By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A group of 18 of the country’s sporting icons joined a fraternity of elite company when they were inducted as new members to the National Sports Hall of Fame.

The 2016 class was honoured by the signature event of Sports Heritage Month - the Hall of Fame induction ceremony - hosted Friday night at Government House.

Held under the patronage of the Governor General Her Excellency Dame Marguerite Pindling, her message to the congregation included a celebration of the past and their development of the future of their respective sports.

“Under the premise that solidarity is best served when people are shown to demonstrate their appreciation and gratitude for those who have paved the way for a nation’s success. Sports is seen as one of those important areas of national development. The history of sports in the Bahamas shows that we as a people have good cause to celebrate our many accomplishments at the local, regional and international levels. Each year during this induction ceremony we are reminded of the past successes of those individuals and the pivotal role that they have played in the development of those that followed.”

The new class brought the total number of athletes and contributors in the hall to 149.

Highlighting the 2016 class was the Bahamas’ first Olympic track and field medallist - Frank Rutherford Jr.

Other inductees included Della Wood-Thomas, Hattie Moxey, Candace DeGregory-Culmer, Sister Annie Thompson, Vickey Knowles Andrews, Evander Freeman Barr, Burket Dorsett, Carlton Harris, Anthony “Poker” Huyler, Ivan Johnson, Nathaniel Knowles, Edmondo Moxey, Jayson “Peggs” Moxey, and an additional four posthumous honours, including Eucal Hugh Bullard, Bertram Perigord,Roosevelt “Dog” Turner, and James “Jim” Wood.

Rutherford, who competed locally for the LW Young Golden Eagles and the Bain Town Flyers Track Club, coached by Neville Wisdom, eventually matriculated to McNeese State and the University of Houston.

An internationally renowned triple jumper, he captured bronze at the ‘87 World Championships and again at the ‘92 Olympics in Barcelona.

His post competition career has included the establishment of his Elite Development Foundation which facilities the transition of Bahamian student athletes to high schools and colleges in the United States.

Jayson “Peggs” Moxey delivered the athletes’ vote of thanks on the evening.

“More than 50 years ago, the majority of us commenced our sporting careers in various disciplines. It all started because of our love for the sport and not fame, fortune or recognition. We are indeed humbled at the honour bestowed upon us this evening,” he said. “We have been around for a long time and have seen our country excel in the arena of sport, not by chance but mainly because of the support from the government, various sporting organisations, corporate Bahamas and the dedication of various coaches and mentors. We would be remiss if we did not thank our family and friends for their support and sacrifice throughout our sporting careers.”

“Peggs” was a part of a golden generation for Bahamian baseball and spent several years in the Houston Astros’ minor league system playing AA and AAA baseball from 1967-1974.

“Someone by the name of H. Jackson Brown once said a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated. You have fulfilled that need for us this evening and we would like to thank you for letting us know we are appreciated,” Moxey said.

Upon his return home he competed in and was an administrator at the local level including once serving as commissioner of baseball.

Sister Annie Marie Thompson excelled as an athlete but the Benedictine sister’s most noteworthy achievement was the development of basketball at the youth level.

She was integral in the formation of the Catholic Primary School Basketball League, which continues to be the premier outlet for youth basketball.

Anthony “Poker” Huyler was one of the most talented baseball and softball played in the Bahamas for nearly three decades from the 1960s-80s.

He was a member of many national teams, including the CAC silver medal winning and gold medal winners in Mexico in 1977.

Freeman “The Natural” Barr has already been inducted into the Florida State Boxing Hall of Fame and now received his accolades at home.

During his career, his list of accolades included IBO world champion, WBO North American Middleweight and Super Middleweight champion, IBC Americas Middleweight champion, Florida State Middleweight champion, Caribbean Regional Amateur Boxing champion.

Former Olympian Hugh Bullard was one of the country’s first elite track and field athletes.

He was a member of the 1960 Rome Olympics team where he qualified in the 400m.

His rivalry with Julian Brown led to the Bahamas’ first sub 50 400m race in 1961.

Candace DeGregory’s softball career spanned over 30 decades and featured appearances on many national teams, including the team which finished fourth at the World Championships in Taipei China.

She finished her international career with a better than .500 batting average.

Burket Dorsett continues to serve as an administrator in the game of softball and has done so for the past 37 years.

He served as president of the Bahamas Government Departmental Softball Association, New Providence Softball Association, Bahamas Softball Federation and is currently the first president of the English Speaking Amateur Softball Confederation.

Ivan Johnson is a cricketing pioneer who achieved a number of “firsts” in the sport that have yet to be duplicated.

He was a former professional, first class, all rounder cricketer in England for Worcestershire County Cricket Club from 1972-75, a period in which he helped them to win the county championship and reach the final of the Benson and Hedges Cup.

Johnson was the first and still the only Bahamian to achieve this level of play in the national sport.

James “Jim” Wood was a baseball pioneer at the administrative level. He served as president of the Bahamas Baseball Association from 1981 until his death in 2015.

The Wood family has the distinct honour of two inductees in the class of 2016, a father daughter combination of Della and Jim Wood.

Della Wood-Thomas is one of the most decorated bodybuilding competitors in Bahamian history.

She holds the record in the Caribbean for winning the most gold medals at the CAC Games in addition to her host of international achievements.

She was also the country’s first female power lifting champion.

Hattie Moxey achieved greatness across several sporting disciplines including track and field, basketball, volleyball and horse racing.

She competed at the Pan Am Games on the track in the 100m and 200m, as a national volleyball team member at the CAC and Pan Am Games, a national softball team member at the ECAST tournament and was all the first and only female jokey to race at Hobby Horse Race Track.

Vickey Knowles Andrews may be well known because of the exploits of her iconic son Mark, but the elder Knowles performed her own legendary feats on the court as well.

She was a junior doubles finalist at Wimbledon in 1962 and also competed in the Mixed Doubles draw as an adult.

She is a five time Bahamas national singles champion and played on various national teams while also being vital to the growth of the local game with her work as the pro at Emerald Beach and Nassau Beach hotels for over 25 years.

Carlton Harris was one of the leading names during Grand Bahamas golfing boom and continues to aide it’s attempt at resurgence.

He was one of the driving forces behind the Grand Bahama Open and was recently honoured by the Ironman Tournament in the nation’s second city named in his honour.

Nathaniel Knowles achieved a record number of firsts in the boxing ring as well.

He was the first Bahamian boxer to compete in the Olympic games when he fought at the 1972 Games in Munich and advanced to the second round.

Knowles was also the first athlete to win an international medal for an independent Bahamas with his silver at the 1974 CAC Games.

Edmondo Moxey became well known for his exploits on the baseball field and had a nine-year career as a pro in the minor leagues during the 1960s.

Following his playing days, Moxey made his greatest contribution to the sport of swimming by creating a programme for underprivileged that served as a mainstay at the South Beach Pools in its heyday.

Bertram Perigord was a boxer, author and businessman who served as an inspiration at every level of the sport.

Known under the ring name Bert Perry, he was a former two-time Bahamas heavyweight champion and won the silver medal at the New York State Golden Gloves in 1968.

It was his vision that led to the establishment of the amateur boxing programme in the country.

Roosevelt “Dog” Turner was another of the country’s baseball icons and played several years in the minor leagues with the Cleveland Indians farm system.

“The National Hall of Fame is one of the avenues comissioned by my ministry to demonstrate the nation’s appreciation for the past contributions made by those sporting legends to the development of sport in our country We have had a tremendous sporting presence in regional, national and international competition; this did not happen by mistake but rather through hard work, dedication, determination and the will to succeed, traits that were displayed by the members of this class of 2016,” Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr Daniel Johnson said. “It is very important that we continue to recognise our National Sports heroes so that generations of aspiring athletes will have persons that they can emulate in pursuit of their dreams.”

The group was also celebrated by a series of media appearances, school visits and a courtesy call on the House of Assembly on November 16.

Sports Heritage Week originally began in 1989 with the introduction of five of our national heroes - the late great Thomas A Robinson, Sir Durward Knowles, Cecil Cooke, Andre Rodgers and Everette “Elisha Obed” Ferguson.

The National Hall of Fame was established as a means to show the country’s appreciation to those contributors to sports whose exploits may have gone unnoticed in the past and, at the same time, deliver recognition to those who continue to shine for the Bahamas.