NLL Hall of Fame inducts 2007 class
Published on February 16, 2007 under National Lacrosse League (NLL) News Release
The 2007 National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame induction ceremonies took place Friday evening at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia. The second class of the NLL Hall of Fame consists of three Hall of Fame Inductees; Wings co-owner Mike French; retired Wings player Tom Marechek and Bandits head coach and former player Darris Kilgour. The Hall also recognized lacrosse journalist Tom Borrelli, who has covered the Buffalo Bandits and the league as a whole for the past sixteen seasons.
Tom Marecheck was introduced to the Hall of Fame by longtime teammate Kevin Finneran. When speaking about his career and love for the game of lacrosse, Marechek said, "The first time I stepped out onto the floor at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, in front of 17,000 fans, I knew playing in this league is where I wanted to be."
The second member inducted into the 2007 Class of the NLL Hall of Fame was Wing co-owner and former player Mike French. He was formerly introduced to the Hall of Fame by his longtime friend and colleague, Russ Cline. Cline is an original founder of the NLL and a member of the inaugural class of the NLL Hall of Fame.
"He (French) loved the game," said Cline. "He's a visionary who can drive the league forward. He proved that just being good isn't enough, but it is enough to have character."
The third member inducted into the 2007 Class was Darris Kilgour of the Buffalo Bandits. Darris was introduced by his brother and longtime teammate, Rich Kilgour.
"His (Darris) skills can effect the game in many ways," said Rich. "He makes those around him better."
To close the induction ceremonies, the NLL Hall of Fame recoginzed long time Buffalo Bandits beat writer and lacrosse journalist, Tom Borrelli.
Borrelli was introduced by former Bandits' player Randy Mearns, who now covers the NLL from the press box himself.
"(Tom) has the same love and passion for the game of lacrosse that we as players have," said Mearns.
"This is absolutely humbling to be here," said Borrelli. "I've never had a bad night at a lacrosse game."
2007 Hall of Fame festivities continue on Saturday with the 2007 NLL Hall of Fame Game, as the Philadelphia Wings host the Buffalo Bandits at Wachovia Center at 7:30PM. Considering the professional lacrosse backgrounds of the four men who were honored, it's fitting that the Hall of Fame Game is a regular season matchup between these longtime Eastern Division rivals.
Tom Marechek, Philadelphia Wings
Tom Marechek played twelve seasons (1994-2005) in the league, all with the Wings. Marechek retired at the end of the 2005 season as the league's third all-time leading scorer with 773 points on 399 goals and 374 assists. Marechek added 69 post season points on 23 goals and 46 assists and led the Wings to four championships during his career. The Wings retired Marechek's #42 on February 18, 2006, making him only the third NLL player in history to have his jersey number retired. Marechek earned eight All-Pro selections in his twelve seasons. He was named First Team All-Pro five times (1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001) and Second Team All-Pro three times (1995, 1998, 2003). Marechek was the sixth overall pick of the 1992 Entry Draft.
Darris Kilgour, Buffalo Bandits
Darris Kilgour was the first player ever drafted by the Buffalo Bandits, selected in 1991. He played nine seasons (1992-2000) in the league, eight of which he played for the Bandits. Kilgour scored 312 points on 144 goals and 168 assists. He added 61 post season points on 26 goals and 35 assists, and played on all three of Buffalo's championship teams (1992, 1993, 1996), including the only team to go undefeated in league history (1993 Bandits, 10-0). Kilgour was named First Team All-Pro in 1998 and Second Team All-Pro twice during his career (1992, 1997). Following retirement from his playing career after the 2000 season, Kilgour has made the transition from winning player to winning head coach. From 2001 to the present, Kilgour has coached his teams in to the playoffs in all six of his seasons behind the bench. Afer a pair of seasons in Washington, Kilgour returned home to coach the Bandits in 2003. In those four seasons, the Bandits have a 42-22 regular season record and two appearances in the championship game. Kilgour has quickly risen to fourth on the league's all-time coaching wins list with 66.
Mike French, Philadelphia Wings
Mike French started with Philadelphia Wings as a player in 1987. He has been with the organization through each of its 20 seasons, serving as a player, coach, general manager and his current position as Executive Vice President and Co-Owner. As a player, French led the league in goals during the league's inaugural season, scoring 14 goals in 1987 (six-game regular season). French went from player to General Manager in 1988, and presided over the start of the Wings dynasty. In his seven seasons as GM, Philadelphia went 33-17 in the regular season and 7-2 in the postseason, winning three championships (1989, 1990 & 1994). His duties with the team included a brief coaching stint in 1994, and a role as team advisor. Equally successful as a businessman, French ascended to the position of Co-Owner and Executive VP of the team in 1998, the first and only player in league history to own a significant piece of a league franchise.
As a leading team executive for the past nine years, French has served the league in several prominent roles, including as Chairman of the Expansion Committee. Since 2000, the league has expanded from eight to thirteen teams, and franchise values have increased dramatically. In addition to his league accomplishments, French was a three time All-American and College Player of the Year at Cornell University. He also served as captain of the Canadian national team during its first world championship in 1978. French is currently is the only member of both the Canadian and US Lacrosse Halls of Fame.
Tom Borrelli, The Buffalo News
Tom Borrelli is the first member of the media to be recognized by the NLL Hall of Fame. Borrelli is the most experienced member of the league's media, having covered the league since the debut of the Buffalo Bandits in 1992. No journalist has covered as many league games as Borrelli, who has covered the Bandits and the league for the Buffalo News for the past fifteen seasons. In addition to being a solid beat writer, Borrelli has a genuine love of the game that shows in his writing. He often volunteers his own time to travel to and report on league games that are outside of normal responsibilities at the News. Borrelli possesses a wealth of league knowledge, often assisting league and team media relations departments in the research and confirmation of historical league stats. He also writes about the NLL for Lacrosse magazine, the official publication for US Lacrosse. In 2005, the league first recognized Borrelli's contributions to the league by naming its new annual award for Writer of the Year as "The Tom Borrelli Award".
About the NLL Hall of Fame: On June 16, 2005, the National Lacrosse League officially announced the establishment of the NLL Hall of Fame. It opened with five charter members who have made immeasurable contributions to the league and the sport of lacrosse. The five charter members of the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame are league founders Russ Cline and Chris Fritz; legendary players Gary Gait and Paul Gait, and the late Les Bartley, the winningest coach in league history. The charter members of the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame were officially inducted on February 23, 2006.
NLL Hall of Fame inductees and those recognized by the Hall are voted on by the league's Board of Governors. Voting is based upon the individual's record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contributions to the league or the team(s) that individual was affiliated with. The field of candidates will consist of players, coaches, referees and team or league executives. The league will also recognize the contributions of journalists, broadcasters and others who have made a contribution to the game of professional indoor lacrosse.
National Lacrosse League Stories from February 16, 2007
- NLL Hall of Fame inducts 2007 class - NLL
- Jax TV broadcast cancelled tomorrow - Portland Lumberjax
- Sting looking for fifth win of season Sunday - Arizona Sting
- Mammoth can avenge loss to Calgary on Sunday - Colorado Mammoth
- Philadelphia To Host 2007 NLL Hall of Fame Induction - Philadelphia Wings
- Portland falls to NLL champs, 10-8 - Portland Lumberjax
- Mammoth tops LumberJax 10-8 - Colorado Mammoth
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
