Springfield, Mass. -- October 14, 2010 -- A total of six prominent individuals were inducted into the Springfield College Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday (Oct. 16) evening in ceremonies at Dana Gymnasium in SC's PE Complex. The six inducted included Tom Dunkley '50, Gordon Kelly '60, David Girouard '93, G'98, Nora Kelly Westkott '99, Erin Pac '03, and current President Richard B. Flynn H'03.
Thomas C. Dunkley '50
Tom Dunkley has dedicated his life to the sport of gymnastics, and specifically, to its growth in the state of Vermont. During his time at Springfield College, Dunkley was a member of the men’s gymnastics team and served as a captain as a senior.
Before taking his talents to Vermont, he coached state championship YMCA teams in Connecticut and New Jersey, including the Montclair State University men’s and women’s teams. After becoming a key organizer of the New Jersey Gymnastics Association, Dunkley headed north to Vermont where he started the University of Vermont Gymnastics Club, which was ultimately reinstated as a varsity sport for the men.
Under his direction, UVM’s gymnastics program became highly respected throughout New England. Dunkley also made a lasting impact on the scholastic scene as he organized and directed the first Vermont high school gymnastics competition in 1967, which ultimately led to the annual Vermont High School Gymnastics Championships. He went on to organize and serve as chairman of the Vermont State Coaches Association for Gymnastics.
Dunkley’s ability to lead and innovate has not gone unnoticed. He received the 1968 National Association of Collegiate Gymnastic Coaches Annual Research Award for studies in learning through videotape replay, and has been published in national gymnastic and physical education journals.
He later went on to establish the Dunkley Gymnastics Camp, the first private gymnastics school in Vermont.
Gordon V. Kelly '60
Gordon Kelly was regarded as one of the elite track and field coaches in the country after establishing a top-tier program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Gordon, who played football and was a pole vault champion in track & field during his time at Springfield College, served in several different capacities at MIT for a total of 42 years. In addition to being an esteemed member of the track and field coaching community, he was also a faculty coach and senior administrator. Gordon coached MIT’s indoor and outdoor track and field teams for 28 years overall, including 17 as the head coach.
Under his direction, the Engineers experienced remarkable success in the 1980’s. Over a ten year span, MIT won the New England Division III Indoor Championship seven times, and the outdoor title on six occasions. The 1989-1990 indoor team finished as the national runner-up at the NCAA Division III Championships.
The dominance of his program can be best illustrated by the fact that his squads owned a 62 consecutive-meet winning streak in which his teams bested 84 opponents.
Overall, 45 student-athletes earned NCAA Division III All-American honors under his tutelage, and seven took home Division III National Championships.
After earning his 12th New England Division III Coach of the Year accolade in 1990, Kelly retired from the coaching ranks. He continued to stay engaged with the students at MIT as he held the position of Director of Physical Education until 2005.
David G. Girouard '93, G'98
In the storied history of the Springfield College men’s soccer program, David Girouard’s legacy is unparalleled. A three-time NSCAA Division II All-America Second Team selection, Girouard is arguably the most potent offensive weapon ever to have played men’s soccer at Springfield College.
Girouard, who still holds the school records for career goals (60), assists (30), and points (150), has the three highest single-season point totals in the program's history. In fact, his 150 career points are 64 more than the second-place total.
A four-time Northeast 10 All-Conference selection, including a first team honoree three times, Girouard was selected as the Northeast 10 Rookie of the Year in 1989. During the 1992 campaign, he led the Northeast 10 in scoring with 41 points on 15 goals and 11 assists, and was honored as the Northeast 10 Player of the Year.
During his freshman campaign in 1989, Girouard helped Springfield College claim its second straight Northeast 10 title and first ECAC title since 1975. That season, he registered a program-best 51 points on a school-record 21 goals to go along with nine assists.
His ability to make an impact on the offensive side of the ball translated into more than just scoring goals. Girouard also holds the program record for assists in a season as he tallied 11 during his senior season.
Girouard was named to the New England Division II First Team on three occasions, and was also named the Springfield College Male Athlete of the Year three times during his career.
Nora Kelly Westkott '99
In the world of collegiate diving, Springfield College and national champions have become synonymous. Without the performances by Nora Kelly Westkott, the comparison would have never begun.
Kelly was the first Springfield College diver to win a national championship and did so in impressive fashion at the 1999 NCAA Division III Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. Kelly won the national title in both the one-meter and three-meter diving competitions.
After sweeping the diving events at the national meet, Kelly was named the NCAA Division III Diver of the Year.
In her illustrious career at Springfield College, Kelly earned All-America status a total of six times. She also was the recipient of the Charles Batterman Award, which is awarded to the top senior diver who has scored the most points over a four year participation in the New England Championships.
In her senior campaign, Kelly was the Diver of the Meet at the New England Championships. She was the Division II /III New England Champion on the one-meter event and runner-up on the three-meter event.
Nora was a two-time New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Champion after she swept the diving competition at the 1999 conference championships.
To date, she still holds the school record in the one-meter, six dive competition, a mark that she set in 1998.
Erin E. Pac '03
Erin Pac won the bronze medal for the United States in women's bob-sledding this past winter at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia. By doing so, she certainly left her footprint in American Olympic and Springfield College history.
Now, she stands as the only female Springfield College alum to have won an Olympic medal. She stands as the only Springfield College athlete to have won an Olympic medal at the winter games. And she became just the third Springfield College athlete to win an Olympic medal overall (the others are swimming butterflyer William Yorzik at Melbourne in 1956, and wrestler Jeff Blatnick at Los Angeles in 1984). For her remarkable efforts, she is a being inducted into the Springfield College Athletics Hall of Fame.
As a student-athlete at Springfield, Pac competed on both the cross country and track and field teams. During the 2002 campaign, Pac won the heptathlon at the Division III New England Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She later went on to finish tenth in the pentathlon competition at the NCAA Championships.
Pac’s athletic career, however, took a rare twist when she was named to the U.S. Bobsled National Team after attending a pair of tryouts. From there, Pac climbed up the international ranks over a seven-year period, culminating in her Olympic medal.
In the two-woman bobsled event at the Olympics, Pac was the driver for USA II and, alongside brakeman Elena Meyers, led the USA to a third-place finish through four heartstopping heats at the Whistler Sliding Centre.
Earlier in her career, Pac finished second overall in the 2006-07 America’s Cup as a driver and recorded a sixth place finish in the 2009-2010 World Cup.
Richard B. Flynn H'03
Since being named the 12th President of Springfield College in 1999, Dr. Richard B. Flynn has had a non-wavering commitment towards athletics and the role it plays in the College’s mission.
A familiar face at nearly every home game, Flynn has initiated numerous athletics-related renovations and new construction on campus. Under his leadership, the vast majority of the athletics facilities on campus have been transformed. Such renovations included the Irv Schmid Sports Complex with its FieldTurf synthetic fields, and the new Amos Alonzo Stagg Field, with FieldTurf and surrounding amenities. Flynn also spearheaded the new Wellness Center, the Field House which includes an outstanding Strength & Conditioning Room and locker rooms, and the Exercise Science building, that boasts a state of the art athletic training area.
Flynn has been recognized internationally for his work in athletic and recreational facility design, providing leadership for planning and development of dozens of buildings world-wide, and has been published extensively on this topic. Most recently, Springfield College was awarded a NIRSA Outstanding Sports Facilities Award, which cited Springfield College's latest additions, the new Wellness Center and Field House.
On a national scale, Flynn has provided leadership on the NCAA President’s Council and has been actively involved with the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Presidents.
In 2007, Flynn was designated the “Team Captain” when Springfield College was recognized as “One of the 15 Most Influential Sports Education “Teams” In America” by the Institute for International Sport.
As a college athlete himself, Flynn has already been inducted into the MacMurray College Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994.
