Celebrating Excellence: Seven Athletes and One Team Inducted into Athletics Hall of Fame
Worcester State University celebrated the achievements, legacies, and contributions of outstanding former student-athletes during the 2022 Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony Sept. 23, 2022. The Homecoming Weekend ceremony honored a diverse class of seven former student athletes and the entire 1971-72 men’s ice hockey team.
The 16-member Athletics Hall of Fame committee had the significant task of selecting the former student-athletes who would join the venerated Hall of Famers already enshrined in the Worcester State record books.
The master of ceremony for the night was local Spectrum News 1 reporter Kevin Shea, who opted to break away from the traditional introduction and speech style for a more personal and in-depth interview style that brought both history and energy to the proceedings. Shea brought seriousness with levity as he questioned the inductees, even digging up forgotten memories that brought tears to the eyes of many.
Many expressed gratitude throughout the evening to Worcester State and the Athletics program for the support they have received, not only during their time as student-athletes but through every success, struggle, and accomplishment that has come their way since leaving Worcester State.
Sacha (Ashton) Langford recalled the continued support of her coach, Women’s Basketball Head Coach Karen Tessmer, not only during her playing career as a single mother but also in continually encouraging her to complete her degree. Langford is now paying forward that support. After graduating in 2021, she took a position in Worcester State’s Academic Success Center.
The 1971-72 Men’s ice hockey team. Standing, from left: Mike Correa ’73, Paul Janowski ’74, Robert Tavolieri ’75, Frank Hughes ’77, Ken Gliesman, Richard Gilmartin, Jim Roach ’83, and the late Phil Dumas, who passed away in January 2023. Seated, from left: Thomas “Tiger” White ’76, Robert Farley ’75, Jack Coleman III ’72, Joe Rinaldi ’73, Jack Hehir ’73, and Mark Bombard ’74.
The inductees throughout the night spoke of how humbled they felt by the nomination, and more so, to be seen as role models and inspirations for student-athletes today and in the future.
With tears in her eyes, Alumna Christine (Mitchell) Gaffney spoke about the honor of being nominated by fellow Worcester State volleyball star, and her own daughter, Erin Gaffney, to the Hall of Fame.
“Knowing the health challenges I faced as a kid and overcame, after having open heart surgery at the age of 12, it motivated me and gave me the courage to be the best athlete I could be,” said Gaffney. “I’m hoping I have been an inspirational role model for my daughter and I’m so proud of all the athletic accomplishments she has achieved over the years, even after persevering through multiple knee surgeries. My hope is for all young women to have the confidence and courage to face their own challenges with a positive outlook and to be the best athlete and person they can be. I am now an Athletic Hall of Fame inductee thanks to my daughter’s nomination and the will and strength of that 12-year-old girl that wasn’t going to let heart disease stop her from playing the sports she loved.”
The Men’s Ice Hockey Team, which had two individuals and a team inducted, continued the inspirational night, looking back on their experiences, sharing laughs on stage, and at their tables. They ended the night by calling upon the crowd to pass on the legacy to the current squad, “They are the future.”
2022 Athletics Hall of Fame
Christine “Chrissy” Mitchell Gaffney ’89
Volleyball, Basketball, and Indoor and Outdoor Track and FieldPosthumous Award
James “Jim” Hughes ’76
Men’s Ice HockeyKemani J. Jones ’16
Football 2011–2012, 2014-15Sacha Ashton Langford ’21
Women’s Basketball 1995–01Thomas W. “Tiger” White ’76
Ice Hockey 1971–75Malcolm “Big Dog” Person
Contributor, Basketball 1971–74Richard “Sonny” Price
Contributor, Basketball 1972–751971–72 Men’s Ice Hockey Team
2020 Honoree
Alyssa L. (Jasper) Guzman ’15
Top image: Worcester State’s 2022 Athletics Hall of Fame inductees, from left: Richard “Sonny” Price; Sacha Ashton Langford; Kemani Jones; Frank Hughes, accepting on behalf of his late cousin James “Jim” Hughes; Christine “Chrissy” Mitchell Gaffney; Thomas White; and Alyssa (Jasper) Guzman.
