The 12 new members into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame have been announced and it is another great class. The complete list is here on the NSN website.

Among them Clarence Demar a distance runner from from South Hero who won the Boston Marathon seven times and was a bronze medalist at the 1924 Olympics. There is a connection to Rutland with this selection[sorry George typical Rutland] Rutlander Frank Crowley who participated in the 1932 Olympics challenged Demar to a race and from it was born the Crowley Brothers Memorial Road Race which is a 5K from Proctor to Rutland and is held every June.

Helmut Lenes who a Mountain climber and skier will be inducted and he is the father of UVM hockey standout Peter Lenes who was a key member of UVM’s mens hockey team that went to the frozen 4 in 2009.

Tad Coffin of Stratford who won two equestrian gold medals at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. The 2nd Vermonter behind Rutland’s Andrea Meade Lawrence[ sorry George typical Rutland] to win two gold medals at a single Olympics.

Guy Gaudreau for hockey and soccer at North Country Union High School and Norwich University and Tony Robitaille Golden Gloves boxing and also a North Country Union High school grad were friends in high school and will be going into the Hall together. Tony once fought Mike Tyson as an amateur and became a Tyson sparring partner. Guy’s son is Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames and was a Hobey Baker winner at Boston College.

The list goes on and on. Good stuff and congratulations to the new inductees. Well deserved!