University of Massachusets Athletics
Six Enshrined In UMass Athletic Hall Of Fame
June 22, 2007 | General
October 12, 2007
Amherst, Mass. -
Six former athletes were inducted into the George "Trigger" Burke UMass Athletic Hall of Fame as the Class of 2007 at a dinner on Friday night at the Campus Center. This year's class includes Bill DeFlavio (Class of 1973, football), Patrick Flaherty (Class of 1972, ice hockey), Rene Ingoglia (Class of 1996, football), Michele Leary (Class of 1990, swimming), James "Brooks" Sweet (Class of 1980, lacrosse), and Paul Wennik (Class of 1962, baseball). With the addition of these six, the Hall of Fame membership now stands at 90. They will be honored prior to the UMass-Villanova football game on Saturday.
DeFlavio was a football player from 1969 to 1971, going from walk-on to first team All American. An undersized defensive lineman, DeFlavio earned first team All-Yankee Conference honors three times. He was named All-East as both a junior and senior in 1970 and 1971. As a senior, he became UMass' sixth first team All-American in 1971. DeFlavio led UMass to two Yankee Conference championships in 1969 and 1971. In his era, sacks and tackles for loss weren't kept, but accounts of the games indicate that he would have been a team leader in both categories. After his UMass playing days were over, DeFlavio went on to play professionally in the World Football League, with New York and Charlotte, and in the Canadian Football League, with Montreal. After a business career with Nike, he is now in real estate and development in Massachusetts. DeFlavio has stayed active with UMass Football, serving as President of The Friends of Football. He graduated from UMass with a degree in Physical Education in 1973.
Flaherty was an ice hockey player from 1969-72, earning first team All-America honors in 1972 as a goalie. That year, he led UMass to ECAC Division II championship. At the time of his graduation, he held the career records for victories (38), saves (1,306), save percentage (.881), and goals against average (3.05). Today he still ranks second in wins, third in goals against average, fifth in saves, and sixth in save percentage. After his UMass playing days were over, Flaherty went to play professionally for four seasons. He joined the American Hockey League's Rochester Americans for the 1972-73 season. He spent the next two seasons, in the International Hockey League with Dayton and Fort Wayne, and finished his career with the Cape Codders of the North American Hockey League in 1975-76. Flaherty graduated from UMass with a degree in Physical Education in 1972.
Ingoglia was a football player from 1992-95, who was named first team All-America in 1995 and second team All-America in 1994. He was picked to the Yankee Conference's 50th Anniversary Team, after earning spots on the Yankee Conference's first team in 1994 and 1995, and second team in 1993. As a running back, he set the career school rushing record with 4,624 yards, which now stands third behind Marcel Shipp and Steve Baylark and is 24th all-time in NCAA 1-AA football. He also set the school record for rushing yards in a game with 313 against Rhode Island in 1994, which currently stands second. His 54 touchdowns is second best at UMass and eighth best in 1-AA football. A two-time captain, Ingoglia was the first UMass back to average over 100 yards a game for a career and had 21 games with 100 or more rushing yards. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards three times, with those single season totals standing sixth (1,505), seventh (1,285), and ninth (1,178). After his UMass career, he played in the 1996 Hula Bowl All-Star Game and played in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and in NFL Europe with the Frankfort Galaxy, where he scored a touchdown in World Bowl '99. He is currently a member of the Orlando Police Department, where he has won two awards of commendation. He graduated from UMass in 1996 with a degree in Exercise Science.
Leary was a swimmer from 1986-90, who set five individual records during her UMass career. Four of those still stand today, holding marks in the 50-free (23.67), the 100-free (50.81), the 200-free (1:52.17), and the 100-fly (57.36). She was a team Most Valuable Performer three times and was a six-time New England Champion, winning the 50, 100, and 200 frees in both 1989 and 1990. She also was a part of six New England relay championships. As a senior, Leary won the Kay Fromer Award that goes to the swimmer that scored the most points at the New England Championships over a four-year career. She accomplished all of this while coming back from a heart attack in the fall of 1989. She was awarded the ECAC Award of Valor in 1990 and won the Courageous Student-Athlete Giants Steps Award on National Student-Athlete Day. Leary is currently a doctor in Southern California. She graduated with a degree in zoology from the University of Massachusetts in 1990.
Sweet was a lacrosse player from 1978-79, who earned All-America honors both seasons he played at UMass. He was a first teamer in 1979 and was honorable mention in 1978. Both of those years, he was named All-New England as he led the Minutemen to the New England title. Sweet was the team's top scorer both season, as he became the only player in UMass history to score more than 80 points in two years. In 1979, the team made the NCAA Tournament and he scored a then-school record 61 goals, which is now second all-time. Despite only playing two years, Sweet ranks seventh in goals (106), is tied for 13th in assists (66), and is eighth in points (106). As a senior, he was a team captain and represented UMass in the North-South All-Star game. After UMass, he went on to play for Team USA and was selected the MVP of the 1982 World Games, in which the U.S. took gold. He was inducted in to the New England Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1996. Currently, he is an executive with STX Lacrosse on Long Island. Sweet graduated from UMass in 1980 with a degree in Leisure Studies.
Wennik was a lefthanded pitcher on the baseball from 1958 to 1961, who had a career earned run average of 1.67. As a senior in 1961, he was named first team All-Yankee Conference and first team All-New England, after going 5-1 on the mound with a 1.24 ERA, which is the sixth lowest single season ERA with a minimum of 40 innings pitched in school history. This helped UMass finish second nationally in team ERA. Wennik had ERA's of 1.16 in 1958 and 2.65 in 1960. He also helped the team at the plate, hitting .333 in 1960 and .400 in 1961. He then signed with the Washington Senators organization, playing in the Appalachian League in Middlesboro, Kentucky. After finishing his baseball career, Wennik has spent more than 35 years in the record industry. Today he is semi-retired, but still serves as a consultant. He has been very active supporter of UMass as an alum, serving as the chairman of the Annual Fund in 1992-93, an Alumni Admissions person for 13 years, and being a member of a selection committee for Chancellor. Wennik graduated from UMass with a degree in government in 1962.
In all, 64 nominations were received for consideration this year. The George "Trigger" Burke Hall Of Fame Selection Committee includes: Dick Bresciani, Boston Red Sox Vice President for Publications and Archives; George "Trigger" Burke, Hall of Fame Member; Matt Carlin, Member of the UMass Board of Trustees; Bob Goodhue, UMass Executive Director of Alumni Affairs; Tim Kenney, UMass Associate Athletic Director for Advancement; John McCutcheon, UMass Athletic Director; James Mulcahy, former Varsity "M" Club President; and Elaine Sortino, UMass Associate Athletic Director for Sports Programs and Student Services.
Nominations for the Class of 2008 will be accepted until March 15, 2008.