The newly established Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame (MCSHF) will induct its inaugural class on September 13, 2019 in a special ceremony in Silver Spring.
Two Olympic gold medalists, swimmer Katie Ledecky and former gymnast Dominique Dawes, will be joined in the inaugural class by former Redskins’ cornerback Shawn Springs, U.S. National soccer
team great Bruce Murray, legendary high school football coach Bob Milloy and Washington Senator great and baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson who will be inducted posthumously.
“These men and women have brought recognition and honor to our community in their respectivefields,” said MCSHF board chair Trish Heffelfinger. “It is a stellar group and the induction ceremony will be a fabulous evening.”
The inaugural class of the MCSHF will be honored at a ceremony to be held on Friday September 13, 2019 at the Silver Spring Civic Center from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This event is FREE and open to the public, however, online registration is required. Wizards’ and DC United play-by-play announcer Dave Johnson will host the evening’s festivities. There is also an online auction featuring several exciting items.
Some highlights about our all-star inductees:
Dominique Dawes was born in Silver Spring, MD where she currently lives. Dawes is the first African American woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal. She has a total of four Olympic medals from three games, four medals from World Championships and numerous medals from US National Competition. She has served as Co-Chair of the Presidents Council on Sports, Health and Nutrition, the youngest president of the Women’s Sports Federation, and has been active in the Girl Scouts and autism awareness, among other activities.
Katie Ledecky of Bethesda won her first Olympic gold medal as a 15- year-old at the 2012 London Olympics and hasn’t stopped swimming orwinning. She has earned five Olympic gold medals and 15 world championship gold medals. Ledecky also holds world records in sixwomen’s swimming events. Among her numerous awards is one of TimeMagazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2016.
Bob Milloy spent 47 years coaching high school football in Montgomery County, winning 405 games. He began as an assistant coach at DeMatha then went on to be the head coach at Whitman, Springbrook, Sherwood and finally Good Counsel from 2001 to 2017. A lifelong Montgomery County resident, Milloy is among the winningest coaches in America. But he is also known as a leader, mentor, teacher and friend.
Bruce Murray started winning national titles early. While playing at Churchill High School he also played club soccer for the Washington United Ponies, winning two national titles. In his freshman and senior college years he led Clemson to national championships and was awarded the Herman Trophy in 1987 as the top male collegiate soccer player. SoccerAmerica named him to the College Team of the Century. He played professional soccer and in the Olympics and the World Cup for the US National Team.
Shawn Springs from Springbrook High School was an All-State cornerback and running back. Then as a defensive back at Ohio State he was the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year and Consensus All American in 1996. His NFL career took him from Seattle to Washington and then to New England. He is currently the CEO of Windpact, a hi-tech firm that makes helmets safer for athletics, the military and automotive industry. He is known for his mentoring and involvement in the community.
Known as “The Big Train”. Washington Senators Pitcher Walter Johnson amassed numbers that do not translate to modern baseball; 417 wins, 110 shutouts and 531 complete games. He was named to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. Post baseball, in 1938 he was elected to the Montgomery County Commission (the council forerunner) as a Republican and ran for Congress from the 6th District in 1940 and lost. His two obvious legacies: Walter Johnson High School and The Big Train summer collegiate baseball team are both named after him.
About The Author
