Alexandria City Public Schools Inducts Inaugural Members of Athletic Hall of Fame

(Editor’s note: The following information is courtesy of ACPS.)

As the black cloth came down from the wall at T.C. Williams High School on Friday night, revealing the arrangement of 20 golden plaques, an audible gasp arose from the crowd gathered in the hallway. Four decades after it was created from Alexandria’s amalgamated three high schools, T.C. Williams for the first time officially recognized its own sporting achievements with an Athletic Hall of Fame.

Inductees and their families - including a three-time Olympic rower, the first African American to play in the National Basketball Association and members of the renowned ’71 state championship football team - had flown in from as far as California, Barbados and Tennessee for the occasion.

Eighteen of the 20 recipients of the honor, or representatives from their families, made it back to Alexandria for the ceremony conducted ahead of the game between Parker-Gray High School and Hoffman-Boston High School, an annual match-up between T.C. Williams and Wakefield High School in which the participants honor the history of the African-American high schools of Alexandria and Arlington.

Among the honored guests who were invited to participate in the ceremony and form a “Line of Honor” for the inductees were the ’71 state championship football team coaches Herman Boone and Bill Yoast, whose achievements are forever immortalized in the Walt Disney movie “Remember the Titans.”

As the inductees walked past a trumpeter and through the sabre guard provided by the T.C. Williams Army JROTC under the direction of Col. Reginald Geary, they were greeted by the two coaches, who stood together and shook the hands of each recipient. The honorees continued down the red carpet to collect personalized plaques and flowers from Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Alvin L. Crawley, Alexandria City School Board Chair Karen Graf and T.C. Williams High School Principal Suzanne Maxey. Members of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee, chaired by Mark Eisenhour, members of the Alexandria City School Board and members of Alexandria City Council also lined the red carpet in the receiving line.

“This far exceeded any of my expectations. The turnout was phenomenal and you could tell that the sense of the importance of this occasion was felt by everyone here. This was quite a momentous evening. It makes us all proud of Alexandria City Public Schools,” Graf said.
Guests received boutonnieres and a celebratory reception in the school’s Rotunda with a feast provided by T.C. Williams Culinary Arts students, who served pulled pork, salad and fruit platters they had prepared with the help of Chef Craig Scheuerman.

Inductee LaChina Robinson, now a basketball analyst for ESPN and Fox Sports, said, “It was quite a night. I loved having so many of my family (members) and friends turn up for my induction. The best part of the night was seeing my Driver Education teacher again and meeting Coach Boone for the first time.”

’71 Virginia State Championship Captain Gerry Bertier’s sister, Becky Britt, said she was honored to be invited to attend the event.

“Gerry would have loved this. I am getting my dad to wear the boutonniere and I am receiving the award, so we are doing this as a family. I’m sure Gerry would be quite proud to know that after he is long gone, his name still is a source of aspiration, inspiration, and hope,” Britt said.

Gerry Bertier’s exceptional skills on the field and his exceptional high school grades while attending Francis C. Hammond High School, which later merged to become T.C.Williams in time for the 1971 championship, won him scholarships to numerous schools, including the University of Alabama and Notre Dame University.

He was named National Prep School Football Player of the Year and received All-American honors. He became best friends with one of his black teammates, Julius Campbell, and the two of them gained a reputation as an example for the team, school and city. Bertierwas known at the time for the phrase “There is no black or white - we are a team.”

Despite a reputation as a school division that regularly produces Olympians and world-class athletes, Alexandria City Public Schools has never had its own way to recognize its famous athletes until now.

“This truly is a fantastic way to honor Alexandria’s athletes. We have had so many athletes come out of Alexandria’s public high schools that we really needed to do something lasting to acknowledge them,” said School Board Member and Hall of Fame Committee Liaison Bill Campbell.

“We will be inducting new people each year, probably five to six new members. Next year we will also be looking at inducting coaches for the first time,” Campbell said.

There are also plans to select and induct outstanding teams into the hall in future years. Earl Lloyd’s son Kevin sat opposite his father’s name, which is inscribed on the basketball court. Lloyd, whose jersey was worn on Friday night by the captain of the basketball team for the Parker-Gray game, became the first African-American player in the NBA on Oct. 31, 1950, when he played for the Washington Capitols against the Rochester Royals. Lloyd, who now lives in a retirement home in Tennessee, asked his son to represent him at Friday night’s celebration.

Joining him along the line sat Olympic silver medalist Walter Harry “Chip” Lubsen Jr., who graduated from T.C. Williams High School in 1973. He was part of the American men’s eight that won the silver medal in the men’s rowing competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He also participated in the men’s eights at the 1976 Summer Olympics and was named to the 1980 team, which boycotted the Olympic Games.

“It is always an honor to be recognized for what you have done,” Lubsen said.

PHOTOS courtesy of ACPS