The 35th annual induction ceremony for the Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame sees eight new members joining.
Former NFLer and Herman Secondary School graduate Oshiomogho Atogwe is one of the higher profile entries this year.
"It's a sweet moment; very humbling just to be included with a lot of the wonderful guys that have already been inducted like one of my favourite coaches: coach [Godfrey] Janisse," says Atogwe. "I was surprised. I felt like I was too young, I haven't done enough and so to be inducted this early on, I was very appreciative."
Amherstburg native and former NCAA Division I volleyball star Maria Carlini was surprised to be included in the hall of fame class of 2015.
"I was in Wisconsin working in my office and I got the call and to be quite honest I didn't even know I was nominated, so they did some tricky investigative work beforehand," says Carlini. "This is incredible. The amount of people that are here [at induction ceremony], the support that's here, it's unbelievable. It's very overwhelming just to see the community come together."
The other inductees in the athletic category are Olympian Scott Russell, former baseball star David Cooper and triathlete Dan Murray while former St. Clair College hockey coach and athletic director Jack Costello, former NHL referee Mark Pare, and former Lancers basketball coach Paul "Doc" Thomas were inducted in the builder category. Thomas was also part of Canada's men's basketball team in the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki.
The Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame 2015 inductee class is celebrated in a ceremony on October 22, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
The Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame 2015 inductee class is celebrated in a ceremony on October 22, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
The Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame 2015 inductee class is celebrated in a ceremony on October 22, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
The Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame 2015 inductee class is celebrated in a ceremony on October 22, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
The Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame 2015 inductee class is celebrated in a ceremony on October 22, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
The Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame 2015 inductee class is celebrated in a ceremony on October 22, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
The Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame 2015 inductee class is celebrated in a ceremony on October 22, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
The Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame 2015 inductee class is celebrated in a ceremony on October 22, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
The Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame 2015 inductee class is celebrated in a ceremony on October 22, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
The Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame 2015 inductee class is celebrated in a ceremony on October 22, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
A silent auction was part of the Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame 2015 induction ceremony on October 22, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
A silent auction was part of the Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame 2015 induction ceremony on October 22, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
A silent auction was part of the Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame 2015 induction ceremony on October 22, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
The 2015 inductees into the Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame. From left to right: Oshiomogho Atogwe, Dan Murray, Paul "Doc" Thomas, Scott Russel, Maria Carlini, Jack Costello, David Cooper, Mark Pare. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
