Athletic Hall of Fame Members | Facility

2006 Georgetown Hall of Fame Induction

The Georgetown Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1953. At that time, more than 100 Georgetown athletes, coaches and administrators were selected for induction. However, it was not until 1958 that the Hall of Fame achieved a permanent home with the presentation by the Class of 1953 of a plaque for display in McDonough Gymnasium to which the names of all Hall of Fame inductees were affixed.

It was in this period that the governance of the Hall of Fame, as well as the selection and induction of members, was placed under an Athletic Hall of Fame Committee operating under the auspices of the Georgetown Alumni Association.

In 1975, the Alumni Association formalized the induction ceremonies and initiated the present format of formal induction dinners honoring five new inductees on a biennial basis.

In 1988, the Committee undertook an exhaustive study of Georgetown's athletic past and implemented a broad-based reorganization of the selection process, which resulted in the induction of athletes across the spectrum of Georgetown sports, including the first-ever inductions in sailing, men's soccer, men's and women's swimming, women's tennis, and men's lacrosse.

In 1993, the Hall of Fame was relocated into a permanent facility, constructed in the southwest gallery of the Leavey Student Center on the Georgetown campus and overlooking the University athletic complex. The Hall was formally opened to the public in February 1994.

The current Hall of Fame has dramatically expanded the scope and focus of the Hall, from a single plaque to 22 separate pieces of bas-relief artwork depicting each of Georgetown's intercollegiate sports. The names of the inductees from each sport are affixed (by the year of graduation) below the appropriate bronze. The names of future inductees will be added biennially. By the end of the decade, it is anticipated that virtually every plaque will contain the name of a Hall of Fame athlete.

Two Latin inscriptions adorn the walls of the Hall. On the north wall is the sage advice of the Roman writer, Juvenal who urged "mens sana in corpore sano." Translated, it reads, "a sound mind in a sound body," a phrase that has become one of the hallmarks of Jesuit education. On the opposite wall is written the motto of the modern Olympic Games, "citius, altius, fortius," faster, higher, stronger.

In the 47 years since its inception, the Georgetown Athletic Hall of Fame has grown from modest beginnings. The Hall now sits -- relocated and renewed -- in one of the most dramatic settings on campus, adorned with striking artwork, reminding the visitor of the swiftness, strength and grace of 212 Georgetown men and women who represent the very best the University has to offer in the annals of intercollegiate sport.