Army Welcomes New Hall of Fame Class

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point Athletic Association officially added five new members to the Army Sports Hall of Fame on Friday night at Eisenhower Hall.

The Class of 2019 honored tonight were former head wrestling coach Lloyd Appleton, cross country and track and field standout Mike Bernstein, gymnastics star Carl Brunson, track and field great Dennis Trujillo and two-sport standout Mortimore (Bud) Sprague.

In addition to honoring the new members of the hall of fame, the Honorable Samuel Lessey Jr. was given the distinguished service award and he became the ninth honoree of the award since 2006 and first since 2014. One of the top honors bestowed by the Army West Point Athletic Association, the Distinguished Service Award is presented to an individual for significant contributions to the intercollegiate program. It is not presented annually, but only in years when the athletic department identifies a deserving recipient. He joins Jack Hammack, Morris Herbert, Herb Lichtenberg, Lou Gross, Lew Zickel, Gus Fishburne, Carl Goldstein and Bob Outer as recipients of the award.

The new hall of fame class was also recognized during the plaque unveiling ceremony at the Kenna Hall of Army Sports prior to the banquet at Ike Hall. The newest class will also be honored during halftime of tomorrow afternoon's football game at Michie Stadium.

Appleton was named to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1983 after becoming an Olympic Silver Medalist in 1928 in the 158-pound weight class. He racked up 86 wins at Army in 19 seasons for a .623 winning percentage.

He tutored 10 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Champions and 39 EIWA Placewinners at the helm of the Black Knights. He also coached national runner-up Al Paulekas in 1953.

Bernstein was a three-time NCAA All-American for the Black Knights and earned 10 varsity letters while at West Point. He was a two-time NCAA selection in cross country during his career and led the Black Knights to a sixth place finish at the 1993 NCAA Championships in 1993.

The Army standout distance runner also earned All-America indoor honors in the 3000-meter run. He was a six-time Patriot League Champion with four league titles in outdoor track and field, while the other two split between cross country and indoor track and field. Bernstein was the 1994 Patriot League Individual Cross Country Champion and was the 1995 Patriot League's Outstanding Indoor Male Performer.

Brunson was a three-time All-American, garnering two of those citing's on the parallel bars. He earned two of those honors in 1950 on the high bar and parallel bars. He placed fifth at the NCAA Championships on the parallel bars in 1949 and was crowned the Eastern parallel bars champion as a senior.

He led Army to a share of first-place honors at Eastern Championships in 1949 and was the team captain in 1950, leading the Black Knights to a 7-0-1 record.

Sprague was a two-sport athlete at West Point in football and track and field. He was a two-time first team All-American as a tackle in 1926 and 1927. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1970.

He was a team captain in 1928, leading Army to an 8-2 mark and went 31-6-1 over his career. Sprague was a four-year letterwinner in track and field as well and set the school record in the shot put.

Trujillo was a three-time NCAA All-American in distance events, including the indoor two-mile and outdoor three-mile in 1975 and also the 1976 outdoor 10K. He qualified for the 1974 NCAA Cross Country Championships and won Heptagonal and IC4A cross country championships in 1974.

He was only the second Cadet at the time of his graduation to win the IC4A title in his career. He still owns the Academy and Field House two-mile indoor record, as well as the Academy and Shea Stadium three-mile outdoor record. In total, Trujillo earned 10 letters while at West Point.

Army West Point Athletics

Army Welcomes New Hall of Fame Class

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