Richmond Athletics inducts new members to hall of fame

Three standout athletes, a former athletic director and a team of distinction was inducted into Richmond Athletics’ Hall of Fame on Saturday.

NFL veteran and Super Bowl participant Paris Lenon highlights the 39^th class inducted into Richmond’s Hall of Fame. Three-sport athlete Jane Wray Bristow McDorman, basketball-star Mike Skrocki, former athletic director Jim Miller and the 2004 field hockey team joined Lenon as the class of 2015 inductees.

The four inductees and former field hockey coach Ange Bradley gave speeches at a brunch held in the Jepson Alumni Center, and were later recognized at halftime of Richmond’s men’s basketball game that afternoon.

Lenon led off the speeches, and offered a short speech where he said he felt grateful and humbled and offered many thanks to his friends and family.

Following a stellar career at Richmond, Lenon embodied the journeyman lifestyle during his professional football career, playing in the XFL and NFL Europe before entering the NFL, where he played on five teams. Lenon experienced the highs and the lows of the NFL, playing for the 0-16 2008 Detroit Lions and capping off his career by reaching the Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos in 2014. 

McDorman, who celebrated her 91^st birthday on the day of the induction, followed Lenon. She starred in field hockey, basketball and track-and-field in the early 1940s for Westhampton College. During her speech, she briefly described the difference in college athletics when she played, mentioning that athletic scholarships did not exist.

“It was just a group of girls who wanted to play,” she said. “And that’s what we did.”

Miller spoke after McDorman, but before he spoke about his tenure, he led the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to McDorman.

Miller served as Richmond’s athletic director for 12 years. Richmond teams won 44 league championships during those 12 years, and every athletic facility was enhanced, according to Richmond Athletics. Richmond Athletics faced criticism, however, toward the end of his tenure when Richmond cut men’s soccer and men’s track and field in favor of  men’s lacrosse.

Skrocki followed Miller, and jokingly said his induction should prove to his wife, whom he met after college, his past basketball prowess.

“I’ve been trying to convince her for years that I did play basketball,” Skrocki said, which drew laughs.

Skrocki was a 1,000-point scorer and three-year starter at Richmond. In his senior season, Skrocki was a captain, averaged 16 points per game, and led the Spiders to the 2004 NCAA Tournament. One of Skrocki’s career highlights came in his senior season when he scored 23 points as the Spiders upset No. 10 Kansas at Phog Allen Fieldhouse.

Following Skrocki, Bradley, who coached the 2004 women’s field hockey team and now coaches at perennial powerhouse Syracuse, spoke in honor of the 2004 team. Eighteen of the 23 players attended the ceremony, Bradley said.

In 2004, Richmond field hockey was in the middle of a five-year conference championship streak, and Richmond’s 18-3 record remains the best record in program history. Richmond players won both the Atlantic 10’s offensive and defensive player of the year awards, and Bradley won Atlantic 10 coach of the year.

Contact reporter Jack Nicholson at jack.nicholson@richmond.edu