Army West Point Athletics
Army Announces Hall of Fame Class of 2018
June 26, 2018 | General, Athletics
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan announced today the 15th induction class into the Army Sports Hall of Fame.
The Class of 2018 features basketball standout and former head football coach Dale Hall, baseball great Ed Haydash, Jr., swimming star Kerry O'Hara, volleyball extraordinaire Elita Powell, three-sport star Ed Rafalko, lacrosse standout George Slabowski and former assistant sports information director Mady Salvani.
The honorees will be officially inducted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 14. A special plaque unveiling ceremony will be held in the Kenna Hall of Army Sports inside Kimsey Athletic Center, with the formal black-tie Hall of Fame Induction Banquet set for Eisenhower Hall later that evening. The group will also be recognized during Army's West Point football game against Hawai'i the next day at Michie Stadium.
Purchase tickets for the dinner
The Army Sports Hall of Fame is a subset of the Kenna Hall of Army Sports, a comprehensive museum displaying Army's rich and proud intercollegiate athletic program. It is located on the third floor of the Kimsey Athletic Center, Army's state-of-the-art football training facility.
The announcement of the Army Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2018 marks the end of a lengthy process that began in the spring. A selection committee, representing athletic administrators, academic administrators, former West Point athletes, graduates and representatives from the Association of Graduates, began the process of developing a workable list from the thousands of athletes, coaches and administrators that have represented the Academy on the "fields of friendly strife." Only individuals that graduated from or coached at the Academy and those 15 years removed from their playing and coaching days are eligible. The Hall of Fame Selection Committee voted and approved the change from five years removed to 15 in 2015.
Once the selection committee finalized its recommended list, the names were forwarded to West Point's Athletic Committee for review and ratification before being passed on to former Superintendent Lt. Gen. Ret. Robert Caslen Jr., for final approval. The 15th induction class into the Army Sports Hall of Fame brings the total number of inductees to 140.
Dale Hall was a six-time letterwinner for the Cadets in basketball, football and tennis. He was a two-time Helms Athletic Foundation First Team All-American on the court and the 1944 Sporting News College Basketball Player of the Year. He also earned All-America honors from the Converse Yearbook and Argony Magazine.
Hall led Army to a 29-1 record in his last seasons on the hardwood, including 1944's undefeated 15-0 mark in which he averaged 23 points per game. He was Army's first player in program history to record 30 points in a game.
On the gridiron, Hall was a two-year halfback for the football team and a member of the 1944 National Championship team. He later went on to be the head football coach from 1959-61 and had a record of 16-11-2.
Ed Haydash, Jr., was a three-year letterwinner on the diamond for the Black Knights and was the first player in Academy history to earn All-America honors when he garnered the accolade in 1963 from the American Baseball Coaches. He batted .393 that year to be named to the third team.Â
He was a two-time First Team All-Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League selection and earned wins over Navy during his final two seasons. Army was 40-22-1 during Haydash's career and finished runner-up in the EIBL in 1962 and 1963. Haydash batted over .340 all three seasons with the Cadets. He was named a second team All-EIBL in his final season.Â
Kerry O'Hara remains one of the greatest swimmers in Army swimming lore. One of the most decorated athletes in Academy history, O'Hara earned four All-America certificates during his time as a cadet.
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A two-time All-America performer in the 200-yard backstroke event, he was a member of the 400-yard medley relay team that garnered a pair of All-America citations as well.
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O'Hara was a three-time NCAA qualifier who placed fourth in the 200-yard backstroke at the NCAAs during his junior year. He helped Army to an impressive 32-4 dual-meet mark during his three-year tenure in the "Black, Gold and Gray." The Black Knights placed 18th at the NCAAs in 1965-66 and 24th the following year.
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O'Hara led Army to the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League championship in 1965-66 and established new Academy or pool records 27 times during his storied West Point career. The Black Knights posted an impressive 32-4 dual-meet mark, including three "Star" meet wins over arch-rival Navy.
Elita Powell was a four-year letterwinner for the Academy on the volleyball court and led the Cadets to back-to-back Patriot League championships in 1991 and 1992. She garnered first team All-Patriot League honors in 1992 and 1993 and still holds the record for assists in a single season with 1,534 in 1993.
Powell also holds the record for aces in a match with 13 against Colgate in 1990 and is atop the list in career sets played with 484 in her four seasons. Powell graduated as the career leader in sets played, service aces, assists and digs for the Cadets.
The Cadets recorded 106 victories in Powell's four years and went 13-1 over her final two seasons on the court. She finished undefeated against the Mids in five matches.
Ed Rafalko was a three-sport letterwinner at West Point, earning a total of seven in his career. He earned victories over Navy in football, basketball and baseball and beat the Mids a total of three times in 1945.
Rafalko earned three letters on the gridiron, going 22-5-1 overall and was a member of the 1944 National Championship team that went 9-0, including a 23-7 victory over Navy that halted a four-game losing streak. He was a two-year letterwinner on the diamond and was on teams that went a combined 25-3 in those two years. Rafalko was part of teams that beat the Brooklyn Dodgers and Montreal Royals in exhibition games. He was awarded two letters in basketball and beat Navy twice on the hardwood.
He graduated from West Point in three years as part of an accelerated program and retired from the Air Force with the rank of Major General. Rafalko joined the administration at the Air Force Academy as Athletic Director from 1963-67.
George Slabowski was a four-time All-American on the lacrosse field for the Cadets from 1981-84. He is just the third goalie in college lacrosse to be named an All-American four times in his career, including being named a First Team All-American in 1983. He was also on the second team in 1984 and an honorable mention honoree in 1981 and 1982.
Slabowski led Army to four straight NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearances, highlighted by a run to the semifinal round as a senior captain in 1984 when he was also selected to play in the North-South Game. Prior to that year, he was presented the Ensign C. Markland Kelly Award in 1983 as the nation's most outstanding goalkeeper. He graduated as Army's all-time leader in career saves with 603 and held that mark until 2008. Slabowski is one of only two goalies to reach 600 or more saves in a career.
He was the 1984 Army Athletic Association Award winner and finished with a 41-14 mark on the field during his four seasons. He recorded at least a .650 save percentage in three seasons and ranked in the top 10 for season save percentage three times.
Madeline Salvani has been a familiar face in Army Athletics over the last 50-plus years, providing service to countless cadet-athletes and coaches.
Salvani played an integral role in assisting the Academy with the integration of women by serving as the first female Sports Information Director, covering the first women's varsity sports. Even after her retirement in the fall of 2015, Salvani has stayed involved in the department as the Director of Research, Historian, and Special Reports in a volunteer capacity.
As the first female administrator inducted to the Hall of Fame, who was not a USMA graduate, Salvani served as the first female SID in 1976 when women were admitted to West Point. She has pioneered the industry by breaking through barriers such as females not being allowed in press boxes, prejudices of women in sports and adapting to technology changes throughout her tenure.
In her time, Salvani served as the contact for women's basketball, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, gymnastics, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's track and field and cross country, sprint football, golf, men's tennis, rifle, squash, fencing, pistol as well as being part of the day-to-day operations of football.
As humble as they come, Salvani has been honored with "Best in the District" for her media guides by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), was named the 2001 Eastern College Athletic Conference Sports Information Directors Association (ECAC-SIDA) University Division Marsh Award Winner, the Bob Kenworthy Award and received the CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.
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The Class of 2018 features basketball standout and former head football coach Dale Hall, baseball great Ed Haydash, Jr., swimming star Kerry O'Hara, volleyball extraordinaire Elita Powell, three-sport star Ed Rafalko, lacrosse standout George Slabowski and former assistant sports information director Mady Salvani.
The honorees will be officially inducted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 14. A special plaque unveiling ceremony will be held in the Kenna Hall of Army Sports inside Kimsey Athletic Center, with the formal black-tie Hall of Fame Induction Banquet set for Eisenhower Hall later that evening. The group will also be recognized during Army's West Point football game against Hawai'i the next day at Michie Stadium.
Purchase tickets for the dinner
The Army Sports Hall of Fame is a subset of the Kenna Hall of Army Sports, a comprehensive museum displaying Army's rich and proud intercollegiate athletic program. It is located on the third floor of the Kimsey Athletic Center, Army's state-of-the-art football training facility.
The announcement of the Army Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2018 marks the end of a lengthy process that began in the spring. A selection committee, representing athletic administrators, academic administrators, former West Point athletes, graduates and representatives from the Association of Graduates, began the process of developing a workable list from the thousands of athletes, coaches and administrators that have represented the Academy on the "fields of friendly strife." Only individuals that graduated from or coached at the Academy and those 15 years removed from their playing and coaching days are eligible. The Hall of Fame Selection Committee voted and approved the change from five years removed to 15 in 2015.
Once the selection committee finalized its recommended list, the names were forwarded to West Point's Athletic Committee for review and ratification before being passed on to former Superintendent Lt. Gen. Ret. Robert Caslen Jr., for final approval. The 15th induction class into the Army Sports Hall of Fame brings the total number of inductees to 140.
Dale Hall was a six-time letterwinner for the Cadets in basketball, football and tennis. He was a two-time Helms Athletic Foundation First Team All-American on the court and the 1944 Sporting News College Basketball Player of the Year. He also earned All-America honors from the Converse Yearbook and Argony Magazine.
Hall led Army to a 29-1 record in his last seasons on the hardwood, including 1944's undefeated 15-0 mark in which he averaged 23 points per game. He was Army's first player in program history to record 30 points in a game.
On the gridiron, Hall was a two-year halfback for the football team and a member of the 1944 National Championship team. He later went on to be the head football coach from 1959-61 and had a record of 16-11-2.
Ed Haydash, Jr., was a three-year letterwinner on the diamond for the Black Knights and was the first player in Academy history to earn All-America honors when he garnered the accolade in 1963 from the American Baseball Coaches. He batted .393 that year to be named to the third team.Â
He was a two-time First Team All-Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League selection and earned wins over Navy during his final two seasons. Army was 40-22-1 during Haydash's career and finished runner-up in the EIBL in 1962 and 1963. Haydash batted over .340 all three seasons with the Cadets. He was named a second team All-EIBL in his final season.Â
Kerry O'Hara remains one of the greatest swimmers in Army swimming lore. One of the most decorated athletes in Academy history, O'Hara earned four All-America certificates during his time as a cadet.
Â
A two-time All-America performer in the 200-yard backstroke event, he was a member of the 400-yard medley relay team that garnered a pair of All-America citations as well.
Â
O'Hara was a three-time NCAA qualifier who placed fourth in the 200-yard backstroke at the NCAAs during his junior year. He helped Army to an impressive 32-4 dual-meet mark during his three-year tenure in the "Black, Gold and Gray." The Black Knights placed 18th at the NCAAs in 1965-66 and 24th the following year.
Â
O'Hara led Army to the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League championship in 1965-66 and established new Academy or pool records 27 times during his storied West Point career. The Black Knights posted an impressive 32-4 dual-meet mark, including three "Star" meet wins over arch-rival Navy.
Elita Powell was a four-year letterwinner for the Academy on the volleyball court and led the Cadets to back-to-back Patriot League championships in 1991 and 1992. She garnered first team All-Patriot League honors in 1992 and 1993 and still holds the record for assists in a single season with 1,534 in 1993.
Powell also holds the record for aces in a match with 13 against Colgate in 1990 and is atop the list in career sets played with 484 in her four seasons. Powell graduated as the career leader in sets played, service aces, assists and digs for the Cadets.
The Cadets recorded 106 victories in Powell's four years and went 13-1 over her final two seasons on the court. She finished undefeated against the Mids in five matches.
Ed Rafalko was a three-sport letterwinner at West Point, earning a total of seven in his career. He earned victories over Navy in football, basketball and baseball and beat the Mids a total of three times in 1945.
Rafalko earned three letters on the gridiron, going 22-5-1 overall and was a member of the 1944 National Championship team that went 9-0, including a 23-7 victory over Navy that halted a four-game losing streak. He was a two-year letterwinner on the diamond and was on teams that went a combined 25-3 in those two years. Rafalko was part of teams that beat the Brooklyn Dodgers and Montreal Royals in exhibition games. He was awarded two letters in basketball and beat Navy twice on the hardwood.
He graduated from West Point in three years as part of an accelerated program and retired from the Air Force with the rank of Major General. Rafalko joined the administration at the Air Force Academy as Athletic Director from 1963-67.
George Slabowski was a four-time All-American on the lacrosse field for the Cadets from 1981-84. He is just the third goalie in college lacrosse to be named an All-American four times in his career, including being named a First Team All-American in 1983. He was also on the second team in 1984 and an honorable mention honoree in 1981 and 1982.
Slabowski led Army to four straight NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearances, highlighted by a run to the semifinal round as a senior captain in 1984 when he was also selected to play in the North-South Game. Prior to that year, he was presented the Ensign C. Markland Kelly Award in 1983 as the nation's most outstanding goalkeeper. He graduated as Army's all-time leader in career saves with 603 and held that mark until 2008. Slabowski is one of only two goalies to reach 600 or more saves in a career.
He was the 1984 Army Athletic Association Award winner and finished with a 41-14 mark on the field during his four seasons. He recorded at least a .650 save percentage in three seasons and ranked in the top 10 for season save percentage three times.
Madeline Salvani has been a familiar face in Army Athletics over the last 50-plus years, providing service to countless cadet-athletes and coaches.
Salvani played an integral role in assisting the Academy with the integration of women by serving as the first female Sports Information Director, covering the first women's varsity sports. Even after her retirement in the fall of 2015, Salvani has stayed involved in the department as the Director of Research, Historian, and Special Reports in a volunteer capacity.
As the first female administrator inducted to the Hall of Fame, who was not a USMA graduate, Salvani served as the first female SID in 1976 when women were admitted to West Point. She has pioneered the industry by breaking through barriers such as females not being allowed in press boxes, prejudices of women in sports and adapting to technology changes throughout her tenure.
In her time, Salvani served as the contact for women's basketball, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, gymnastics, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's track and field and cross country, sprint football, golf, men's tennis, rifle, squash, fencing, pistol as well as being part of the day-to-day operations of football.
As humble as they come, Salvani has been honored with "Best in the District" for her media guides by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), was named the 2001 Eastern College Athletic Conference Sports Information Directors Association (ECAC-SIDA) University Division Marsh Award Winner, the Bob Kenworthy Award and received the CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.
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