This week is Athletics Reunion Week at Sinclair, designed to spotlight and raise awareness of the various sports teams on Campus. There will be a series of events throughout the week that culminates with the inaugural class being inducted into the new Sinclair Athletics Hall of Fame.
Athletic Director Jeff Price, Coordinator of Student and Community Engagement Kates Brommeland and Manager of Student and Community Engagement Matt Massie have planned these events as well as the Hall of Fame ceremony.
“We want to connect students and create awareness of this new Athletics Hall of Fame and the longstanding history of athletics at the college,” Massie said.
Throughout the week there will be lunchtime spotlight events on each of Sinclair’s sports team and a corresponding activity.
“We’ll have a table in the Tartan Marketplace on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12-1 p.m.,” Brommeland said.
There will be spike volleyball on Tuesday, tabletop basketball on Wednesday and a pinball baseball game on Thursday.
Also present at the event will be a table and bulletin board promoting Sinclair’s teams and the Hall of Fame inductees.
“It’s incredible how many students have no idea that we have these phenomenal athletic teams that have won national championships,” Massie said.
The weeks events will build up to the inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony this Friday, Oct. 20.
“The Hall of Fame is designed to recognize student athletes, staff, and administrators for their achievements while they were at Sinclair,” Price said.
The institution of the Hall of Fame was a long process that required much work to ensure it was done correctly.
“It’s been a tremendous amount of work,” Massie said. “Coach Price has been working on this for years. Bringing any new initiative, especially something as significant as creating a permanent display in a college that will recognize individuals takes a lot of logistics. It’s taken a lot of collaboration across all areas on campus. It has required literally years of work to get to this point.”
The two posthumous inductees will be coaches Jim Harrison and Linda O’Keefe.
Harrison is a former head baseball coach at Sinclair and is recognized for shaping the program into what it is today.
He is noted by his peers for his honor and integrity on and off the field. He is known for being an ambassador for the Sinclair community.
Current head coach of Sinclair baseball Steve Dintaman played under Harrison during his time as a Tartan. He holds him in high regard as a mentor and as a person.
“Coach Harrison was one of the best men I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing,” Dintaman said. “Even though he spent most of his life at the ball field, he was a huge family guy. His impact on this college, the community and Wayne High School will never be forgotten.”
O’Keefe is a former women’s basketball and tennis coach, as well as a former Assistant Athletics Director. She is the winningest coach in Sinclair women’s basketball history with over 300 wins.
She has taken numerous Sinclair women’s tennis teams to national tournaments and is in the NJCAA Hall of Fame for her contributions to the tennis program.
The athletics office looks to keep a high standard of program achievement and community involvement when selecting future inductees.
There will be a committee that will vote on nominees for the Hall of Fame. Nominees can be submitted by anyone.
“We’ll base our standards on people who have done some really good work while they were here,” Price said. “They don’t have to have won a championship, but maybe they were academic All Americans and they played on good teams, but it’s something to be recognized.”
“An important factor is their contribution to student success, not only how they helped them succeed on the field, but also academically,” Massie said. “Sinclair really is focused on the community and the impact those individuals make inside our walls and outside as well.”
All involved in the planning of the event hope to see a big turnout from the community. Brommeland has noted that former athletes at Sinclair have reached out and are reconnecting with the college.
They have high hopes for the ceremony, and feel honored to celebrate the achievements of Harrison and O’Keefe.
“This gives us the opportunity to recognize our own, which is always an honor,” Massie said. “Our inductees have family members traveling from out of state to accept these awards… being in the Hall of Fame, that’s a big deal.”
“It’s also a gesture of goodwill to our community, recognizing those that are out doing good things in the communities who have also come through our doors,” Massie said.
Anyone in the Sinclair and Dayton community that wish to attend the ceremony must RSVP by Oct. 17 by emailing Price at jeff.price@sinclair.edu. The ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. in the Building 8 gymnasium.
Make sure to visit The Clarion website next week for exclusive coverage and photos from the Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony.
Henry Wolski
Executive Editor