Ewing, NJ…On June 19, The College of New Jersey will induct four former student-athletes and two former coaches into the Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame. The list of honorees for the 2005 class include former softball All-American, Pam McCreesh (formerly from South Plainfield, NJ, now of Providence, RI), 18-time All-American swimmer, Jennifer Harnett (formerly from Ramsey, NJ, now from Pennington, NJ), football players Bob Taylor (Kenilworth, NJ) and John Sarkos (Margate City, NJ) as well as former men’s basketball coach, Kevin Bannon (Lawrenceville, NJ) and former health and physical education professor and coach, Donald Williams (Pennington, NJ).
Additionally, the College will be recognizing two athletic teams for their outstanding accomplishments as “Teams of Distinction.” They are the 1951 football that went undefeated on the gridiron as well as the 1985-1986 women’s tennis team which captured the NCAA Division III Championship at season’s end.
This year’s event will take place on Sunday, June 19 with the induction ceremony at 10:30 on campus in the Music Building Concert Hall and will be followed by a brunch in the main dining area of Eickhoff Hall at 11:30 a.m. The cost is $30 per person. For further information on the Hall of Fame or to RSVP for the Hall of Fame dinner, please call TCNJ’s Athletic Department at 1-609-771-2238.
Jennifer Ann Harnett ’93, Women’s Swimming
Jennifer Harnett is considered the College’s most decorated female swimmer, having earned 18 All-America citations during her collegiate career. Following that distinguished swimming career, she has turned her attention back to TCNJ having become the mentor of TCNJ's women's swimming & diving program following the retirement of Brenda Campbell in June of 2001.
As a student-athlete, Jennifer competed for Campbell from 1989-1993 and earned 18 All-America citations during her career. Specializing in the 200 individual medley and the 100 and 200 freestyle events, Harnett placed in the Top 8 every year at the NCAA Championships in her respective events. Considered as the school’s most successful female swimmer, she was recognized as the New Jersey College Female Athlete of the Year by the New Jersey Sports Writers’ Association as a senior in 1993. She was also named the 1993 NJAC Woman Athlete of the Year after earning four straight selections as the Metropolitan Conference Most Valuable Swimmer during her career. She also earned the 1993 Dick Kremprecki Most Outstanding Female Senior Award at the Metropolitan Conference Championships for her valuable contributions to the sport of swimming. She was also awarded the school’s Varsity “T” Award as the top senior female athlete in 1993. Harnett still holds records in the 200 freestyle and the 200 individual medley events. She was listed in the 1993-1994 edition of "Who's who among Students in American Universities and Colleges”.
In her four years thus far as the head women’s swimming coach at her alma mater, Harnett has registered 27 victories against 16 losses and led her team to three Metropolitan Conference and two New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championships during her short tenure. A two-time Metropolitan Conference and NJAC Coach of the Year, she guided the Lions to their best performance at the NCAA Division III Championships as the team placed 13th at the 2003 NCAA’s.
She served as an assistant coach for the Lions under Campbell for the 1993-1994 campaign. Jennifer helped to develop and implement a preseason training program for the team, while specializing in stroke mechanics. Harnett remained active in coaching, serving as an assistant swim coach at both Ramsey (NJ) and Ridgewood (NJ) High Schools as well as with the Bergen Barracudas Swim Club (Mahwah, NJ), an age group club.
Before coming back to her alma mater, she served as the Membership Director and the International Camp Director at the Ridgewood (NJ) YMCA and distinguished herself. In 1999, the YMCA Association for Professional Directors selected Jennifer as the Rookie of the Year. That same year, the YMCA honored Harnett as a "Key Leader" for outstanding camp and international camp programs. In 2000, she was recognized for her work with the international camp program as part of the YMCA Garden State Cluster Organization.
She has also helped to build houses for the poor and provided financial help in conjunction with the Faith Ministries in Reynasa, Mexico.
Pamela McCreesh ’89, Softball
Pamela McCreesh, a three-time All-American at shortstop, was the program’s fourth Lion to be tapped as a Division III National Player of the Year in 1988 as a junior. As a result of her selection as the National Player of the Year, McCreesh was a Honda-Broderick Award nominee which signified Division III’s top softball player. She was recognized as New Jersey College Female Athlete of the Year by the New Jersey Sports Writers’ Association as a senior in 1989. She competed in four NCAA Division III College World Series and was a member of two NCAA Division III Softball Championship teams (1987 and 1989).
She graduated from the College as a .386 (214-554) career hitter with 148 runs scored, 115 RBI, 24 doubles, 23 triples, and seven home runs.
Currently, she is in her fourth season at the helm of the Brown University softball team. McCreesh guided the Bears to a share of the 2004 Ivy League title with Cornell University with a 10-4 league mark as Brown rocketed from the middle of the Ivy standings in 2003 to the top of the Ivies in 2004. She inherited a last place program when she first came to Brown in 2002. Since then, the Bears have gone 49-65 and have had 11 All-Ivy selections, including the 2004 Ivy Pitcher and Rookie of the Year.
She served as the head softball coach at Utah State University for four years prior to coming to Brown, where she managed all aspects of the Division I program. In four years at Utah State, McCreesh coached four All-West region players, seven All-Big West Conference players, a Big West Conference Player of the Year, and nine Academic All-Big West players.
Before becoming the head coach at Utah State, she worked as an assistant coach at Rutgers University for one season in 1997 when the Scarlet Knights captured their Big East Tournament berth for the first time in school history. She also worked as an assistant at Utah State for two seasons and the College for three seasons as a graduate assistant coach. During that time, the Lions won the 1992 NCAA Division III Championship and she also earned a master's degree in education in 1992.
Upon graduation, she played women's major fastpitch for four years with the Budweiser Belles and the Majestics, making it to the national championship all four years. McCreesh continues to serve as a clinician at top programs across the nation.
Bob “Hawk” Taylor, ‘68 Football
A two-year letterwinner for the Lions in football, Bob Taylor distinguished himself on the gridiron and in the classroom. The 1968 recipient of the National Football Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete Award, Taylor was a two-year letterman with the 1966 and 1967 Lions and returned to serve as a graduate assistant coach with the Lions in 1968 and 1969.
He played at the College under the guidance of current Hall of Fame Coaches, Bob Salois, Joe Hernstein and Ed “Windy” Morris during his tenure with the program. Serving as the team co-captain of the 1967 Lions and helped the team beat Montclair State, while also scoring the winning touchdown in the Lions’ win over Southern Connecticut.
After finishing his playing career, Taylor would become the first graduate assistant coach and served as the secondary coach as well as an assistant to former athletic director, Roy Van Ness in the athletic offices. He would earn his master’s degree from the College in 1969.
After leaving the College, Taylor pursued a career in coaching, where he has coached such sports as baseball, wrestling, softball, and of course football. From 1969 to 1973, he served as the head football coach at Colonia High School. He then became the head football coach at David Brearley Regional High School, serving in that role from 1974-1992. Most recently, he led the Johnson High School team from the 1993 to 2002 seasons. He sports a career coaching record of 199-84-7, while also capturing eight Mountain Valley Conference Championships. In addition to the conference titles, Taylor has also collected six New Jersey State Championships.
In 1995, he was named the New Jersey State Football Coach of the Year by the Star Ledger. He was also recognized in 2003 by the New Jersey Football Coaches Association as the Coach of the Year, one year after being inducted into the New Jersey Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Active in the community, he also serves on the board of trustees for the LaBarca-Rotella Spring Football Clinic and College Day. From 1977-1994, he served as the recreation director for the Boro of Kenilworth, NJ. He was elected to the Kenilworth Board of Education in March of 1986 and served for 12 years. In 1986, he was cited by the Kenilworth Police Benevolent Association as the “Citizen of the Year.” Among his other honors, he was named the Teacher of the Year at David Brearley High School for the 1987-1988 year. He was also honored in 1990 with a “Civilian Commendation Medal” in 1990 by the Kenilworth PBA. In 1995, the College recognized Taylor with the Wade Watkins Alumni Award.
John Sarkos, ‘ 52 Football
A four-year letterwinner with the Lions in football, John Sarkos returned to the campus following his graduation and served as a student assistant football coach with the 1954 and 1955 gridiron teams, all under the guidance of head coach George Ackerman.
A member of the College’s 1951 undefeated team, Sarkos was a four-year starter at end and served as team captain of the 1951 squad. After leading the Lions to a 29-6 victory over Montclair in the 1951 season finale, Sarkos and the 1951 football team helped the gridiron program collect the College’s second undefeated team in the program’s history, a feat that has never been matched.
The feat is even more amazing when you think of the fact that until the 1949 season, the Lions had been winless in 45 outings. Trenton State Teachers College had not managed a victory from the 1938 to the 1949 season and had mounted a 28-game losing streak, while also coming up with ties on four separate occasions.
By season’s end, the Lions had gone 6-0 and had earned a No. 6 ranking by the N.A.I.A, while also holding the opposition to just 26 points in six contests. The Lions outscored their 1951 foes by a 174-26 margin and even added a pair of shutout wins along the way.
After graduating from the College in 1952, Sarkos served for two years in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He returned to campus in 1954 to serve as an assistant coach under Coach Ackerman and later distinguished himself both as a physical education teacher and a coach for 35 years. While working in the Atlantic City School District, Sarkos taught physical education and added coaching responsibilities in numerous sports. Among the many activities he found himself involved with during his teaching career, he served as assistant coach in boy’s track and field for 22 years, helping that program establish school marks in both the shot put and the javelin. He also served as assistant coach with the girls’ track program from 1984 to 1986 and helped produce a state champion in the shot put. He also served as head varsity wrestling coach for 11 years, winning three conference titles, and a pair of district championships. He coached 27 district champions and two regional champions during his career, while his 1969-1970 team went 13-1 and won the conference and district crowns. That same team produced five district titlists, one regional champion and a third place finisher at the state championships. As if that was not enough, Sarkos also served as the head coach for the girls’ cross country team from 1985 to 1990 and helped the 1987 team win the Atlantic County Championship.
Among his many interests and activities, Sarkos served as a lifeguard on the Atlantic City Beach Patrol. A member of the Atlantic City Beach Patrol for 53 years, Sarkos also served as a captain and was inducted into the Atlantic City Beach Patrol Hall of Fame in 1994.
Named the recipient of the 1997 Dr. Ben Brown Award as well as the winner of the Yates Swim Award in 1997, he remains active as a lifeguard, serving as a member of the Lifeguard Retirement Board. Sarkos remains active in the community and has participated in such events as the Katie Humphries Walk for Cancer, while also supporting the Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, the Salvation Army, the Disabled American Veterans Association, as well as the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. He still remains very active with the College as a member of the Gridiron Group.
Kevin Bannon, Men’s Basketball Coach
The men’s basketball coach at the College from 1982 to 1989, Kevin Bannon led the men’s basketball program were it had never been before, the championship game of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The 1988-1989 Lions captured the NJAC Championship and earned the program’s fourth NCAA tournament appearance under Bannon. By year’s end, the Lions had produced a 30-2 record and appeared in the NCAA Championship game, only to settle for the runner-up title after dropping a heart breaking 94-86 decision to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, while playing on the campus of Wittenberg College (Springfield, OH).
Among the many awards garnered by Bannon was a selection as the Division III Coach of the Year. Bannon elevated his career record to 145-48 during his time at TSC. Additional recognition was handed out to Greg Grant, who was selected as the Outstanding Player of the 1989 NCAA Division III Championship, as well as the NCAA Division III All-Tournament Team and by year’s end, he was named the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) Division III National Player of the Year. Over the course of the tournament, Grant established several NCAA Division III tournament records, some of which still stand today. One such record is that for most field goals for the tournament (68). In addition, Grant finished the year with another mark that still stands after scoring 1,044 points on the year to lead the country.
Kevin Ryan also finished the campaign as the Division III leader in field goal percentage (71.3%, 246-345), while the team led Division III with a .938 winning percentage as well as in scoring margin with a +23.8 ppg average.
Bannon left the College to pursue a career at nearby Division I Rider, where he led the Broncs for nine years and helped the program earn two NCAA Division I Tournament appearances. Three times during his stint at Rider, he was cited as the New Jersey Coach of the Year, while also earning three citations as conference coach of the year. He followed a successful stint at Rider with five seasons as the head coach of the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers University, becoming the youngest collegiate coach in the country with over 325 career wins. He helped the Scarlet Knights earn back-to-back post season appearances for the first time in eight years and reached the semifinals of the Big East tournament in 1998.
Following a successful college coaching career, Bannon would also earn recognition for his accomplishments as a college basketball commentator, earning an Emmy Award as a color commentator with CN8 Comcast Sports.
A 1979 graduate of St. Peter’s College, Bannon is a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame at his alma mater as well as Rider University. He is currently employed as the executive director of the Mercer County Park Commission and oversees 200 employees as well all of Mercer County’s wonderful recreation and entertainment facilities, such as Waterfront Park, Sovereign Bank Arena, and the Mercer Marina, just to name a few.
Donald Williams, Men’s gymnastics and wrestling coach
The men’s gymnastics coach at the College from 1961 to 1978, Donald Williams was also the founder of TSC’s wrestling program. He initiated and coach varsity wrestling from 1963-1966. In addition to his role as a coach, Williams was an assistant professor at the College in 1961, gaining associate professor honors in 1969 and a full professorship in 1980. In 1993, he was awarded professor emeritus honors in health and physical education after a distinguished teaching career at the College.
In the early years as the Lions’ gymnastic coach, Williams led the co-ed team in exhibition competition and helped the program as they competed in some 54 exhibitions between the years of 1962-1975. By the mid 1960, the men were competing in seven meets, while the women’s team had four competitions and the co-ed program had four exhibitions. By 1968-1969, the men’s team had a schedule that included 10 varsity meets, all under the guidance of Williams.
In 1973, the Lions joined the North Atlantic Gymnastic League and by season’s end the team earned a fourth place at the league’s champions the first two seasons as a new member. The 1973-1974 season saw the men’s team go undefeated with a perfect 14-0 record in competition and from the 1972-1974 seasons, the team had produced an impressive 36-4 record in dual meet competition. The Lions also watched an amazing dual meet win streak grow to 26 matches, only to see the streak come to an end in 1974 when the team went 11-1 that year.
In the mid 1970’s, the program really blossomed as the 1975 squad finished in third place at the NAGL Championships, while also placing first on the still rings four straight seasons (1973-74-75-75). Among the individuals excelling under the direction of Coach Williams was J. Kerr, who earned 82 first, second and third place finishes during the 1976 season to set a school record. The 1976 and 1977 teams finished as the runners-up at the NAGL Championships, while individual acclaim was earned by Steve Graber, Tony Moscaritolo, Gary Guido, Peter Graber, and John Orlasky at the NCAA Championships in 1973, 1974, and 1976 and 1997. Steve Graber earned a 20th place finish on the still rings in 1976 and collected a 14th place finish the following year in the same event. Ted Jackson also placed 12th in vaulting in 1973 for the Lions.
Tapped as the Coach of the Year at TSC in 1973 and 1975, Williams has earned extensive recognition for his prowess as a coach and a teacher. The author of Gymnastics in Physical Education (1979 & 1985) as well as “Teaching Concepts in Gymnastics: The S’s”, Williams was cited by the U.S. Gymnastic Federation in 1977 with a selection to “Who’s Who in Gymnastics.” A member of the NCAA Gymnastic Coaches Association, Williams has also been a frequent speaker at the NJEA Convention as well as numerous gymnastics’ clinics, while also serving as the director of the NJ High School Gymnastic Championships for seven years.
Active in the community, Williams is a member of the Hopewell Valley Recreation Department and initiated the Recreation Organization for Senior Citizens at the Pennington Presbyterian Church with his wife. He is a former deacon for the Pennington Presbyterian Church and is a former co-chair of the Senior Citizens Committee of Aging at the Pennington Presbyterian Church.
In the 1970’s, he initiated and organized several abroad study opportunities. In 1971, he organized and led 30 high school students on a three-week visit from Freiburg, Germany. The following year, he led a two-hour accredited course with 30 TSC students to the Kleines Walsertal area of the Austrian Alps. That same year, he organized a visit to the area from 23 professors from Frankfurt, Germany that included seven institutions and four states.
Among the many athletes Williams has coached and mentored are Steve and Peter Graber and Glenn Gruber, who have all been inducted into TCNJ’s Athletic Alumni Hall of Fame.
2005 TCNJ TEAMS OF DISTINCTION
1985-1986 Women’s Tennis Team
The 1985-1986 women’s tennis team at Trenton State College distinguished themselves by capturing the 1986 NCAA Division III Championship. They became the first team in NCAA history from the Northeast college or University to win the NCAA Championship at any Division (I, II, or III) when they defeated Occidental to capture the NCAA crown.
The Lions went 24-1 that year under the guidance of head coach Brenda Campbell and strung together an amazing season that saw the Lions drop only one match, a 6-3 decision to Division I Penn State in the fall.
During the 1986 NCAA Championships, the Lions beat Mary Washington College 5-4 in the first round, before downing Kalamazoo College, 5-4. In the finals, the Lions beat Occidental 6-3 and won the NCAA team championship, a program first.
Playing at No. 1 singles that year, Debbie Daniels went 52-5 on the year, including a perfect 22-0 record in dual match singles play. Daniel won the 1986 NCAA Division III Singles Championship Crown as well that year, earning All-America honors and teamed in doubles with Kathy Crowley to also earn All-America honors after finishing the year as the National Runners-up. The pair went 23-4 together and lost the finals in three sets to the top seeded pair in the tournament. Daniel was a candidate for the Broderick Trophy as the Female College Player of the Year in 1986 as well. Daniel was also named to the Tennis Magazine’s All-America Team and attended a dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, which Arthur Ashe was among the attendees.
Over the course of the 1985-1986 season, the Lions picked up the 1985 New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship after a 5-0 conference mark and went 10-1 in the fall. On the spring half of the campaign, the Lions were a perfect 14-0. During the season, the Lions defeated nine opponents by scores of 9-0 and also went 4-0 in the Middle Atlantic Championships to sew up the program’s second straight title. The Lions also helped coach Campbell collect her 200th career win during the season, a feat she achieved when the Lions beat Lehigh, 5-4.
The 1985-1986 Lions were comprised of team members: Ilde Ardigo, Lynne Buggle, Patty Butynes, Kathy Crowley, Debbie Daniel, Amy Danser, Missy Elliott, Beth Longacre, Kathy McNally, Judy Womelsdorf and Meg Heard. Crowley and Buggle were the team captains, while Brenda Campbell was in her 17th season as head coach of the program. A 1973 graduate of TSC, Robert Carr served as the assistant coach for the Lions that season, marking his sixth year with the Lions.
1951 Football Team
The 1951 football team for the Trenton State teachers College became the College’s second undefeated team in the history of the program. The College’s 1951 gridiron team went 6-0 and helped distinguish the gridiron program in the process.
Under the guidance of George Ackerman, the 1951 Lions finished the season with a convincing 29-6 win over Montclair State to finish the campaign with an unblemished record. The Lions were unbeaten and untied that year and outscored their opponents by a 174 to 26 margin and recorded two shutout wins during the season. The celebration on campus that day saw coaches Ackerman and Roy Van Ness dunked into the swimming pool by their players, an event that did not bother the pair.
The feat achieved by the 1951 Lions in even more amazing when you look back just a few years in the program’s history. From 1938 to 1949, the Lions were hapless and played without a single victory. They managed four ties during that time span, but failed to record a single win and watched their losing streak grow to an agonizing 28 straight losses. The streak came to an end on November 10, 1949, when the Lions beat Montclair State, 7-6. The 1995 seniors went from not winning a single game during the early part of their careers to finishing with an undefeated senior campaign.
For the 1951 players and coaches, the feat still stands among the College’s monumental achievements. No team has ever matched that perfect season, while coming close in 1980 (8-1-1), 1982 (9-1) and again in 1989 (8-1-1), the Lions have gone undefeated just twice in 81 years of varsity football.
John Sarkos and Jake Holcombe served as the Lions’ team co-captains that year. Among the many players that helped the Lions that year are Mike Angelotti, Jim Brined, Lynn Brodton, William Burke, Robert Callahan, August Cassi, Leonard Contarino, Tibbot Csik, Chuck Fleck, Howard Furhrman, Fred Hodgson, Harry Hoehn, John Jengehino, Nick Laurincella, Bob Lorber, Rudolf Mueller, Bob Murphy, Philip Oliver, Ken Pederson, Edwin Phillips, Joe Pino, Bob Ploudre, Roy Ridgeway, Robert Scmidt, Jim Slattery, Pete Small, Ted Smith, Nicholas Stavres, Donald Steel, Roger Sweeney, August Thomas, Norman Udy, Bob White, Fred Wollman, and Bill Wright.
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