketball, and pro soccer. You can also find him teaching a sports reporting class, at his alma mater, St. John Fisher College.

AMATEUR COACHES

JERRY BURNS: Jerry is the current head basketball coach at MCC, and has held that title for twenty three seasons. During that time he has claimed a record of 576-154 (a 79% winning percentage). His resume also includes seven WNYAC titles, eight Region III titles, and four District Championships. He has also been recognized as Coach of the Year fourteen times in a number of categories.

JACK CHRISTENSEN: Jack was the assistant baseball coach at MCC from 1972-1994. Known as "Coach Chris," he was a fixture in the third base coaches box during that time. He also was a football coach at Monroe, Franklin and Eastridge High Schools, compiling a career 66-36-6 record.

BOB McVEAN: Bob will be entering his 32nd season as the head basketball coach of the RIT Tigers. He is one of only 32 coaches in Division III History with 500 victories. McVean led the Tigers to 19 straight winning seasons from 1991-2010, and has also posted six 20-win seasons in the past 16 years.

MIKE MONACELLI: Mike is the former head coach for the Caledonia-Mumford Red Raider football program. During his 23 year tenure as the head coach he posted a 185-50 record, including 10 Section V Championships and four state titles. Monacelli retired from coaching in 2010.

CONTRIBUTORS/ADMINISTRATORS

BOB CLARKE: The late Bob Clarke played an instrumental role in the formation of the Rochester Americans in 1956. He was also appointed Chairman of the Board of Governors of the American Hockey League in 1967, a position he held until 1994. The AHL Western Conference playoff championship trophy is named in his honor.

PAT GROVER: Pat has served as the President of the Rochester Press Radio Club for the past four years. She has played a pivotal role in the organization and execution of the Press Radio Club "Day of Champions" Dinner, bringing in the likes of Clay Matthews, Eli Manning, Colin Kaepernick, and others.

KATE AND BILL KEHOE: Bill and the late Kate Kehoe were avid runners and race organizers in the Rochester area. During their 48 year marriage, they estimated to have organized nearly 300 races, including "Johnny's Running of the Green" and the Cats Half Marathon.

KATHY O'NEILL: Kathy is a familiar face when it comes to volunteering in the Rochester Area. She currently volunteers her time to assist with the Hot Stove Luncheon and Challenger World Series. For the past thirteen years, she has been the director for the "Bowl for a Cure" fundraising event, which benefits breast cancer awareness.

AMATEUR SPORTS

RENE INGOGLIA: Rene, a Bishop Kearney graduate, was a two-time All-American at the University of Massachusetts, and finished as the Yankee Conference all-time leading rusher (4,624 yards). He is still an active member of the football community as a broadcaster for ESPN.

RON MACK: A Hall of Fame member of Monroe County and LeMoyne College, Ron is known for his accomplishments on the basketball court. He currently holds the Aquinas single game scoring record with 44 points.

DON McNELLY: Don has run more than 700 marathons, and has the current world record for most completed marathons after the age of 80. He has run in every state in America, every province in Canada and many other countries.

FRANK OKEY: Frank won more than 200 tennis championships at the local and national level from 1929-1999. Those numbers include an astonishing 59 tournament wins in the Rochester District Championships. Frank was a 2014 inductee of the Rochester Tennis Hall of Fame.

JEFF WITTMAN: Jeff was a Gates-Chili football star who went on to rush for 3,410 yards and 44 touchdowns at Ithaca College. A three time All-American at Ithaca, Jeff led the Bombers to the 1991 NCAA Division III National Championship. He has been recognized as a member of the Section V Football Hall of Fame as well as the National Football Federation College Hall of Fame.

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

HERM SCHNEIDER: Herm is a Franklin High and MCC graduate. He has been the head trainer of the MLB's Chicago White Sox for 36 years, making him the longest tenured trainer in all of Major League Baseball. Herm has also served as an assistant trainer and equipment manager for the Rochester Red Wings

JOE SARGENT: The late Joe Sargent was a phenomenal all-around athlete. He played infield in 66 games for the Detroit Tigers in 1921. He is also known for bowling three consecutive 300 games in 1934, and displaying exceptional skills on the golf course.

OLYMPIANS

LAURA JOHNSON: Laura was among the group of linesman officiating women's hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. She has refereed locally for Section V, as well as Division I and III college hockey. Laura has also officiated two Women's World Championships and the World University Games in China.

CHRIS WOODWORTH: Chris, a Canandaigua HS and Genesee College graduate, is currently a supervisor for USA Hockey's officiating development program and has been a linesman in the AHL for eight years. He was selected to be a linesman for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

RYAN CALLAHAN: Ryan, a Hilton High School graduate, represented the USA in Men's Hockey during the 2014 Winter Olympics. This is his second Olympic Games of his eight year career. He has spent most of this time with the New York Rangers of the NHL, until being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in March of 2014.

PARALYMPIANS

RYAN CHALMERS: Ryan, a Churchville native, competed in the London Paralympic Games in 2012. Accompanying that accomplishment, Ryan has completed more than 30 marathons in his three-wheeled racing wheelchair. He also rose awareness for those with disabilities by wheeling through 14 states over 71 consecutive days and 3,300 miles.

TEAM OF THE AGES

1991-1997 CAL-MUM FOOTBALL TEAMS: The 1991-1997 Cal-Mum Football Teams boast an incredible 78-7 record. The Red Raiders won a state title in 1992, state championships in 1993-1995, and lost in the Class D Championship game in 1996. The 1992, 1994, and 1995 teams achieved perfection by going undefeated.

UMPIRES

ART PASSARELLA: Art, a Rochester native, worked as an American League umpire from 1941-1942 and again from 1945-1953. He missed two seasons due to military service in World War II. In his career, he umpired 1,668 major league games, including three World Series and two All-Star Games.

CHAIRMAN'S CHOICE

FRANK RITTER ICE ARENA: The Frank Ritter Ice Arena was the home to RIT Hockey since 1968. In 2014, RIT will begin playing in the new Gene Polisseni Center. It has been host to several concerts, such as U2 and Elvis Costello. The Frank Ritter Ice Arena is also home to NCAA Hockey champions in 1983 (Men's Division II), 1985 (Men's Division III), and in 2012 (Women's Division III).

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