Sept. 24, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Arguably the most famous golfer in University of Maryland history, an All-America swimmer and a wrestling coach who spent 24 years directing the Terrapins are part of the seven-member Class of 2007 to be inducted into the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 26 at the Greenbelt Marriott.

Golfer Fred Funk, swimmer Phil Denkevitz, wrestling coach John McHugh, basketball player Robert Kessler, pole vaulter Buddy Williamson and field hockey/lacrosse standout Carin Peterson will join Jack Heise in the Hall of Fame. "We are tremendously proud of this class and these individuals have represented the University of Maryland in an exemplary way," said associate athletics director Cheryl Harrison, who chaired the selection process. "The quality of this class definitely reflects the strong field from which we had to choose during this process," Harrison said. "We appreciate those fans and people who made nominations and the committees who worked to make some very tough decisions in making these selections." Tickets for the black-tie optional event are $75, with a table for 10 available for $700. A reception begins at 5:45 p.m. with dinner and the program to follow.

An order form is available at the following link: Hall of Fame Invitation

Thumbnail sketches of each inductee follow:

PHIL DENKEVITZ (Men's Swimming, Class of `65)
Two-time All-American in sprint freestyle events... NCAA runner-up by 0.01 seconds as a junior... Member of Terps' ACC championship team in 1965, winning league titles in both the 50-yard freestyle and the 100 free... Member of 400 freestyle relay team that won ACC title his junior season... Broke four NCAA freshman records and held six Maryland freshman records at one time.

FRED FUNK (Men's Golf, Class of `80)
Head men's golf coach at University of Maryland between 1982 and 1988... One of most recognizable players on the PGA Tour, now playing mostly on the Champions Tour... Oldest winner of The Players Championship in 2005, won title at age 48 years, 9 months... Member of the Ryder Cup in 2004 and U.S. teams in President's Cup competitions in 2003 and 2005... Has finished in the top 100 on the PGA money list in 17 of his 18 seasons on tour... Has eight PGA Tour titles and two Champions Tour wins.

JACK HEISE (Meritorious Service)
Terrapin Club President in 1961 and M Club President in 1967 and 1968... With his wife, Jackie, has been a long-time supporter of Maryland Athletics, attending nearly every football and basketball game both home and away... Head manager for men's basketball during the 1946-47 seasons... Has served the campus as a Trustee and past president of the Maryland Alumni Association.

ROBERT KESSLER (Men's Basketball, Class of `56)
Second team All-ACC in 1955 and 1956 for the Terrapins... Second team All-ACC Tournament pick in 1956... Scored 1,266 points and had 849 rebounds in his career... Averaged 20.4 points per game as a junior and 20.3 points per game as a senior... Led Terrapins in rebounding his last two seasons in College Park... Terps were 54-24 in his three seasons... Drafted ninth overall by the Fort Wayne Pistons in the 1956 NBA Draft.

John McHugh (Wrestling, Class of `59)
Head coach of the University of Maryland wrestling team from 1979-2003... Retired in 2003 with a 246-146-9 record in dual matches... Named ACC Coach of the Year in 1990 and 1993... Coached seven All-Americans and 25 ACC champions... As an undergraduate at Maryland, was an NCAA semifinalist in 1957 and was co-captain of the team in 1957... Two-time ACC individual champion (1956, 1957) and reached NCAA quarterfinals in 1956.

CARIN PETERSON (Field Hockey & Women's Lacrosse, Class of `88)
First team All-American in 1987 and 1988 in women's lacrosse... Scored 116 goals and had 42 assists in her three seasons in lacrosse... Named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary team in women's lacrosse in 2002... Three-year starter on Terps' field hockey team... Key contributor to Maryland's 1987 national championship in field hockey.

BUDDY WILLIAMSON (Track & Field, Class of '71)
1970 NCAA indoor champion in the pole vault, clearing 16 feet, 6 inches... Also earned All-America status in 1969 with a third-place finish at NCAAs... Member of two U.S. National teams while an undergraduate at Maryland... Won world professional championship in 1973 in track & field... Still ranks on Maryland top-10 lists indoors and outdoors in pole vault 36 years after his graduation.