More than 400 people were on hand for the 30th Newark Athletic Hall of Fame Awards dinner. 16 new members were officially inducted at Thursday's event at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark.
One of those being inducted last night was Aundrea Williams who was All City, All Essex County, All-state 2nd Team Group Four and his Barringer High school team made the state playoffs three out of his four years he was there.
Williams received a football scholarhip to play at Delaware State. In 1987, he played in the Black College All-Star Freedom Bowl game. Aundrea’s finest moment on thigh high school gridiron?
"It was getting revenge against Montclair High School, my junior year. We lost to them 12-8 my and we would have won the guy but I created a holding penalty in the final minutes of the game that drew a touchdown back that we sprung Norm Granger on. So next year I made it my business to get back at Montclair to win that football game. I got the game-winning sack to end the game."
Who got the call when Aundrea Williams found out he was being inducted into the hall?
"First person I let know was my sister and then I called the person who nominated me, Isaiah Jackson who played on the '77 team that played at the Meadowlands against Westfield."
Hawaiian Thompson-Epps is a proud member of the Barringer Class of 1986. She's now a Hall of Famer. Thompson-Epps was a member of the 1985 Essex county 4x100 first place relay team. At Lincoln University she was the captain of the women’s cross country team for the first time in the university’s history.
What does the Hall of Fame honor mean to her?
"Coming from the city of Newark alot of times people don't understand there are diamonds in the rough and also means so much because people think you've got to be the best and the top but they don't consider community service. They don't consider going back to your alma mater to help them. And they don't consider just the hard work you put and then you be appreciated. I'll be honest with you today I was crying when I thought about people appreciated what I've done and what I continue to do. So it's a great honor. I love it!"
Thompson Epps coached track and field at Barringer and Hillside High Schools. She eventually became the president of the Hillside Board of Education.
Autrey Reynolds, a 2000 inductee and board member, coached several of the night’s honorees.
"Oh, it makes me feel good. That's what makes coaching worth it because you're not in for the pay, unless your at a big university or in the professionals. Coaching high school kids is basically about taking young kids and turning them into fine adults."
Harry Snyder, President of the Newark Athletic Hall of Fame and an 2005 inductee was a high school physical education teacher.
Snyder says the 2018 is a very diverse class. One of his former students is inductee Aundrea Williams. Snyder says the Newark Athletic Hall of Fame is filled with great performers.
"There are professional football players, basketball players, baseball players, guys that played in Super Bowls, guys that are in the NFL Hall of Fame, guys that played in the World Series for the Yankees, and Olympic medalists."
Okay Harry, who is the best athlete in Newark History?
"If you were to single out sports it would be too hard to pick one. The best all around athlete I think out of Newark was a guy named Lonnie Wright who was a football, basketball, baseball and track participant in high school. He went to Colorado State University on a scholarship, played football and basketball. He was then drafted into two pro sports, football for the Denver Broncos and basketball for the Denver Nuggets."
Wright passed away in 2012 at the age of 67.
Among those in attendance last night was former Houston Astros manager and former Weequahic high school baseball star Bo Porter. Porter’s SELF Foundation contributed to the four college scholarships presented. Porter is the now the director of Major League Baseball Player Trust, Player Development.
Here's the Class of 2018 that received a plaque and medal:
Clarence "Teddy" Allen, Anthony Baskerville, Jr., Carl A. Campanelli, Reggie Collins, Vangela E. Crowe, Michael T. Dillard, Richard D'Innocenzio, Dorian Fenner, Lawrence D. Furlow, William "Bill" Key, Ernest Monaco, Rusty Pace, Hawaiian Thompson-Epps, Regina Trotter, Richard Stanchak and Aundrea Williams.
The Presidential Humanitarian Award was presented to West Side High School Principal Akbar Cook. Cook has recently received national attention for dealing with chronic absentees at his school. Some of the students were missing three to five days of school per month, out of shame. They were being bullied because of their dirty collars and stained paints, and classmates were posted their pictures on social media. Eventually after sharing his information about the problem, he received help from many different foundations and TV host Ellen DeGeneres and now the students have their own laundry room at the school.
College scholarships were also presented to Shamir Johnson of East Side High School, Tamara Johnson of University High School, Zeinabe Kone of Weequahic High School and Prince Abimah of West Side High School.
For more information, you can go to www.newarkathletichalloffame.org.
Click above to hear WBGO News and Sports Director Doug Doyle's report on the evening and as well his chat about the HOF with WBGO morning host Gary Walker. Doyle was the Emcee of Thursday's dinner.
