BARTLETT TO BE INDUCTED INTO MAINE SPORTS HALL OF FAME
(release from Maine Sports Hall of Fame via Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway)
ORONO, ME—Information regarding the Maine Sports Hall of Fame 43rd annual induction.
Date…Sunday, June 3, 2018, 2 PM, Collins Center for the Arts, University of Maine, Orono
Inductees (alphabetically)…Jason Bartlett, Dana Bullen, Reagan Carey, Patrick Dempsey, Dewey Dewitt, Tammy Jacques, Robert “Bob” McAllister, Richard “Dick” Meader, Anita Murphy, Carl Nelson, Leroy Patterson, Bobby Wilder, Kristen Kenoyer Woodland
Scholarships…$5,000 to five senior high school scholar-athletes, TBD
Tickets…$25 each at
www.mshof.com or MSHOF, P.O. Box 2619, South Portland, ME 04116. Contact Mary@mshof.com.
Patrick Dempsey, actor-sportsman-philanthropist and founder of the Dempsey Challenge; Bobby Wilder, an assistant at the University of Maine for 17 years and head football coach at Old Dominion University for the last 10; and Carl Nelson, a two-time head Olympic trainer, are among the 2018 class of inductees for the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.
“This is another exceptional class,” said Dick Whitmore, chairman of the board for the Maine Sports Hall of Fame. “The credentials of the inductees illustrate a distinctive array of achievement and exemplify the motto of our organization – A Better Maine Through Sport.”
About the Inductees…
Jason Bartlett—World-class harness drive and winner of more than 7,000 races, Bartlett represented the U.S. in World Championships and is among the top three drivers in America. He has accumulated more than $87 million in career purses. Currently 37, he may well become the greatest driver in harness racing history.
Dana Bullen—President of Sunday River Ski for over a decade, Bullen has not only built the most dynamic winter sport entity in Maine, but he’s developed and utilized programs hastening the growth of the ski industry in the state. His work with Sunday River and Black and Titcomb mountains, and his assistance in creating the Outdoor Recreation Business Administration at his alma mater — the University of Maine at Farmington, exemplify his passion for Maine skiing.
Reagan Carey—From an historic Maine winter sport family (her grandfather is the late Wendall ‘Chummy’ Broomhall, the most celebrated ski person in Maine history, MSHOF Class of 1979), Carey was a superb hockey player at Colby College and is general manager of USA Hockey and manages the U.S. Women’s National Team preparing for the 2018 Olympic Games. In 2015, in her continuing efforts to grow the game of hockey for Maine girls, she launched the USA Hockey U18 Select Women’s National Camp at UNE in Biddeford. The camp annually brings the top 66 female players in the country to Maine for the primary development/selection camp.
Patrick Dempsey—Maine native who has achieved ultimate success in the film industry, Dempsey achieved international acclaim in auto racing and most importantly, created the DEMPSEY CHALLENGE, an event that has raised many millions of dollars to fight cancer in Maine. His dedication, personal leadership, commitment to excellence and presence combine to make his gifts to Maine unmatched and exemplifies the MSHOF motto of A Better Maine Through Sport!
Dewey Dewitt—The voice of Aroostook County and northern Maine sports for six decades, Dewitt has broadcast every level of sport, promoted the same on radio and TV, and was the first announcer of the big radio and television sport events in Maine. At 93, he has achieved a lifetime plus of success.
Tammy Jacques—World-class cyclist and mountain bike rider, Jacques reached the pinnacle of her sport in the 1990s, capped with an Olympic alternate position on the 1996 USA Mountain Biking Team. She had great success both on the USA cycling team and the USA mountain biking team, finishing with 20 Top-5 World Cup Podium Medals and eight Top 3 Podium Medals.
Robert ‘Bob’ McAllister—Bangor native and John Bapst graduate, McAllister was an all-state basketball player, then moved west to become one of the top basketball officials in the high school and college ranks, ultimately reaching the pinnacle of his chosen career by becoming Maine’s only NBA official. In a four-decade career, his eminence is top quality.
Richard ‘Dick’ Meader—Native of Solon, Meader became the greatest player from his area, one of the all-time best at UMF and began a four-decade career coaching at the college level, first at Thomas College, then at UMF where he accumulated more than 400 victories. He additionally was a founder and director of Pine Tree Camp, serving more than 50,000 Maine basketball players over four decades.
Anita Murphy—The most celebrated girls’ tennis coach in Maine history, Murphy has led Lewiston High School teams to a remarkable 12 state championships and was named National Girls’ Tennis Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2011. Additionally, Murphy led the Lewiston Recreation Tennis program for 29 years making it the most successful in the state.
Carl Nelson—Colby’s distinguished trainer for four decades, Nelson pioneered sports medicine in Central Maine, served as head trainer for the 1972 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan and the 1976 Games in Innsbruck, Austria. He also had great success as director of the Pine Tree Camp for children with physical disabilities for more than 30 years.
Leroy Patterson--Bangor athlete of distinction and the finest all-around athlete of his generation. As a football player, Patterson was twice named All-America, was a scholarship player at the University of Cincinnati, and was twice named All-State. In basketball, he led Bangor High School to the 1962 Eastern Maine championship and was twice named all-state. In baseball, Patterson was an outfielder with power and attracted professional scouts.
Bobby Wilder—Native of Madison, all-state in basketball and football, Wilder attended the University of Maine, becoming starting quarterback as a sophomore and leading the 1986 team to a Yankee Conference Championship. He graduated as the program’s all-time leading passer. After serving as a UMaine assistant for 17 years, Wilder was named head coach of football at Old Dominion University in 2007. He built a program (that did not exist when he arrived) to a Bowl bid in 2016.
Kristen Kenoyer Woodland—Native of Whitefield and the most storied gymnast from Maine, Wood
land led Cony to great success and went on to train in Allentown, Pennsylvania with a famed national program called the Parkettes. She had a significant career at the University of Utah, where she earned 14 first team All-America honors, winning the 1992 NCAA vault championship. Excelling in international competition, Wood land was named Utah’s NCAA Woman of the Year in 1992. Additionally, she achieved distinction on the national and international gymnastics stages.
About the Maine Sports Hall of Fame…the Maine Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1972. It is governed by a board of directors, awards scholarships to outstanding Maine high school scholar-athletes and inducts Maine athletes and sports figures who have brought distinction and honor to the state. Fo rmore information, contact Dick Whitmore, 207-649-9367, rlwhitmo@colby.edu)
