Courtesy: Brown Athletics
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame will induct 18 new members and one team at its 44th Induction Dinner on Saturday, October 19, 2024, at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence.
The inductees into the Hall of Fame include Eli Wolff ’00 (Joukowsky Humanitarian Award), David Chichester ’67 (Paul L. Maddock ’33 Award), Phil Estes (Special), Russ Fiore (Special), Gordon “Whitey” Helander and the 1960 Men’s “Cinderella” Crew (Special), Tommy Glenn ’14 (Swim and Dive), Tessa Gobbo ’13 (Crew), Paris Waterman Dupree ’11 (Lacrosse), Charlie Enright ’08 (Sailing), Devin Thomas ’07 (Baseball), Nick Ciarcia ’04 (Wrestling), Keira Heggie ’04 (Water Polo), Pam Dreyer ’03 (Ice Hockey), Chas Gessner ’03 (Football), Shelby Marshall ’93 (Softball), Oliver Marti ’93 (Lacrosse), Janet Repke Kahl ’89 (Soccer), Kerry Kelley ’87 (Basketball), and the 1975 men’s soccer team.
Eli Wolff ’00 (Joukowsky Humitarian Award)
The Joukowsky Humanitarian Award honors the memories of Artie & Martha Joukowsky. Elias Abarbanel-Wolff (“Eli”) was a lifelong advocate for people with disabilities, particularly in sports. At two years old, Eli became partially paralyzed from a stroke following heart surgery. Overcoming this life-altering event, Eli went on to spend a decade with the men’s cerebral palsy national team, participating internationally in Paralympics soccer in 1996 and 2004. He was a member of the men’s soccer team at Brown and went on to help establish the ESPY Awards for Best Male and Female Athlete with a Disability. Shortly after graduating from Brown, he worked with the United Nations on an international treaty on the rights of persons with disabilities —and on establishing the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace every April 6. He co-directed the Royce Sport and Society Fellowship at Brown.
Wolff was instrumental in helping draft the U.S. Office of Civil Rights “Dear Colleague” letter of 2013, which amended requirements for equity and inclusion for students with disabilities in school-based athletics. In addition, Wolff got Major League Baseball to rename its “Disabled List” to the “Injured List” in 2019.
At Brown, he studied sociology and received a Swearer Center Royce Fellowship, for which he researched the scope and effectiveness of U.S. sports organizations for those with disabilities. He stayed connected and became co-chair of a steering committee currently working to establish a disability and neuro-diversity affinity community for Brown alumni —one of the many ways he gave back.
David Chichester ’67 (Paul L. Maddock ’33 Award)
The Maddock Award is presented to an alum who has shown unwavering long-term dedication and support for Brown Athletics. David Chichester ’67 (“Chi”) played three varsity sports at Brown: soccer, basketball, and baseball, as well as club cricket.
He is in his seventh year as co-president of the Brown Sports Foundation, following nine years as Vice President and Director since 1995.
For the past 21 seasons, he has served as Chairman of the Brown Men’s Soccer Association and is an active member of the President’s Advisory Council (2016). Chi was Brown Club of Chicago and Brown Club of Maryland President and Chief Marshall for the 2017 Commencement, his 50th reunion.
Phil Estes (Special)
One of the greatest head coaches in Brown Football history, Phil Estes, arrived on College Hill in 1994 with then-head coach Mark Whipple and immediately changed the culture around Bears football. Elevated to the head coaching position in 1998, he helped deliver Brown’s first Ivy League Championship in 23 seasons a year later, only the second title in program history. He followed with two additional Ivy crowns in 2005 and 2008.
His recruiting pitch embodied the mission and core values of Brown University and Brown Athletics, and love, respect, and hard work were cornerstones of Bears Football, regularly letting recruits know that choosing Brown was a 40-year decision as players matched periodically with mentors for internships, jobs and a fantastic network of Brown alumni. He served as head coach for 24 years and collected 115 victories, the second most in program history. His 76 Ivy League wins to top the record book.
Russ Fiore (Special)
Arriving on College Hill in 1979 as an assistant athletic trainer, Russ Fiore was elevated to associate head athletic trainer in 1983 before becoming the head athletic trainer in 1999, a role he held for 20 years. Russ was known for his sense of humor and fantastic ability to treat and rehabilitate Brown student-athletes from injury, earning renowned distinction for his work as an innovator. Many patents from ankle braces and exercise devices used today are attributed to Russ.
Gordon “Whitey” Helander and the 1960 Men’s “Cinderella” Crew (Special)
Many trace the national notoriety of Brown men’s crew to Gordon “Whitey” Helander and the 1960 Cinderella men’s crew. A former rower at Syracuse, Whitey began coaching Brown crew as an unpaid volunteer in 1959. In the spring of 1960, Brown won all three of its dual races and repeated as champion of the Dad Vail Regatta, the largest regatta in the country for “small college crews.”
Brown followed by entering the IRA Regatta and was picked to finish last. In a 12-team race, Brown was in a battle with the powerhouse Washington Huskies when something happened near the finish line. The Husky’s boat slid into Brown’s lane, forcing the crew to take action to avoid the rocky shoreline. Judges awarded the Bears fourth with an option to protest due to the chaotic finish.
The New York Herald Tribune reported, “Cal Won the Regatta— Brown Stole the Show,” Sports Illustrated stated the finish to be the “biggest near upset since David skulled Goliath!” The national publicity led to the men’s crew being elevated to a varsity sport.
Tommy Glenn ’14 (Swim and Dive)
Tommy Glenn ’14 won six Ivy League championships for the Bears and qualified for NCAA championships in his final three seasons on College Hill. After his freshman campaign, he never lost a butterfly race in a dual-meet competition and continued to shatter Brown records. His sophomore year was one for the record books as he captured gold in the 100 and 200 butterfly at the Ivy Championships. He placed 13th at the NCAA Championships, becoming Brown’s first All-American in over 60 years. He was named the 2011-12 NCAA Male Breakout Swimmer of the Year. After the season, he competed at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the 100 and 200 butterfly. As a freshman, he set the program mark in the 200 fly, winning silver at Ivies. He won the 200 fly again in 2013 and 2014 and the 100 in 2013, the third fastest time in the country.
He qualified again for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in 2016 and graduated with five team records.
Tessa Gobbo ’13 (Crew)
Tessa Gobbo ’13 was a three-time All-American and a member of the 2011 NCAA Championship team. As a sophomore, Gobbo was named Pocock/CRCA First Team All-American and captained the 2012 and 2013 teams that qualified for the NCAA Championship. Upon graduating, she joined the U.S. National Team, medaling three times at the World Championships between 2013 and 15 before winning a gold medal for the United States in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio in the 8+.
Gobbo returned to College Hill as an assistant coach in 2021.
Paris Waterman Dupree ’11 (Lacrosse)
Paris Waterman Dupree ’11 did it all for Brown women’s lacrosse, both on and off. Athletically, Dupree was a two-time First Team All-Ivy honoree (2010, 2011) and made the IWLCA Northeast Region team twice, with first-team laurels in 2010 and second-team accolades in 2011. She was also selected for the U.S. National Team in 2011. Dupree embodied the true part of a student-athlete, earned Academic All-Ivy honors in 2010, and was a two-time IWLCA Academic Squad member. A leader on the field and a team captain as a senior, Dupree still stands in the Brown record book and ranks in the top 25 all-time in multiple categories. She remained involved with Brown and was a keynote speaker at the VarsityCon: Student-Athlete Career Conference in 2018, along with this year’s Career Summit.
Charlie Enright ’08 (Sailing)
A four-time All-American, Charlie Enright ’08 was named Three-Time All-New England Co-Ed Skipper. He was among only seven college sailors selected to the British Universities Sailing Association in 2005. He was part of the ICSA All-Star Team, picked every four years to represent college sailing in the UK.
Upon graduating, Charlie became a two-time Rolex Transatlantic and Fastnet Races winner and co-founded Team Alvimedica, the youngest team in the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race. He skippered the fleet to a fifth-place finish that year and placed fifth with Vestas 11th Hour Racing in the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race.
Devin Thomas ’07 (Baseball)
Arriving on College Hill in the fall of 2003, Devin Thomas ’07 immediately earned Second Team All-Ivy honors as a true freshman while starting 40 games. The next three seasons featured record-breaking performances by the catcher, capped by a unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year selection in 2007. It was Brown’s first-ever unanimous major award honoree and the program’s second Ivy League Player of the Year. He broke Brown’s single-season records in home runs (16), RBI (64), and runs scored (51) while leading the Bears to the 2007 Ivy League Championship. He was back-to-back First Team All-Ivy in 2006 and 2007.
Devin was selected in the seventh round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers.
Nick Ciarcia ’04 (Wrestling)
Nick Ciarcia ’04 was a three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association Academic Team honoree. He wrestled at three different weight classes – 174, 184, and 197. A three-time NCAA qualifier, Ciarcia moved up to 197 as a sophomore and, despite being out-sized, placed third at EIWA to qualify for the national tournament. As a senior in 2004, Ciarcia placed in the top 12 nationally after winning three matches.
Keira Heggie ’04 (Water Polo)
Keira Heggie ’04’s impact on Brown women’s water polo was known then, and now, Heggie has become the first women’s water polo Brown Athletic Hall of Famer. A four-year starting goalkeeper, she led the Bears to a 7-4 victory over Michigan as a freshman en route to the 2001 Eastern Championship and Tournament MVP honors. The championship was capped with a double overtime victory over Princeton, earning Heggie a highlight in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd.”
The Miami native played club with Brown’s current Director of Water Polo Felix Mercado. A four-time all-conference selection, she led the conference in saves three times and was a two-time All-American.
Pam Dreyer ’03 (Ice Hockey)
One of the best goalies in Brown women’s ice hockey history, Pam Dreyer ’03, was a two-time ECAC Champion. A three-time All-ECAC and two-time All-Ivy selection, Dreyer’s .938 save percentage as a junior helped lead the Bears to a 25-8-2 record en route to a Women’s Frozen Four appearance in Durham, N.H. That season, Brown won the ECAC Championship and finished runner-up at nationals as Dreyer held Minnesota to just one goal in the national semifinal game.
She was a two-time New England Hockey Writers Association All-Star and competed on the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team (which won bronze in Torino). F FAME.
Chas Gesnner ’03 (Football)
Maryland native Chas Gessner was a key 1999 Ivy League Championship football team member, tallying eight touchdown receptions as a freshman wideout. He was named two-time First Team All-Ivy, First Team All-New England, and a Walter Payton Award Finalist. As a senior in 2002, he tied Jerry Rice’s NCAA single-game record with 24 receptions against URI.
Twenty years later, Gessner remains in the top 20 in four statistical categories in FCS Football History: receptions per game (third), career catches (fourth), and touchdown receptions (10th).
He achieved a rare feat in college sports; Gessner was also an All-American for the Brown lacrosse program.
Upon graduating, Gessner played in the NFL and won a Super Bowl ring with the New England Patriots.
Shelby Marshall ’93 (Softball)
Shelby Marshall ’93 was a two-way player for the Bears, holding a .358 career batting average (top five in Brown history) and a 25-8-1 record in the circle during conference action. As a freshman, she was a 1990 Ivy League Championship squad member. She was a three-time First Team All-Ivy selection and named 1993 Ivy League Player of the Year after leading the Bears in home runs, RBI, and batting average.
Oliver Marti ’93 (Lacrosse)
Oliver Marti ’93 graduated in just three years from Brown and was named Academic All-America by CoSIDA. Athletically, he finished in the top 10 in program history in scoring. A two-time All-America honorable mention selection in 1992 and 1993, Marti scored nine goals against Loyola in the 1992 NCAA Tournament contest to tie the NCAA single-game record.
During Marti’s time with the Bears, Brown went 35-8, and his 3.51 goals per game ranked fifth in NCAA history as of the conclusion of the 2024 season. He was a member of the Canadian National Team and founded the Connecticut Collegiate Box League.
Janet Repke Kahl ’89 (Soccer)
Janet Repke Kahl ’89 was a four-time Ivy League champion, All-Ivy selection, and two-time captain. Repke Kahl still holds the program record for career assists with 33 and single-season assists with 14. Both marks rank in the top three in the Ivy League record books as of 2023.
In her four years on College Hill, Repke Kahl and the Bears dominated Ivy action, going 19-1-3.
Kerry Kelly ’87 (Basketball)
A three-time All-Ivy selection, Kerry Kelley ’87 arrived on College Hill and led the Bears to back-to-back Ivy titles, the first Ivy League Championship ever won by a Brown basketball program (1984 and 1985). She still holds the Brown record for career assists, and her 16 dimes against Penn in 1986 are the tops in a single game in conference history. Kelley was a menace defensively, with 305 career steals, currently fifth-most in Ivy League history.
1975 Men’s Soccer Team (Team)
The 1975 team, led by Cliff Stevenson, dominated its way to a 12-3-2 mark, posting six shutouts and scoring 57 goals. The team featured three All-Americans: Steven Ralbovsky, Fred Pereira, and Tom Walsh, who also received First Team All-Ivy selections. Ralbovsky was awarded the MAC Hermann Trophy, given to the country’s Most Outstanding Player.
In the NCAA Tournament, Brown defeated Bridgeport 3-2, UConn 2-1, and Ivy League co-champion Cornell 3-0 to advance to the national semifinals. In the semis, the Bears pushed San Francisco to three overtimes. Brown defeated Howard 2-0 following the contest to finish third in the national rankings.
