Twelve former athletes and contributors have been selected for induction into the University of Rochester Athletics Hall of Fame.
Induction ceremonies will take place on Friday, October 6, 2006 at 7 pm in the Robert B. Goergen Athletic Center on the River Campus. The affair will be held in the Multi-Activity Center, located on the first floor, just off the main lobby.
This year's group is the 15th class of inductees since the Hall of Fame was created in 1992. The Class of 2006 includes athletes from baseball, basketball, field hockey, football, golf, soccer, squash, and tennis. The inductees earned All-America honors in the sports of football, golf, women's soccer, and squash.
They have succeeded as alumni as well. The induction class was represented in the following areas: automotive, business, engineering, finance, higher education, law, and medicine.
Three of the awards are being made posthumously – to Robert Bruton '50, who played baseball and basketball; to Charles Gray '48, who played basketball and football; and to Matthew Lawless '09, who was a recruiter of student-athletes and served as an advisor during their undergraduate years.
Detailed bios follow.
John Antonelli '80, '83 (Seattle, WA)
At Rochester: Lettered in football over a four-year period, 1976-'79... Three-year starter on defense as the middle guard... Elected team captain as a senior... Long snapper on all special teams - field goals, extra points, and punts... Selected as team's Outstanding Defensive Player as a senior (1979)... Selected to receive the Louis A. Alexander Award in Spring, 1980 as the senior male athlete who contributed the most to sports, academic achievement, and student life... member of Theta Delta Chi where he received a Senior Award for the highest cumulative average among fraternity members over a four-year period... Graduated with a B.A. History. Post Graduate: Earned an M.B.A. in Finance/Marketing from the William E. Simon School of Business Administration in 1983... Following graduation, he participated in the management of his family's business, the Antonelli Tire Company, for 10 years... Relocated to Seattle, Washington and joined the Starbucks Coffee Company where he rose to the position of Director of Operations for Starbucks Coffee International which operates more than 1,200 stores abroad... Currently Vice President Operations for Verety LLC.
Robert Bruton '50 (posthumous) (Rochester, NY/Churchville HS)
At Rochester: Played basketball and baseball in all four seasons at Churchville High School... Coaches suggested he become a professional baseball player and the St. Louis Cardinals offered him a contract. He declined to enlist in the United States Army Air Corps... After his service was completed, the Cardinals pursued him again but he enrolled at the University to study engineering... Played baseball and basketball at the University, earning letters in both sports... Led the Centennial Class of 1950 with a .400 average... B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 1950. Post-Graduate: Played semi-pro baseball for the Churchville Stars and was chosen as the All-Star third baseman in each of 15 years... Employed by General Motors, retiring after 34 years... Mr. Bruton passed away in August, 1997.
Carlos Chapman '44 (Phoenix, AZ)
At Rochester: Played football and basketball with some of the University's strongest intercollegiate programs in the early years of World War II... Played football for Dud DeGroot and Elmer Burnham... Played basketball under Lou Alexander and was the sixth man for the unbeaten 1941-42 team (16-0)... in February, 1943, he entered the Army Air Corps, served three years, and was a pilot with the 27th Troop Carrier Squadron service in China... Finished his athletic career playing football for Burnham's 1946 team... Freshman Class Officer... President of Mendicants, 1942-43... Member of Delta Upsilon, president as a senior... Sang in Glee Club and was a member of the winning group at the Fred Waring National Contest in May, 1942... B.A., economics, January '47. Post-Graduate: M.B.A. Marketing from the University of Michigan, January '48... Joined Argus Cameras, Inc. in Ann Arbor, MI in February, 1947 as a marketing assistant. Served in several positions, rising to Vice President of Policy and Planning... Moved to Fairchild Camera on Long Island in 1961 as General Manager of 8mm. Sound Department... Joined GAF Corporation (formerly ANSCO Photographic) in New York City and traveled extensively in the Far East... Joined Fuji Photo Film USA in 1971 as General Managaer Consolidated Products Division... Retired in 1992 and moved to a retirement community near Phoenix, Arizona in 1994.
Diane Marshall Ennist '78 (Bethesda, MD – originally Lincoln Park, NJ/Kinnelon HS)
At Rochester: Participated in a variety of club and intercollegiate sports... Her most important contribution may have been as a founder of the women's soccer club, which blossomed into one of the nation's most successful college programs... Played basketball for three years, tennis and field hockey for one year... Also played club lacrosse... As a freshman, she organized the Women's Athletic Caucus to unite female athletes on campus... With the Women's Soccer Club, she was responsible for scheduling, arranging transportation and publicity, hiring the coach and officials, securing field space, raising money, and buying equipment and uniforms... Received the Merle Spurrier Award in 1978 as the senior woman who has contributed the most to the women's intercollegiate athletic program... B.A. 1978 Magna Cum Laude Psychology and Political Science. Post-Graduate: J.D. with honors, 1981 from the Ohio State University College of Law... Associate with Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease in Columbus, OH (1981-84)... Senior Trial Counsel, United States Department of Justice, Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Washington, D.C. (1984-89)... Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), McLean, VA - Senior Counsel, 1989-90, Associate General Counsel, Litigation Department, 1990-2000, Vice President Deputy General Counsel, Litigation, since 2000.... Member of American Bar Association, Bar member United States Supreme Court in addition to many bar memberships in U.S. Courts of Appeals, U.S. District Courts, and State Courts.
Charles Gray '48 (posthumous) (Rochester, NY)
At Rochester: Began his athletic and academic career at the University in 1942 after graduation from Benjamin Franklin High School... Left the University in 1944 to serve in the United States Navy from 1944-1946, attending Aviation Electronic Technician School... Played basketball in the Navy for two years, returning to the Unviersity in 1946. He lettered in both basketball and football from 1946-48... Served as co-captain of the basketball team... Received the Alcott Neary Trophy as the Most Improved Player... Recruited by the New York Football Giants in 1948, but declined the opportunity... Graduated with distinction with a B.S. Optics in 1948. Post-Graduate: Joined the Eastman Kodak Company after graduation and remained with Kodak for 35 years... Retired from Kodak in 1983 as Department Head of Quality Control in Manufacturing of Optics... A multitude of volunteer activities. He coached basketball for the Irondequoit Athletic Association from 1969-72 and softball for the same group from 1973-74... Also volunteered at Sunset House as well as Camp Good Days and Special Times... Member of the Rochester Yacht Club from 1979-1997... Mr. Gray passed away on March 17, 1997.
Robert Kulpinski '71, '73, '86 (Penfield, NY)
At Rochester: Lettered in football and baseball... Three-year starter as a wide receiver in football, breaking the then-career record for pass receptions. Still ranks among the top 10 in catches... Tied for second place in two-point conversions... Yellowjackets had a cumulative three-year record of 18-8 from 1968-70... In his senior year, team was 8-1 and finished second in the Lambert Cup voting... Played baseball as a junior and senior... B.S. Mechanical & Aerospace Sciences, 1971. Post-Graduate:M.S. Mechanical & Aerospace Sciences, 1973... M.S. Optics, 1986.... Joined the Eastman Kodak Company in 1973, rising to the position of Senior Research Associate... In his time with Kodak, he has delivered six technical papers in the field of digital imaging and he has 10 patents in the field of digital imaging.
Matthew Lawless '09 (posthumous) (East Rochester, NY)
At Rochester: Extremely passionate alumnus of the University with a strong sense of dedication to his alma mater... For decades, he recruited numerous student-athletes to the University, visiting them at their respective high schools and with their families at home... As Rivermen (the team's nickname in those years), he supported them in their athletic endeavors by attending games or matches throughout their undergraduate years... He continued to serve as an inspiration to each student-athlete even beyond their graduation... He graduated in 1909 and was a co-owner of the Lawless Paper Company in East Rochester, NY... Forever the image of the virtues extolled by the University of Rochester, he always represented the institution with dignity and integrity.
Amber Scott '95 (Denver, CO – originally Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Sutherland HS)
At Rochester: One of the most accomplished and honored women's soccer players in University history... Came to the University after playing soccer at Pittsford Sutherland High School... She earned All-UAA and All-New York State honors for three seasons (1992-94), All-Northeast Region honors in 1993 and 1994... Her awards culminated with her selection as a Second Team All-American in 1994.... Team co-captain as a senior... Won a Lysle "Spike" Garnish Award in fall, 1994 semester... B.A. English, 1995. Post-Graduate: She was a member of the University's Trustees Council from 1995-98... M.A. Higher Education Administration and Adult Studies from the University of Denver, June 2002... Worked in the sports information field at three institutions (assistant SID, Buffalo State, 1996-1997; athletic communications intern, Pennsylvania, 1997-1998; assistant SID, Xavier, 1998-2000)... Graduate Resident Director at the University of Denver, 2000-2002... Since 2002, she has been a Business Development Manager for OfficeMax Enterprise Solutions in Aurora, CO.
James McComb '59 (Canandaigua, NY – Originally Seneca Falls, NY/Mynderse Academy)
At Rochester: Joined the Yellowjacket football team in 1955, after playing at Mynderse Academy... Played with the freshman team as a middle linebacker and offensive end... After posting 4-4 (1956) and 5-3 (1957) records in his sophomore and junior seasons, McComb and the Yellowjackets overwhelmed opponents in 1958 with an 8-0 record (only the second unbeaten football team in school history)... Team posted shutouts in the first five games and outscored foes, 257-19, over the course of the season... The team was ranked fourth best small school in the East and 15th in the nation. Post-Graduate: After serving in the military, he worked for Dun & Bradstreet for five years... Then named a Vice-President of Security Trust Co., a commerical bank in Rochester... Left in 1978 to start a sporting goods mail order business which he ran until 1993... Following that, he started a third career - an on-line computer information business that does secondary research for law firms, advertising agencies, and small corporations.
Paul Muntner '91 (New Orleans, LA – Originally Bethesda, MD)
At Rochester: A spectacular career in squash, a sport for which there are no division-based rankings... As a freshman, he played in the number six position (out of nine). As a sophomore, he played in the number one position, the highest ranking on the team... Played number one for three years, peaking with his selection as a First Team All-American in his senior year (1990-91)... The squash team was ranked number 14 nationally in his junior and senior years... Had an 11-2 record as a senior with his only losses coming against All-Americans who went on to become professional squash players ranked in the Top Five in the United States... First squash All-American at Rochester... As a senior, he was a finalist in the Rochester City Squash championships and won several tournaments, including the Rochester Medical School Open, the Dartmouth Open, the Vermont State Open, the Western Ontario Squash Tournament, and the Western New York Squash Championships... Lysle 'Spike' Garnish Scholar in fall, 1990... B.S. Electrical Engineering 1991. Post-Graduate: Earned a master's degree in biostatistics and a doctorate in epidemiology... Currently a tenure-track assistant professor at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine... He has published 19 peer-reviewed articles and several book chapters on cardiovascular and renal (kidney) disease... He has received research funding from the American Heart Association and the Tulane Univesity Hypertension and Renal Center of Biological Research Excellence to study the effects of physical activity among African-American women with high blood pressure.
Gregory Perry '87 (Syracuse, NY)
At Rochester:A four-year All-American in golf, who for 19 years, held the University's highest individual finish at the NCAA Division III Golf Championships... Honorable Mention All-American as a freshman after finishing 33rd (team finished eighth)... Third Team All-American as a sophomore with 22nd place finish. Helped Yellowjackets to the Northeastern Intercollegaite Championships and a best-ever seventh place finish... First Team All-American as a junior (fourth place overall), setting NCAA tournament records for lowest round and most strokes under par with a five-under 66... NCAA Division III National Runnerup in 1987 and repeated as a First Team All-American. Post-Graduate: Won the Syracuse Herald-American championships in 1987... He played locally in the Syracuse District Golf circuit and was heralded as the champion in 1988... Began working at Merrill Lynch as a financial advisor in 1989 and is celebrating his 17th year there.
Robert Wales '84 (Cincinnati, OH – originally Clifton Park, NY)
At Rochester: Four-year starter on the football team who served as captain as a senior... Three-year All-America honors as an offensive guard... Honorable Mention AP All-American as a sophomore... All-ECAC Player of the Week as a soph... As a junior, reaped AP Honorable Mention All-America honors again, Second Team Division III Football All-America honors, and ECAC Player of the Week plaudits... Senior year, named an Honorable Mention AP All-American, First Team Division III Football All-American... "He is to be considered among the elite Yellowjacket football players," says former head coach Pat Stark... Graduated with a B.A. in Sociology in 1984. Post-Graduate: Accepted a job with Proctor & Gamble Distributing Company as a sales representative in 1984... Now a Senior Account Executive... Received company's Silver Award in 1995, Gold Award in 1994 and 1996, and President's Award in 1997 for outstanding sales achievement and leadership. Recognized in top 5% of P&G Sales Management in 2002, 2003, 2004... Currently in Cincinnati, OH with wife, Cathy, and children Chris (19) and Ashley (14).
