Releases
Date Posted:10/17/2002, 8:00AM
Bowdoin To Open Doors To Athletic Hall of Honor
BRUNSWICK, Maine -
On October 19, Bowdoin College Athletic
Department will begin a new era with the
opening of the Bowdoin College Athletic Hall
of Honor. Founded "to perpetuate the memory
of those persons who have brought
distinction, honor and excellence to Bowdoin
through their athletic accomplishments", the
inaugural class represents the best that
Bowdoin has to offer. The five members
selected as the initial class to be inducted are:
Joan Benoit Samuleson '79, Ken Martin '69, C.
Nels Corey '39, Jill Bermingham Isenhart '86
and Sidney J. Watson. The ceremony is by
invitation-only and will begin at 11:00 a.m.
When one looks at the history of athletics
at Bowdoin College, one name recurs in its
successes through several decades: C. Nels
Corey. Considered one of the greatest
athletes in the history of the College, he was
also a versatile and distinguished coach at
the institution he called home. A member of
Bowdoin?s Class of 1939, Corey was a
Williamson System All-American (1938) and
was selected for All-Maine honors in football
two of his three years at tackle. He was also
named to the All-New England hockey team
as a goalie and played first base on the
baseball squad. In 1955, he returned to
Bowdoin and was named line coach in
football, as well as coach of freshman hockey
and baseball, before being promoted to the
head hockey position. In 1957, Nels became
the first lacrosse coach ? not just in
Bowdoin?s history but also in the state of
Maine. In 1959, Corey took the reins of the
football squad. In six seasons, his teams
went 22-20-1 with two state championships
(1960 and 1963). In 1991, Corey received the
prestigious Martin William Souders Award for
?a graduate of a New England independent
school who has made a distinguished record
in sports and in life through high ideals,
leadership and accomplishments.? In 1997
he was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of
Fame. A native of Lynn, Massachusetts, Corey
graduated Bowdoin with a degree in
mathematics. He resides in Gardiner, Maine,
with his wife, Kaye Monaghan Corey.
For most athletes, dominating one sport is
a great accomplishment. Dominating two
sports is extraordinarily rare. Dominating
three is spectacular. With that in mind, there is
perhaps no more versatile athlete in the
history of Bowdoin athletics than Jill
Bermingham Isenhart, who starred for
Bowdoin ice hockey, soccer, and lacrosse
teams. Jill Bermingham was a force from day
one at Bowdoin, capturing second-team
All-New England honors as a freshman on the
women?s soccer team that won the NIAC
Championship. Her career records speak for
themselves: in soccer, she still holds school
records for most single-season goals (18),
most single-season points (42) and most
points in a single game (8). In lacrosse, she
holds the records for single season goals
(66), assists (21), and points (87). She also
holds the record for career goals (145) and
career points (183), even though assists
records were not kept her first year. In hockey,
she graduated holding the records for
single-season goals (30), most goals in a
game (5) and most career hat tricks (6). A
native of South Londonderry, Vermont,
Isenhart graduated Bowdoin with a double
major in government and environmental
studies. Her father, Eldredge (Class of 1950),
and brother, Eldredge Jr. (Class of 1975) are
Bowdoin alumni. She resides in Boulder,
Colorado with her
husband, Chip, and their two children.
In his three years of varsity hockey at
Bowdoin, Ken Martin set a standard of
excellence that carried the Polar Bears to
national prominence. The very first Bowdoin
player to eclipse the 100-point mark ? even
though he played only three seasons ? Martin
was an All-ECAC performer all three years.
His first season, as a sophomore in 1966-67,
the Polar Bears went 9-11. His junior year saw
Bowdoin post an 11-9 mark. His senior year,
with Martin as their captain, the Bears went
14-6-1. That senior season put Bowdoin on
the hockey map as Martin captured the ECAC
Most Valuable Player Award and the New
England Hockey Writers? Joseph Tomasello
Award for an Unsung Hero. That sentiment
captures what Martin was: a quiet leader and
the first real superstar in the Bowdoin hockey
program. In 2000, Martin notched his 500th
career victory as hockey coach at the Belmont
Hill School, where he also teaches Latin. In
2002 he was inducted into the Massachusetts
State Hockey Coaches? Hall of Fame. Ken
Martin is a native of and resides in
Framingham, Massachusetts with his wife,
Linda. The Martins have two children. Ken
graduated Bowdoin with a degree in
Latin.
An immortal in the world of collegiate
hockey, Sid Watson guided the Bowdoin
hockey program to extraordinary heights
during his career behind the bench. As an
undergraduate at Northeastern, Sid became
one of the greatest gridiron players in school
history. He averaged more than 100 yards per
game and 7.1 yards per carry during his
career as a running back. He still holds
Northeastern?s school records for most career
points (191) and single-season points (74).
Watson then moved on to play in the National
Football League with the Pittsburgh Steelers
and Washington Redskins. In 1958, despite
the chance to play another year in the NFL,
Watson accepted a temporary position as
Bowdoin?s hockey coach. Watson grew to love
the game while at Northeastern, although he
never played competitively. After one season
as a co-coach with Nels Corey, Watson took
over the position full-time in 1959. Over the
next 24 seasons, Watson?s teams compiled a
record of 326-210-11 (.606). In the
postseason, Watson?s teams qualified for the
ECAC playoffs every year but once from 1969
to 1983, reaching the ECAC Championship
Game six times. The Polar Bears won the
ECAC Division II Championship four times, in
1971, 1975, 1976 and 1978. He received
numerous awards for his exploits, winning the
Edward Jeremiah Trophy as national college
division coach of the year three times (1970,
1971, 1978). In 1983, Watson retired as coach
and became Bowdoin?s athletic director one
year later; he retired from that position in 1998.
During Watson?s tenure as athletic director,
Bowdoin athletics grew to 29 varsity sports, 5
club teams, and more than 20 physical
education courses. In 1996 Bowdoin
dedicated the Sidney J. Watson Fitness
Facility in his honor. In 2001 he was awarded
the Hobey Baker Legend of Hockey Award by
the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. He
has also been inducted into the Andover Hall
of Fame, the Northeastern University Hall of
Fame, and the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.
Watson is a native of Andover, Massachusetts,
and resides in Brunswick, Maine and Naples,
Florida with his wife, Henrietta. His son
Christopher is a member of the Class of
1986. The Watsons have five children and 11
grandchildren.
The most recognizable athlete in
Bowdoin?s history, Joan Benoit Samuelson is
one of the most decorated runners in the
world. A two-time champion at the Boston
Marathon (setting world records in 1978 and
1983), in 1984 she was presented with the
Jesse Owens Award and in 1985 she earned
the Sullivan Award as the top U.S. amateur
athlete. She will forever be remembered for
her dominating gold-medal performance in
the inaugural women?s marathon at the 1984
Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Upon her graduation from Bowdoin in 1979,
the four-time All-American held numerous
Bowdoin and New England indoor and
outdoor records, including regional marks in
the 1,500- and 3,000-meter races and the U.S.
women?s record for the 10,000 meters. She
still holds the American women?s marathon
record, a mark that has stood for seventeen
years. While at Bowdoin, Joan also played on
the field hockey team. A native of Cape
Elizabeth, Maine, Joan Benoit Samuelson
graduated Bowdoin with a double major in
history and environmental studies. She has
been inducted into the International
Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame, the Boys? and
Girls? Clubs of America National Hall of Fame,
the Maine Women?s Hall of Fame, the Maine
Sports Hall of Fame, and the International
Women?s Sports Foundation Hall of Fame. In
1999, Sports Illustrated placed her at #20 on
the Top 100 Women Athletes of the Twentieth
Century. She resides in Freeport, Maine with
her husband, Scott (Class of 1980), and their
two children. Joan?s father, André (Class of
1943), and brothers Peter (Class of 1976) and
John (Class of 1981) are also Bowdoin
alumni.
The Hall of Honor will be located in the lobby of Morrell Gymnasium, where exhibits on the athletes will be displayed for the next year.
198