Ultimate Hall of Fame Inductees
The Inaugural Class of Inductees: 2004 |
The inaugural induction ceremony was held October 30, 2004 at a special alumni reunion celebration of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the UPA, which was held in conjunction with the National Ultimate Club Championship in Sarasota, FL. Five individuals were inducted in the inaugural class, all of whom were early stars of the game and/or important organizers of the UPA and early promoters of the sport of Ultimate.
Suzanne “Suz” Fields was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of a separate women’s division for Ultimate play and the first Women’s Director of the UPA beginning in 1981.
A classic thrower, who held the women’s indoor distance record at 239 feet for over a decade, she began her Ultimate career playing with the open division team at UMASS and even went to the 1980 Nationals with Boston Aerodisc.
Suz, together with Michelle Pezolli and Louie Cohn, successfully proposed the initiation of an all-women’s division of play for the Ultimate National Championships in 1981.
Her team, Boston Ladies Ultimate, won that first Women’s title.
Suz organized the USA women’s team which won the first World Ultimate Championship in Sweden in 1983, played with various nationals’ caliber teams throughout the 1980s, and was a part of the first Masters Division World Championship team in 1990.
A tireless promoter of Ultimate, she got Ultimate included in the Massachusetts Bay State Games in 1987.
She is still playing in a local league in Hawaii and continues to be involved in Ultimate affairs today.
Suz was born September 1, 1953 and currently lives in Haiku, HI.
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Irv Kalb was one of the early stars of the game, as captain of the Columbia High School team in 1971-72 (with a record of 19-0) and of college champion Rutgers University from 1972-76 (with a record of 45-1).
He also won a freestyle championship with Stork Roddick in 1975.
Irv was an avid organizer of Ultimate at high schools and colleges in the early 1970s, was co-coordinator of the first multi-team tournament at Yale in 1975, and oversaw the development of the rules of the game from 1971-1982.
Together with Larry Schindel, he was the “Johnny Appleseed” of Ultimate.
Irv was always tireless in his pursuit of on-field excellence, faithful in his promotion of the game, and diligent in his preservation of the game’s history.
Through the 1970s he authored numerous articles on Ultimate and co-authored the book, “Ultimate:
Fundamentals of the Sport,” with Tom Kennedy in 1982.
Irv was born September 9, 1954 and currently lives in Mountain View, CA.
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Tom “TK” Kennedy was the founder of the UPA in 1979 and its first National Director.
TK was an active player of all disc sports throughout the 1970s and was the driving force behind the growth of Ultimate in the western states.
He was a founding member, captain, and coach of the Santa Barbara Condors, a team that dominated west coast Ultimate play starting in 1975 for many years, and which won three of the first five US national championships in 1977, 1978, and 1981.
As a player, TK dominated the national spotlight while competing in the five-region national championship series that he established in 1979, bridging the gap between west and east coast ultimate.
During his playing career and in the years since he retired in the early 1980s, TK has received the respect of all his peers, as he always embodied, through word and deed, “The Spirit of the Game.”
TK was born March 31, 1949 and currently lives in Cambria, CA.
Dan “Stork” Roddick is a long-time disc sport champion and organizer in both the US and internationally.
Stork was an early star of the game of Ultimate with college champion Rutgers University (with a record of 45-1), where he was Irv Kalb’s favorite scoring target, and he was a winner of national and world championships in individual events including disc golf, freestyle, and accuracy.
Stork was one of the driving forces behind promoting and supporting Ultimate and all other disc sports through his role as head of Wham-O’s sports marketing department from 1975 to 1992, ensuring sufficient financial support for the UPA in its first decade of existence.
Besides providing direction and support to TK and others for their efforts in the USA, he also was instrumental in the international arena, serving as World Flying Disc Federation president from 1986-1992 and as secretary from 1998-2003.
An Eagle Scout in his youth, Stork has written numerous articles and books on disc sports.
He is credited with framing Ultimate’s defining “Spirit of the Game” clause which
has guided play for the past thirty years of competition.
Stork was born July 1, 1948 and currently lives in Pasadena, CA.
Larry Schindel was one of the early players and developers of the game of Ultimate, as player and general manager of the Columbia High School team from 1970-72.
While others were interested in little more than tossing a disc around, Larry had the prescience to realize how important promotion, communication, and the development of a critical mass were to the survival and growth of Ultimate.
He was one of the key forces in the institutionalization of the sport, working closely with Irv Kalb from 1970-1978 in the development of the rules of the game.
Together with Irv, Larry was the “Johnny Appleseed” of Ultimate, and he tirelessly promoted the expansion of the sport in the 1970s at high schools and colleges across the east coast of the US.
He chaired the first “East Coast Captains’ Meeting” in 1975, with 56 representatives from 32 teams attending, which was crucial in facilitating interscholastic and tournament competition in that pre-internet era when communication was much more difficult.
Larry was the founder of the Washington Area Frisbee Club in 1977 (now one of the largest clubs in all of the US), and was coordinator and then director of the Smithsonian Frisbee disc Festival (later called the National Frisbee disc Festival) from 1977-1995.
Larry was born February 22, 1954 and currently lives in Bryantown, MD.
Special Merit: the “80 Mold”
In addition to the individuals honored in the inaugural class of 2004, Special Merit is deserved for Wham-O’s 165 gram World Class “80 mold” flying disc. The 80 mold was introduced by Wham-O in January 1977 and, over the next two years, was embraced by the Ultimate community. Unlike the somewhat flimsy black Master frisbee disc that had been the Ultimate standard in the early growth years of the sport, the 80 Mold was heavy and sturdy enough to be tossed for distance even in strong winds, and consistent enough to be accurately thrown with a forehand flick and upside down hammer. The adoption of the 80 mold marked a new era of competitive play from west to east in the US. The disc is still considered the classic throwers disc, and it continued to be used in UPA Nationals games by many teams well after it was discontinued in 1983.
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Jon “JC” Cohn, inducted in 2005, was considered one of the most dominant players on the Ultimate field in the second half of the 1970s. He started playing in 1970 at Columbia High School and went on to found the team at Cornell University, which became the powerhouse of the northeastern United States and which lost to the Santa Barbara Condors at the National Ultimate Championship in 1978. On field, JC was an athlete when few players were, and had throwing skills far beyond those of his peers, including the best pull on the east coast. He was also a master strategist, introducing set offensive plays designed to attack zone defenses and exploit man-to-man mismatches. JC introduced the sport of Ultimate to and inspired many of the next decade’s stars. Hampered by a series of knee injuries, he nonetheless continued to play through the 1980s. JC was born August 31, 1955 and currently lives in Wayland, MA with his wife “Louie” Mahoney Cohn, a leading member of the first women’s national Ultimate championship team in 1981, and four disc-playing sons.
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Kelly Green, inducted in 2005, distinguished herself early on the Ultimate field, playing with the Michigan State University’s men’s team which made it to the semifinals in both 1979 and 1980. With the introduction of the women’s division, she started a women’s team at MSU in 1980, inculcating a culture of dedication to the team, a “no-turnovers” mantra, and an intensity that few women’s teams were able to muster. Kelly’s MSU Fisheads won the national championship in 1983 and, after joining the Lady Condors in California the next year, she and the Condors went on to win five out of the next six national championships and a world championship. She was a consummate coach, captain, teacher, and, above all, player who lived, ate, and breathed Ultimate and inspired her teammates to do the same. Kelly was born August 25, 1960 and currently lives in Paso Robles, CA with her husband Bob Austin, also a former Ultimate player, and three children.
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Jim Herrick, inducted in 2005, stands out as a complete package: playing ability, spirit of the game, leadership, and infectious enthusiasm about play. He began playing Ultimate with the Cornell University team in 1974 and in 1976 was selected to play in the Wham-O Frisbee Championships and to represent the East squad in The Rose Bowl Ultimate Game. A fitness fanatic, Jim’s on-field athletic prowess, throwing and catching skills, consistent play, and strategy contributions culminated with his 1982 National Championship and 1983 victory at the first ever World Ultimate Championship with the Rude Boys of Boston. An all-round disc player, he was the 1988 Individual National Champion and also co-developed the game of Goaltimate. Jim was born July 27, 1954 and currently resides in Poway, CA with his wife Leslie and five children.
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Kathy Pufahl Cande, inducted in 2005, played a crucial role in the 1980s and early 1990s in organizing and overseeing the administrative responsibilities of the UPA. She oversaw the UPA Championship Series and other tournaments, organized the women’s college division, co-wrote the first update to the Ninth Edition rules, and made sure the UPA Newsletter was published and distributed. She was the second women’s national director of the UPA from 1985-88 and the first Managing Director of the UPA from 1988-90, setting up and running the first official UPA headquarters in an office near her home on the North Shore of Long Island. In 1981, she helped start one of the first women’s Ultimate teams, Housewives in Rochester, NY, and later played with Andromeda in Washington, DC and the New York City women’s teams. On the field, she was a steady player who always got open, who was impossible to cover, and who threw exceedingly strategically and accurately. Outside of her Ultimate involvement, she was the foremost grower of hard-to-find annual plants in the world and was dubbed “Queen of Containers” by Horticulture Magazine. Born on December 17, 1958, Kathy was stricken with cancer and died in October 2003. The annual “Spirit of the Game Award” for the women’s division at the UPA Championship was introduced in her honor in 2004. Kathy is survived by husband Kevin Cande and two children.
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Sholom (Eric) Simon, inducted in 2005, is one of the longest-standing contributors to the sport, having served in a wide variety of roles in the UPA and Washington Area Frisbee Club from the 1970s through today. Due to his tenure as a Regional Coordinator and/or Board Member of the UPA, from 1982 to 1998, Sholom was the unofficial depository of “institutional memory” for the UPA over a nearly two decade span, ensuring consistency and efficiency in decision-making. His contributions include the College Top 25 and refinement of college eligibility rules, significant involvement in the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Editions of the UPA Ultimate Rules, the development and revision of regional boundaries in the US, and numerous tournament organizational innovations that are now standard practice. Sholom has also authored a variety of instructional and organization manuals that are still in circulation. He also played a crucial role in revitalizing WAFC, one of the largest clubs in the world today, and promoting play in the Central and Mid-Atlantic regions. Sholom began his Ultimate playing career at Columbia High School in 1973, founded the Michigan State Ultimate team in September of 1975, and Andromeda, the first women's team in Washington D.C. in 1981. He was also selected to play on the US Masters Division teams at the World Championship in 1990, 1992, and 1994. Sholom was born May 3, 1957 and lives in Fairfax, VA with his wife Shana (Sue) Wallace and two children.
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The “Founders:” Joel Silver, Bernard “Buzzy” Hellring, and Jonathan “Jonny” Hines, inducted in 2005: In the summer of 1968, Joel Silver was introduced to a “frisbee football” type game while participating in an educational enrichment program at the Mount Hermon School in Northfield, Massachusetts. After returning to Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, that fall, he got a motion passed at the student council to introduce Frisbee into the curriculum. Together with his friends Bernard “Buzzy” Hellring and Jonathan “Jonny” Hines, they got other students to play their new game and refined the rules, producing a written “first edition” of the rules for the sport Joel dubbed “Ultimate Frisbee” and naming their group the “Columbia High School Varsity Frisbee Squad” in early 1970. The three classmates laid the foundation required to permit the transformation of a recreational activity into a sport over the following years. Ultimate today is still played largely according to the rules developed by Joel, Buzzy, and Jonny.
Joel Silver is currently an accomplished Hollywood producer, producing dozens of films including the Lethal Weapon series, the first two Die Hard films, and The Matrix series. He is married to Karyn A. Fields, has one son, and currently lives in Burbank, CA. Jonny Hines, who founded the Princeton team and played in the first college game ever -- the Rutgers-Princeton match-up played before more than 1,000 spectators in 1972, is now an international attorney splitting time between New York and Moscow. He is married to Olga Dyuzheva and has two sons. Tragically, Buzzy Hellring died in an automobile accident while returning to college at Princeton University in the spring of 1971.
Photo of the original CHS team in the Fall 1969 (by Mark Epstein): top row (from left to right): Captain Joel Silver, head coach Cono Pavone, Bob Mittlesdorf, Jonny Hines, Buzzy Hellring (with trophy over head), Joe Staker, Paul Brenner, Tom Carr, Mark Epstein, General Manager Alexander Osinski; second row (bending forward): Tom Corwin (with disc), David Medinets, David Leiwant; third row (kneeling): Fred Applegate, Howard Straubing, Steve German; laying down: Steve Schwartz (with disc); missing: Phil Dempsey, Steve Stern, Chas Leiwant, Evan Sorett, David Reed, Marty Berman
Tom "Timba" D’Urso played Ultimate with unbridled enthusiasm as a fierce defender and unguardable receiver. As a team leader with Glassboro, he was a key player on the first two UPA Club Championship teams in 1979 and 1980. Timba was the heart and soul of the motivational pre-game rituals of the "Boro". He also appeared in the finals with Spinoffs and the semifinals with Titanic; demonstrating his ability to fit in and contribute to these very talented teams. As noted by Timba, a great player is awesome to have on a team but a great teammate is far more important. Timba, and his wife Deirdre, have two sons, Tyler and James, and live in Uxbridge, Massachusetts.
Steve Mooney, as one of the top players in the game and leader of one of the best teams in Ultimate for 20 years, is the quintessential Hall of Famer. His dominating play and presence led Boston to seven UPA Club and two World Championships (along with Spirit of the Game Team Awards at both World Championships). In addition to Steve's outstanding on-field contributions, it was his preparation that set him apart. From managing the team make-up, organizing training, running practice; Moons is the one to go to when everything is on the line. His ability to address a thousand details - many psychological - in the months preceding the critical play of the crucial game is what has made him so great. That he is the one that players looked for in that situation is icing. Steve and his wife, Mary Howard, live in Boston with their children, Ben and Nicole.
Ann (Cohan) Orders started her Ultimate career on the Michigan State University women's team in 1981 as one of the original Fisheads. Over the years, Ann's throwing skills were rated amongst the most premier in the women's game. Throughout her playing career on the Fisheads, Santa Barbara Condors, LA and San Diego, Ann took a leadership role and provided the strategy and focus at the highest levels of competition - earning six UPA Club Championships, three World Championships, and contributing to the growth of women's Ultimate in the communities in which she has lived. Ann was successful on the field and worked to teach skills to younger players and elevate the women's game throughout her Ultimate career. Ann currently lives in Arcata, California with her husband Mark, who taught her every thing she knows about the game, and their three children Grace, Sarah and Mary.
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Heather (Morris) Raker, like a handful of "early" women's division competitors, started her Ultimate career playing on men's teams; first with the Philly Frisbee Club (1977-79) and then with the Tufts Frisbee Club (1980). Heather also played on Tufts University's women’s field hockey, track and lacrosse teams. After college Heather showed her love of team sports by continuing to participate in them and she became one of the premier women's Ultimate players. A star on Boston Ladies Ultimate (the first UPA Club Women’s Champions), Heather continued to lead by the example of her play and athleticism on national caliber and champion teams in Boston until 1997, when she missed four years while traveling and living outside of the U.S. Heather was one of the founding members of Lady Godiva which went on to become the winningest team in the history of Ultimate to date. Each time Heather returned to Ultimate, she continued to be a key strategist, handler, coach, mentor, and field leader. Heather was born July 22, 1961 and currently lives in Newton, Massachusetts with her husband Lee Raker, a basketball player (UVA, San Diego Clippers) with a fine appreciation of the sport of Ultimate and its enduring friendships, and daughter Riley.
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Robert “Nob” Rauch spearheaded the reorganization of the Ultimate Players Association (UPA) into a professionally managed sports governing body. Elected as the fourth national director of the UPA in 1987 and serving as its first executive director, Nob received the box of “stuff” that was the UPA and four years later left behind an 800 number, a corporate structure still used today, a disciplinary policy, the Certified Observer Pool, an approved disc program, the ninth edition rules, liability insurance program for tournament directors, and a tripled budget that would shortly thereafter, with him as board chair, support the first stand-alone headquarters. Nob developed the concept for the World Ultimate Club Championship first played in 1989 and followed as President of World Flying Disc Federation from 1992-1994, where he revamped the international disc sports’ organizational structure and prepared successful applications for WFDF’s membership in GAISF and the International World Games Association. During this period of exceptional leadership of the administration of the sport, he also won six UPA Club Championships and five World Championships, with teams including the Rude Boys, Windy City, and New York. Nob continues his involvement with disc sports today, having been a contributing writer for Ultimate: The First Four Decades, an Ultimate history book project and currently serving on the Executive Committee of the Board of WFDF. Nob was born September 10, 1958 and currently lives in Chappaqua, New York with his wife Katie, also a former Ultimate player, and three children.
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Christine "Teens" Dunlap led Lady Godiva, the most successful women’s team ever, to nine national Women’s Club titles between 1988 and 2002. Teens was a multifaceted player—a leader, strategist, and teacher who not only drew the toughest defensive assignments but also played a pivotal role in Lady Godiva’s precision offense. Regarded as one of the best all-around players in Ultimate, Teens thrived under pressure and was an intense competitor. At the same time, she displayed exemplary sportsmanship, earning the respect of teammates and competitors alike. Over the course of her career, Teens’ dedication to improving her own game while motivating those around her inspired scores of women to play at their highest level. Teams: UVM ('86), NY Women's Ultimate ('86-'87, '90), Lady Godiva ('88-'89, '91-'02), retired '02
Harvey Edwards could be considered one of the first major athletes to compete and lend legitimacy to the sport as true athletic competition. As a former Division 1 basketball player in college, Harvey added credibility to the sport. Harvey was a founder, captain, and player for the Bucknell Mudsharks. A peak performer for the Flying Circus for 4 years, Harvey was known as a great leaper; attempts to defend floaters to him in the end zone were fruitless efforts. Harvey was renowned as a great spirit and exemplary sportsman; his play and person is widely respected. Harvey played over the course of 3 decades and extended his career at WFDF with 3 Masters titles with the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. Teams: Bucknell ('76-'78), Flying Circus ('79-'83), Boozy Idiots ('84-'90), Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove ('91-'95)
Brian Murphy served as the second National Director of the UPA, taking over from TK. At that time, the UPA was still struggling to convince players that it was worth $7.00 to join the UPA. As National Director, Murph was a genial, articulate, and well known East Coast player (with West Coast experience) who provided both East and West Coast players with confidence that the UPA had something to offer. Murph started the process of “professionalizing” the UPA as UPA Director and throughout his long association with Ultimate, also contributed to the organization as Co-chair Eighth Edition Rules Committee with Irv Kalb (chosen by captains at the annual East Coast Captains meeting), Tournament Director for Open/Women's Nationals ('83-'85, '88), College Sectional Coordinator ( '89-'91 Rocky Mountain), College Nationals TD ('91), and pro bono Legal Advisor to the UPA and the WFDF. As a practicing lawyer, Murph rewrote the UPA's bylaws, reincorporated both the UPA and WFDF, and secured 501(c)(3)(tax exempt) status for both organizations. Murph proudly maintains that his efforts helped to solidify the Spirit of the Game as a founding principle of our sport; a principle distinguishing Ultimate from all other sports.
Dan Weiss was one of a rare breed of elite players: a ferocious competitor who played every point with integrity and respect for Spirit of the Game. As a handler, Dan was an artist. He developed an uncanny ability to deliver the disc through any mark at any angle. His backhand was legend, unparalleled in both its power and precision. The same discipline, creativity and intelligence that defined Dan as a player, defined Dan as a leader. During three decades of play with the Cornell Buds, Flying Circus, and NYNY, Dan helped push the envelope of innovation while leading teams to multiple National and World Championships. Dan often described offense as a "dance" and it was Dan's exquisite choreography that helped shape some of the most dominant offenses of his era. Whether he was wearing face-paint and Mardi Gras beads or a focused scowl, Dan was respected by his opponents and revered by those fortunate enough to have called him a teammate. Teams: Cornell ('78-'79), Flying Circus ('79-'85), Spot ('86), NYNY ('87-'93)
Frank Bono helped lead three top level teams to the National Championship tournament for six consecutive years as the intense middle, middle in the zone defense and a core handler, winning the first two he played with Glassboro. The first title was at Penn State in 1979 and in title defense in 1980. Frank was named MVP at Nationals in Atlanta. He played exceptional defense and could always be counted on to play his best Ultimate in big games. A key contributor to the emotional intensity and play of each team, Frank attributes success to playing with a cast of talented, motivated and focused athletes. Following a successful career at the highest level, Frank and his wife, Betsy, one of the pioneers of women's Ultimate, created two successful Ultimate summer leagues. Frank lives with his wife and three children in Wind Gap, PA. Teams: Glassboro ('77-'80), Knights of Nee ('81), The Gang ('82-'85), Mercer County Summer League ('80-'83), Morris County Summer League ('84-'89).
Carney Foy had a 17 year tenure as UPA Treasurer, which is the longest of any individual's service to the UPA. He provided financial guidance and organizational skills that kept the UPA functioning in its formative years and was a key officer of the UPA from 1981 to 1997. Carney developed the systems to manage membership information, actually collect dues, and ensure that the UPA Newsletters were delivered to paying members. A Certified Public Accountant, Carney dutifully handled the finances, made sure the UPA paid its bills, and prepared the financial statements. Before there was an office, Carney's CPA firm served as the de facto UPA headquarters. Carney played Ultimate in the late 1970's and early 1980's and was a founding member of the La Peda Frisbee Club and the Arizona Plastic Surgeons. Carney lives in Silver City, NM with his wife, Creta, who, in assisting Carney with all the administrative work, made her own contributions to the UPA. They have two daughters, and Carney maintains his own CPA practice where numbers do contribute to the bottom line.
Gloria LustPhillips was a standout player on a variety of teams, including earning National Championships with Lady Godiva, Maine-iacs, and Fury. Her pure athletic talents foreshadowed the evolution of women's Ultimate and helped attract other athletes to the sport. Gloria began her playing career by "stumbling upon the sport on her way to class" at Cornell. She was told to run deep and catch goals, which she did...often. She cited her greatest accomplishment as being involved in creating and playing on two very successful teams that maintained a high level of enthusiasm, hard work, and great spirit. Gloria lives in Beverly, MA with her husband, Mada, also an elite Ultimate player, and her twins. Teams: Cornell Roses ('81-'83), New York ('84-'86), Smithereens ('86-'87), Lady Godiva ('87-'93. '00), Maine-iacs ('93-'94), Lucy ('95-'96), Fury ('96-'00) and retired with Godiva ('00).
John Schmechel was an original member of the Santa Barbara Condors, the first team that coalesced in the Western US in 1974. It was the dominant team in the west throughout the early 1980's, and won the first two National Championships. The quintessential cutter, John ran all day and ran strong; with handling skills to match. His disc skills were well honed through his serious participation in disc field events: MTA, TRC, distance, and disc golf. John was known as a great team mate and a calm, steadfast player. He was described as the right mix of speed, stamina, height, and strength, with precise route running, agility, and good hands, timing and field awareness. John did not make bad calls, he did not make calls, he just made the play. He was selected as one of three players representing the West for the 1976 All Star Game in the Rose Bowl. John lives in Ventura, CA with his wife, Paralee. Teams: Santa Barbara Condors ('74-'84)
