MMA Hall of Fame

PRESENTING THE MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME ACADEMIY ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CLASS OF 2011:

Buzzards Bay, Mass.--  The Massachusetts Maritime Academy Athletic Hall of Fame will welcome five new members this spring, as standouts in the sports of soccer, baseball, football, wrestling and lacrosse will be enshrined during ceremonies on campus on Saturday, June 4^th.

Heading this year’s induction class is All-America men’s soccer standout Brendan Duggan ’06, who ranks as the Buccaneers’ career leader in goals with 40 and total points with 94.  During his junior season of 2004, Duggan earned the nod as the MASCAC Player of the Year and was named later that fall to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division III All-America squad under the guidance of longtime Massachusetts Maritime mentor Greg Perry.  The MASCAC Rookie of the Year as a freshman in 2002, Duggan also set the Bucs’ single-season scoring record with 19 tallies during that magical sophomore campaign in 2004.

Anthony Scarlata ’57 was a two-sport standout at the Academy in both football and baseball, as he was a standout shortstop in the early days of the Cape Cod League in the mid 1950’s, earning a spot on the CCBL all-star team that went on to defeat one of the minor league teams in the Brooklyn Dodgers’ farm system.  Scarlata was instrumental in helping Athletic Director and Hall of Famer Lee Harrington establish a solid reputation of success for athletics at the Academy, as on the gridiron Massachusetts Maritime began its longtime rivalry with sister institution Maine Maritime during his matriculation.

Rich Felicetta ’82 is the third member of the 2011 Induction Class, as he was a three-sport standout who earned 12 letters in football, wrestling and lacrosse during his tenure in Buzzards Bay.  The Academy’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1982, Felicetta was a two-time all-New England selection in lacrosse and was selected to play in the East/West all-star game.  He also was a member of the championship wrestling squad and earned all-New England accolades as a senior, and on the gridiron, Felicetta was the Buccaneers’ second leading tackler during the 1981 campaign.

The final two members of this year’s induction class made their marks on the gridiron, as longtime Assistant Football Coach Bill Wixon served as fellow Hall of Famer Don Ruggeri’s defensive coordinate for 25 years, mentoring a pair of top-ranked units nationally in Division III while helping the Buccaneers capture a pair of New England Football Conference crowns along the way in 1977 and 1983.  Wixon also played a prominent role in the construction of the weight room and cardiovascular areas in Alumni Gymnasium in the early 1990’s, and those facilities helped establish year round weight and recreation programs that to this day benefit the entire Academy population.

Dan Reading ’00 was a two-time all-New England Football Conference performer for Ruggeri, as he also earned a pair of ECAC all-star nods during his junior and senior seasons as a wide receiver.  Reading holds the Buccaneer single-game record for receiving yards with 230 on eight receptions against Nichols on October 30, 1999, as he notched 681 receiving yards during that campaign that also included a school-record 10 touchdowns.  Reading also returned a school-record 54 kickoffs during his career, including a pair for touchdowns of 93 and 84 yards, respectively, against Fitchburg State in 1997 and 1999.

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 over 120 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 2011.  “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 2011, the Massachusetts Maritime Athletic Hall of Fame will boast of 60 inductees after this year’s 12^th annual ceremony.  For more information on the Buccaneer Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, June 4^th, please contact the Massachusetts Maritime Department of Athletics at (508) 830-5053.