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A star-studded induction class includes standout student-athletes Heidi Caruso '94, Tony Duckett '85, Frank Kirkleski '27, and Erik Marsh '95, and former coach Butch van Breda Kolff. The inductees will be honored November 16 at the Maroon Club Hall of Fame dinner in Marquis Hall.
From the 1976-77 to the 1999-2000 athletic seasons, at least two former Lafayette student-athletes, coaches, administrators, or contributors have been inducted into the Maroon Club Hall of Fame. After last year's hiatus when Lafayette's 15 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century were honored, the hall of fame will expand to 87 members this year.
For tickets, contact Joe Samaritano '91, Maroon Club executive director, (610) 330-5047; samaritj@lafayette.edu.
Undoubtedly the best female soccer player in Lafayette history, Heidi Caruso '94 also left an impressive mark on the basketball court. On the soccer pitch, she is the school's all-time leading scorer and owner of eight women's soccer school records. Caruso led the team in scoring each year and was named Patriot League Player of the Year in 1991 following a sophomore campaign in which she netted a school-record 18 goals and five assists.
A four-year starter, Caruso tallied 63 goals and 17 assists over a 69-game career, accounting for over 46 percent of the Leopards' goals. A Maroon Club Scholar-Athlete, Caruso earned first-team Patriot League honors three times and was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Umbro All-Central Region Second Team in 1993. Perhaps her most impressive effort came in a nonconference game versus Gettysburg College in 1990 when she tallied a school-record four goals in a 9-1 Lafayette victory. On the basketball court, Caruso directed the offense as the starting point guard for a Leopard program that posted a 66-47 mark during her four years. At one time she held the NCAA records for steals in a game (14), career (532), and season (168) and owned the record for highest steals per game average in a season (6.0).
The all-time assists leader in Lafayette's men's basketball history, Tony Duckett '85 dished out a record 622 career assists as a four-year starter while netting 1,063 points. He holds the record for assists in a season with 192 in his 1983-84 junior campaign, followed by 189 in 1984-85, which ranks second in Lafayette history. A team captain his senior year, Duckett started 101 games, scoring in double figures 51 times. He maintained a .748 free throw percentage throughout his career and tallied 20 or more points in a game nine times.
Duckett was named to the East Coast Conference (ECC) First Team twice as well as the ECC All-Tournament team. As a senior, he was honored with the Charles Albert '08 award, presented to the top male athlete. Upon graduation, Duckett was drafted in the sixth round of the 1985 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks and later played on the European circuit.
A four-year varsity halfback, Frank Kirkleski '27 was known as one of the hardest-hitting backfield men in the game during his four years on the football team. He made an impressionable mark during his first season when he shocked archrival Lehigh with a run that gave the Leopards a 13-3 last-minute victory in 1923. “Kirk” became a scoring threat during his sophomore year as he helped guide Lafayette to a 7-2 record. Perhaps the most memorable season came in his final year, when he was a team captain, and the Leopards captured their third National Championship with an undefeated 9-0 record.
Some might say a highlight of Kirkleski's career was that his team allowed Lehigh to score only three points in his four years. He is remembered as an integral part of a proud era in Lafayette football during which the team was undefeated at home for seven consecutive seasons. Lafayette compiled a record of 29-4-3 during his career.
Erik Marsh '95 left College Hill with two incredible distinctions-all-time leading rusher in both Lafayette College and Patriot League history, records he still holds today. The tailback rushed for 4,834 yards as a four-year starter, while setting a school and league mark for single-game rushing attempts with 46. He holds school records for career all-purpose yardage (5,569), single-season rushing attempts (304), and single-season rushing yardage (1,441). A 1993 All-American, Marsh was Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 1991 and League's Offensive Player of the Year in 1992 and 1993. Marsh was honored as an All-Patriot League first-team selection from 1992-94, as well as First-Team All-Fraternity All-American in 1993 and 1994.
In 2001, Marsh was named one of the 15 greatest athletes of the 20th century by the Maroon Club and was named to the Patriot League's All-Decade team. He garnered honors beyond Lafayette, including being named one of the 100 greatest athletes of the century in the Lehigh Valley by The Express-Times. He closed out his senior season as a cocaptain and the Patriot League's MVP selection, and was signed as a free agent by the New York Jets following graduation.
Bill “Butch” van Breda Kolff was Lafayette's men's basketball's head coach from 1951-55, and 1984-88. In his eight seasons, he compiled a record of 132-85 that includes several historic events. He led the Leopards to their first-ever postseason appearance in 1955 when they were invited to the NIT Tournament. In his final season, van Breda Kolff guided his team to one of the biggest upsets in Lafayette history against eventual NCAA participant Notre Dame 83-68 at home. He guided some of Lafayette's most talented players including Jim Radcliff '57, Stu Murray '57, Otis Ellis '89, Gary Bennett '86, Ron Reynolds '87, Tony Duckett '85, Stan Morse '85, Andy Wescoe '90, and Matt Roberts '90.
Van Breda Kolff went on to guide Princeton to three 20-win seasons and came within two victories of the NCAA championship in Bill Bradley's senior year. His coaching experiences took him to the University of New Orleans and several NBA teams before he retired as head coach at Hofstra at age 71.
(Clockwise from top-left) Heidi Caruso '94, Tony Duckett '85, Erik Marsh '95, and Frank Kirkleski '27