September/October 2010

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Aldo T. “Buff” DonelliColumbia will honor 20 former student-athletes, three former head coaches, the 1961 Ivy League champion football team, one former staff member and one individual in the 2010 class of the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will occur at a black-tie dinner in Low Library on Friday, October 22.

The Class of 2010 includes 19 men, six women and one team, representing 12 sports. The inductees were selected by a committee of Columbia Athletics affiliates, including alumni and athletics administrators, after more than 200 nominees were submitted for consideration by the general public from November 2008 through March 2010.

Franklin Thomas ’56Among those to be inducted are National College Football Hall of Fame member Walter Koppisch ’25, U.S. Open tennis champion Oliver Campbell (Class of 1891), former football coach Aldo T. “Buff” Donelli and 2008 Olympic fencing silver medalist Erinn Smart ’02 Barnard.

The 1961 football team was coached by Donelli and captained by William V. Campbell ’62, ’64 TC, chair of Columbia’s Board of Trustees, former head football coach and National Football Foundation Gold Medal winner. Bob Asack ’62, Lee Black ’62, Tony Day ’63, Tom Haggerty ’62 and Columbia University Athletics Hall of Famer Russ Warren ’62 all earned All-Ivy League first-team honors that season, when the Lions outscored their opponents 240–117 and compiled records of 6–1 in the league and 6–3 overall.

Following is the Class of 2010 of the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame:

Former Student-Athletes, Male

Heritage Era (1852–1955)

• Charles Batterman ’44 (swimming and diving)
• Lou Bender ’32 (basketball, baseball)
• Oliver Campbell (Class of 1891) (tennis)
• Walter Koppisch ’25 (football)
• John J. O’Brien ’38 (football, basketball, swimming and diving)
• Stephen Sobel ’54 (fencing)
• Al Thompson ’54 (track and field)

Modern Era (1955–Present)

• Thomas Auth ’90 (rowing)
• Robert Cottingham Jr. ’88 (fencing)
• Rikhardur “Rikki” Dadason ’96 (soccer)
• Garrett Neubart ’95 (baseball)
• Nicholas Szerlip ’95 (wrestling)
• Franklin Thomas ’56 (basketball)
• Rory Wilfork ’97 (football)

Former Student-Athletes, Female

• Alison Ahern ’00 (soccer)
• Nicole Campbell ’02 (field hockey, softball)
• Delilah DiCrescenzo ’05 (cross
• country, track and field)
• Lucy Eccleston Norvall ’03 Barnard (swimming and diving)
• Erinn Smart ’02 Barnard (fencing)
• Kathy Gilbert White ’91 (basketball)

Coach

Heritage Era (1852–1955)

• Edward T. Kennedy (swimming and diving, 1910–55)
• Modern Era (1955–Present)
• Aldo T. “Buff” Donelli (football, 1957–67)
• Dieter Ficken (men’s soccer, 1979–2005)

Team

• 1961 football

Athletics Staff

• William Steinman (director, Sports Information, 1970–2002)

Special Category for Individual Achievement

• Gerald Sherwin ’55

For more information about the induction ceremony and dinner, contact Felicia Ganthier, development assistant, athletics department at 212-851-5648 or fj2131@columbia.edu.

Alex Sachare ’71

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