daniel kauffman, the herald-mail
·5 min read
The five members of the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame who were inducted in the hall's 28th class in 2014:
Chris Brockway
According to the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame: “Brockway was a YMCA All-American swimmer and an All-Washington County soccer player during his high school days at North Hagerstown in the early 1980s. In 1984, he placed third in the 200 butterfly at the YMCA national championships.
“He went on to star in the pool at Shippensburg (Pa.) University. He was a 12-time NCAA Division II All-American, a three-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champion and in 1988 he won a national title in the 200 butterfly. Brockway set four school records at Shippensburg, with one standing for 25 years, and in 2007 he was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame.
“At the time of induction, he has coached swimming for eight years at Dallastown (Pa.) Area High School. As a father of two, he also has coached youth baseball, basketball and soccer.”
Mark Brockway
According to the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame: “Mark, the twin brother of Chris, also was a YMCA All-American swimmer and an All-County soccer player as a student at North Hagerstown High School, making his mark in the pool in the 100 and 200 freestyle events. He and his brother still hold a number of Hagerstown YMCA team records.
“At Shippensburg (Pa.) University, he was a 10-time All-American and a 12-time PSAC placewinner. His best season was as a senior, when he placed fourth in the 500 freestyle, fifth in the 200 freestyle and sixth in the 1,650 freestyle at the 1988 national championships. His school record in the 500 freestyle still stood at the time of induction.
“In 2007, he was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame with his brother. He has three children and has been actively involved in coaching their sports teams.”
Greg Henry
According to the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame: “Henry was a standout golfer at South Hagerstown High School, leading the team to back-to-back district titles in 1976-77. His low round of 70 remained South's school record at the time of induction. Henry then led Hagerstown Junior College to a state team title in 1979. He shot a 147 to win the individual state title by nine strokes, and in 1993 he was elected to the HJC sports hall of fame.
“Henry continued to rack up titles. He's an 11-time Beaver Creek Country Club champion, a three-time WACO champion and in 1988 he won the Maryland Amateur Stroke Play title. He was a member of Beaver Creek's state championship teams in 1999 and 2010, and was selected six times to represent Baltimore in the Baltimore-Washington team matches. He also teamed with Ken Lampard to win several two-man titles, including the Dick Kelly Memorial three times.
“Henry spent 11 years as a high school golf head coach (10 at Boonsboro, one at South Hagerstown) and five years as a varsity girls basketball head coach (four at Grace Academy, one at Clear Spring). He also spent seven years with the Boonsboro basketball program, guiding the freshman boys for four seasons and the JV boys for three. He also served as an assistant high school coach with the soccer and softball teams at Grace, and the tennis team at Boonsboro.”
Robert '8-Ball' Taylor
According to the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame: “Taylor, a 1958 graduate of Williamsport High School, made his impact on the baseball and softball diamonds. After pitching for county co-champion Williamsport as a senior, he pitched for the Prep League All-Stars that summer and tossed a pair of shutouts as his team finished second in the Prep League World Series in Pittsburgh. He then spent four years pitching for the Funkstown Pony Express, averaging 20 wins and 200 strikeouts per season.
“In the late 1960s, he managed a slow-pitch softball team in the Mack Truck Industrial League, and guided the team to three straight league titles. The nucleus of that team then joined the Hub City League and won back-to-back league titles, ending Boonsboro Produce's eight-year reign. Overall, his softball teams won 17 league titles, nine state titles and one national championship (1985).
“Taylor, who has umpired church league softball games for the past 14 years, was inducted into the Maryland State Softball Hall of Fame earlier in 2014.”
Rosemarie Williams
According to the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame: “Williams, a physical education teacher and coach at Williamsport High School from 1967 to 1999, took Williamsport's girls athletic program to new heights in the midst of the Title IX era. After coaching the school's first girls track and field team in 1972, she started Williamsport's girls cross country program in 1976 and guided the team to four straight Maryland state titles (1979-82). She coached girls cross country until 1984, finishing with a winning percentage of .956.
“In her two stints as Williamsport's girls basketball coach (1967-75 and 1979-83), Williams compiled a 153-36-1 record as her teams won nine county titles. She also coached softball at the school from 1967-75 and led her teams to six county titles and a 45-21 record.
“In all, Williams' teams won four state titles, six district championships, two MVAL titles and 25 county championships.
“Williams also worked as a basketball referee, assisted at volleyball and basketball summer camps and was a founding member of the Williamsport Girls and Women in Sports Committee.”
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Washington County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2014
