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10.11.05 From left, Declan O'Donoghue, John Neiswender, Marie Will Swick and Crispin St. Louis Flying Fleet Hall of Fame gains six new members A reunion of sorts took place Saturday night as six new members were inducted into the Flying Fleet Hall of Fame during a dinner at Erskine College. Inductees John Neiswender (coach), Declan O'Donoghue '82 (men's soccer), Crispin St. Louis '93 (men's soccer, men's basketball), and Mary Will Swick '86 (softball) were joined by family, friends, previous Hall of Fame inductees and Erskine faculty and staff for the occasion. Inductees R. Edwin Clarke Jr. '65 (baseball) and Coralee Scheeringa Parrish '87 (women’s basketball) were unable to attend. Founded in 1982 as a way to recognize outstanding accomplishments of former Erskine athletes, the Flying Fleet Hall of Fame is located in the upper level of the Robert Stone Galloway Physical Activities Center. Humorist and motivational speaker Roddy Gray, an Erskine alumnus, was the master of ceremonies for the event. Dr. Donald Weatherman, executive vice president and dean of the college, inducted the honorees on behalf of Erskine College. Neiswender was the first coach of the women's basketball team when Erskine began competing officially in intercollegiate athletics for women in 1974. "It's nice to be back in Due West," he said following his induction. "I enjoyed working with and learning from some outstanding coaches here. "I was truly fortunate I worked with players who'd make anyone a Hall of Fame coach." His first team compiled a record of 4-13, but he never had another losing season at Erskine. During the next six years, Neiswender attracted two future All-Americans and five future members of the Flying Fleet Hall of Fame to Erskine. Three of his former players, Hall of Famers Tammie Hardy, Margie Everett, and Grace Lyle, were present for the induction. O'Donoghue was a leader of the Flying Fleet men's soccer team after entering Erskine in 1980. As a sweeper back and field general, he anchored a defense that shut out 10 opponents and allowed only 15 goals in 19 matches. The team compiled an 11-5-3 mark and won the NAIA District 6 title. The following year, O'Donoghue led Erskine to its 10th NAIA District 6 title in 13 years, scored a team-high 11 goals and was named to the NAIA All-American team. During the induction dinner, O'Donoghue expressed gratitude for the way the Erskine family accepted him 25 years ago. "This really means a lot to me," he said. "It's such a pleasure to be back here after 25 years." O'Donoghue cited trust as the primary factor in his experience at Erskine. "When you trust people and they trust you back, it ends up fantastic," he said. St. Louis was a world-class athlete who competed on Erskine men's soccer and men's basketball teams that set school records for most wins. "I am very thankful for the opportunity Erskine College has given me," he said during the banquet. "I'm grateful to be part of the Erskine family and to be inducted into the Hall of Fame." St. Louis was an All-American goalkeeper for the 1989 soccer team that compiled a 19-4 record and a forward on the 1991-92 basketball team that made the NAIA National Tournament quarterfinals and finished with a 27-7 record. Will Swick was a hard-throwing right-hander who pitched Erskine's softball team to 86 of the 103 victories the Lady Fleet captured during her career, from 1983-86. She expressed gratitude for the honor and said her time at Erskine was "the best time in my life." Will Swick, the first Erskine softball inductee, led her team to 37 and 36 wins, respectively, during her final two seasons, school records not surpassed until the 2005 baseball team won 38 times. Erskine was nationally ranked in 1985 and 1986 and no Erskine pitcher or team has approached the records established during her years. Flying Fleet Club President Greg Owen accepted the induction citations on behalf of Clarke and Scheeringa Parrish. Clarke played right field for the Flying Fleet baseball team from 1963-65, during which Erskine compiled a combined 60-21 record, its first back-to-back 20-victory seasons, an NAIA District 26 championship and four straight victories over the University of South Carolina. He compiled a .351 career batting average and set single-season marks for hits, doubles and RBI that stood for almost two decades. Clarke twice received honorable mention All-American honors. Scheeringa Parrish, the tallest player ever recruited by the Lady Flying Fleet basketball team, distinguished herself as an outstanding defensive post player. She came in as a freshman and joined a 1984-84 team that went 24-5 and finished second in the district. She scored and rebounded in double figures and blocked an average of three shots per game. She was selected to a national freshman All-American team. Scheeringa Parrish completed her career with 1,751 points, now third among Erskine women scorers; 1,283 rebounds, still Erskine's all-time best; and 389 blocks, another record. Click the names below to read the citations: |
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