Buzzards Bay, Mass.--  The Massachusetts Maritime Academy Athletic Hall of Fame welcomed five new members on Saturday evening, as standouts in the sports of wrestling, football, baseball and cross country, along with the school’s longtime head athletic trainer, were enshrined during ceremonies that took place at The Beachmoor at Massachusetts Maritime.

Heading this year’s induction class was wrestling star Mike McLarney ’77, who enjoyed a distinguished career under fellow Hall of Fame mentor Peter Hexter.  A two-year team captain and a two-time NCAA medalist as a freshman and sophomore in 1973 and 1974, McLarney, who resides in Newport, R.I., sported a 95-40 career dual-match record and was the recipient of the Hopkins Award as the program’s most outstanding wrestler.  A longtime NCAA certified official, McLarney has served as an assistant coach at both WPI and the University of Massachusetts Lowell and also served for five seasons as the head coach at Bridgewater State from 1989 through 1994.

George Schaab ’81 was a first-team ECAC All-Star selection on the gridiron for fellow Hall of Famer Don Ruggeri in the late 1970’s, as he helped Massachusetts Maritime captured the New England Football Conference crown during his freshman campaign in 1977.  Over the course of his career, Schaab, a resident of West Chester, Pa., helped guide Ruggeri’s squad to an overall mark of 25-11 (.694) both as a defensive end and linebacker, and he served as the Buccaneers’ co-captain during his senior campaign in 1980 that saw the Academy post six victories, including a nationally chronicled 27-26 upset of Nichols featured on CBS as well as a 10-7 Cranberry Bowl triumph over rival Bridgewater State. 

Chris Widen ’96 was a two-sport standout on the gridiron for Ruggeri and on the baseball diamond for legendary Academy mentor Bob Corradi, as he was named as the 1996 Male Athlete of the Year.  Widen, a native of Auburn, Mass., earned back-to-back Most Valuable Player honors in baseball as a junior and senior while serving as a team captain in his final campaign, and he holds the single-season Buccaneer record for the highest batting average (.471 in 1994) while also holding the single-season marks for stolen bases (29) and hit by pitches (16) in 1996.  Widen capped his senior campaign by earning spots on both the all-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference and All-New England squads.

Joe Haidul ’07 established himself as one of the top harriers in Buccaneer history, and the three-time all-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference and New England Alliance performer helped lead Massachusetts Maritime to the 2005 MASCAC crown under longtime Head Coach Chris Ryan.  Haidul, who resides in Exeter, N.H., posted a sixth place individual time of 27:41 in the 2005 league championship race in leading the Buccaneers to a nine-point team triumph over rival Bridgewater State, and as a sophomore he posted his best career finish in the conference championships by placing fourth with a time of 25:12.

The final member of this year’s induction class served with great distinction as Massachusetts Maritime’s Head Athletic Trainer for 35 years, as Greg Folino was in that position from 1977 until his retirement in the Summer of 2012.  Folino, a longtime resident of Bourne, Mass., was one of the most respected individuals, both as a trainer and athletics administrator, throughout his tenure at the Academy, as he provided athletic health care for thousands of student-athletes and served in many roles in athletic training professional development organizations over the years.  Folino also helped create a lasting bond between many alumni and the Academy, and in his later role as a fundraising officer for the Department of Athletics, he was instrumental in securing the corporate sponsorship for Massachusetts Maritime’s Able Engineering Media Center.

The purpose of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Hall of Fame is to honor former athletes, Academy staff, alumni and individuals that have made a significant contribution to Academy athletics. Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the oldest continuously operating maritime academy in the nation, has maintained a reputation of excellence for 122 years. Student-athletes shall be eligible for consideration and induction into the Hall of Fame beginning no less than five years after graduation from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

“The contributions that these five individuals have made to the tradition of Massachusetts Maritime Athletics are something that the entire Academy takes great pride in,” Corradi says of the Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2013.  “Their legacy of excellence has made them an integral part of our athletic family, and I congratulate them all on this great honor.”

With the addition of the Class of 2013, the Massachusetts Maritime Athletic Hall of Fame now boasts 70 inductees after this year’s 14^th annual ceremony.