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Two former student-athletes, one coach, and a trio of national championship teams will comprise the Maroon Club Hall of Fame Class of 2012.
Ann Gold, Tom Kirchhoff ’93, Hope McCorkle ’98, and the 1896, 1921, and 1926 football national champions will be inducted into the Hall of Fame Nov. 16, 2012—the eve of the 148th Lafayette-Lehigh football game.
Ann Gold
Ann Gold
A 19-time Patriot League champion in her 25-year career at Lafayette, Gold is the most accomplished head coach in the history of the Leopards’ field hockey and women’s lacrosse programs. As head field hockey coach from 1982-2006, she led the Leopards to nine Patriot League regular season championships—including the first seven league titles from 1990-96—and three Patriot League Tournament crowns. Gold, who also guided Lafayette to two East Coast Conference titles prior to the inception of the Patriot League, won a pair of ECAC titles and was recognized on five occasions as the Patriot League Coach of the Year. She was also lauded by her peers as the NFHCA Mid-East Region Coach of the Year in 2002. Gold coached six All-Americans, eight Patriot League Players of the Year, and five Patriot League Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
As head of the women’s lacrosse program from 1983-99, Gold won seven Patriot League Championships and was a two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year. She also led the Leopards to three straight East Coast Conference titles in the pre-Patriot League era. Gold mentored seven All-Americans, four Patriot League Players of the Year, and two Patriot League Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
Also a member of the Central Bucks West High School Hall of Fame, Gold played both field hockey and lacrosse as a student-athlete at Ursinus College, where she graduated in 1972. She and her husband, Mike, are both retired and live in Bonita Springs, Fla.
Gold joins Pat Fisher as the only female coaches and the only multiple-sport coaches in the Maroon Club Hall of Fame.
Tom Kirchhoff ’93
Tom Kirchhoff ’93
The 1992 Patriot League Player of the Year, Kirchhoff ranks among the top quarterbacks ever to line up under center for the Maroon and White. His 6,709 career passing yards are the third most in the 129-year history of Lafayette football and the 12th-highest total in Patriot League annals. Kirchhoff, who was co-captain of the 1992 Patriot League Championship team, is also third in program history in career completions (510) and touchdown passes (53). His 26 touchdown passes in the 1992 campaign are the second-highest single-season total in Lafayette history. Kirchhoff was a semifinalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award in 1992 as one of the top senior quarterbacks in the nation. A three-year starter for the Leopards, he was recognized by Lafayette as the male recipient of the 1993 Charles L. Albert ’08 Award. After graduation, Kirchhoff signed a professional contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kirchhoff is a third-generation owner of Cleveland Brothers Equipment Company. He and his wife, Staci, have four children: Tommy, Sam , Brynley, and Ty.
Kirchhoff is the 47th Lafayette football player to enter the Maroon Club Hall of Fame. He joins Ed Hudak ’93 and Erik Marsh ’95 as inducted members of the 1992 Patriot League Championship squad.
Hope McCorkle ’98
Hope McCorkle ’98
McCorkle, one of Lafayette’s most recent two-sport superstars, was a record-setting performer in both track and field and volleyball during her four-year career on College Hill. The female recipient of the 1998 Charles L. Albert ’08 Award, McCorkle was a five-time All-Patriot League performer in track and field. She won three individual Patriot League titles in the shot put and graduated as the program-record holder in three events. Her record 47’5″ throw in the indoor shot put stood until 2008 and remains second all-time at Lafayette. Her 44’6.75″ outdoor shot put mark ranks third and her 158’5″ distance in the hammer throw stands at seventh. McCorkle’s 134’6″ throw in the javelin in 1996 is the third best in program history.
A force at the net in her four seasons of volleyball on College Hill, McCorkle earned three Second Team All-Patriot League nods. She ranks first in Lafayette history and second all-time in the Patriot League with 611 career blocks. She twice led the league in blocks (1994, 1996) and ranked among the top 25 in the nation in all four of her seasons in Maroon and White. McCorkle holds the top four spots on the Leopards’ single-season blocks list and appears three times on the Patriot League’s single-season top-10 list. She also graduated as Lafayette’s all-time kills leader, currently ranking third on the career ledger with 1,169 finishers.
McCorkle is a marketing specialist and lives in Easton.
McCorkle is the third women’s track and field and first volleyball player in the Maroon Club Hall of Fame. She is the 29th multi-sport athlete and the ninth woman to be inducted for participating in multiple sports as a student-athlete.
The National Champions
The 1896 football team posted an 11-0-1 record – highlighted by 10 shutouts – en route to Lafayette’s first national championship. Coached by Parke Davis, the Leopards outscored their opponents 240-10 during the 12-game slate. Maroon Club Hall of Famers halfback George “Rose” Barclay 1898 and guard Charles “Babe” Rinehart 1898 both played on the 1896 squad.
A 28-6 victory at Lehigh concluded a 9-0 season and a national title for the 1921 national championship club. Hall of Famer John B. “Jock” Sutherland‘s Leopards racked up five shutouts and scored 274 points while ceding only 26. Fellow Hall of Fame honorees Charles F. Berry ’25, Mike Gazella ’23, and Frank J. “Dutch” Schwab ’23 starred on the team at end, halfback, and guard, respectively.
Another win over Lehigh—a 35-0 victory—capped a perfect 9-0 season for the 1926 national champions. The shutout was the fifth for the Leopards, who allowed 37 points all season while totaling 327 on offense. Lafayette’s third national championship team was helmed by Maroon Club Hall of Fame head coach G. Herbert McCracken and featured Hall of Fame student-athletes Frank Kirkleski ’27 and George B. “Mike” Wilson ’29 as its starting backfield and Frank Grube ’27 playing at end.
The trio of football teams joins the 1980 women’s lacrosse squad as the only teams to be enshrined in the Maroon Club Hall of Fame.