Anne Donovan
Class of 2009
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.
Lefty Driesell
Class of 2008
Charles "Lefty" Driesell is a Norfolk native who played at Granby High School and at Duke. In 41 years as a college basketball coach at Davidson, Maryland, James Madison and Georgia State, Driesell had a career record of 786-394. Driesell was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Jim Jarrett
Class of 2009
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.
Henry Jordan
Class of 2009
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.
Nancy Lieberman
Class of 2008
Nancy Lieberman became one of the first stars of women's college basketball during a stellar career at Old Dominion University, winning two national titles there. Lieberman is currently an analyst for ESPN. She is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
Billy Martin, Sr.
Class of 2008
The late Billy Martin, Sr. is regarded as the patriarch of Virginia scholastic wrestling. His teams at Granby High School won 21 state championships in 22 seasons. A wrestling innovator, Martin developed the wrestling move known as "The Granby Roll," which has become a standard maneuver in amateur wrestling. He is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Alonzo Mourning
Class of 2009
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.
Ace Parker
Class of 2008
Clarence "Ace" Parker was a star in five sports at Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth. Parker went on to play college basketball, baseball and football at Duke University. After a brief stint as a professional baseball player with the Philadelphia A's, Parker became a star professional quarterback with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Yanks and New York Yankees. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Dave Rosenfield
Class of 2008
Dave Rosenfield's name is synonymous with sports in Hampton Roads. Rosenfield has been the General Manager of Tides baseball since 1962. He has also been a football GM with the Norfolk Neptunes, in hockey with the Tidewater Sharks in the 70's, and in pro basketball with the ABA's Virginia Squires. He is in the International League Hall of Fame.
Bruce Smith
Class of 2008
Bruce Smith was a star football player at Booker T. Washington High School and Virginia Tech before becoming the top pick in the 1985 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. Smith retired in 2004 as the NFL's all-time career sacks leader with 200. He was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
Curtis Strange
Class of 2009
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.
Towny Townsend
Class of 2009
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.
Boo Williams
Class of 2008
Boo Williams grew up in Hampton and was a star basketball player at Phoebus High School and St. Joseph's University. He founded Boo Williams AAU Basketball in Hampton in 1982. It has since grown into one of the top development programs in the nation. Williams has coached NBA stars Alonzo Mourning, Allen Iverson, Joe Smith and Bryant Stith.
