On Friday, September 20, a collection of Riverside’s greatest athletes of all time stepped onto the football field together.
The inaugural class of the Athletic Hall of Fame includes eleven athletes, two teams and three coaches who competed across thirty years of Riverside sports.
“[The Hall of Fame] recognizes our most accomplished student-athletes since the conception of Riverside, since it first opened in 1991,” said assistant athletic director Brian Strickland.
Inductees walked across the football field at halftime during Riverside’s home game against Graham High School.
It was the culmination of years of planning. The Linny Wrenn Hall of Fame, named in honor of Riverside’s first athletic director, is the Riverside athletic department’s brainchild.
“It’s been a big project for Coach Duncan and myself for a while now,” said Strickland.
Duncan and Strickland have been working on creating the Hall of Fame for years. Intended to begin near Riverside’s 30th anniversary (2021), COVID-19 postponed its first induction ceremony until this year.
Anyone could be nominated via a google form found on the Hall of Fame website and social media accounts. The Hall of Fame Selection Committee chose members of the class from the list of nominated alumni.
“We couldn’t have done it without the board,” said Strickland. “Everybody really chipped in.”
The selection committee considered more than just the athletic careers of the inductees.
“We [looked for] model citizens, people who not only represent Riverside, but the Durham community well,” said Strickland.
The athletic department looks forward to continuing this tradition, but with 4-6 members of each class instead of the inaugural 16. Members of each class will be added to the Hall of Fame board in the lobby to immortalize their achievements and inspire the next generation of Riverside student-athletes.
“It will be an annual event,” said Strickland. “We will induct a class every year from here on out.”
