The Brandeis Athletics Department and Friends of Brandeis Athletics (FOBA) announced Monday the eight alumni who will be inducted into the Brandeis Hall of Fame as the Class of 2009.
The biggest name on the list is the legendary tennis journalist Arthur “Bud” Collins. Inducted in the contributor category, Collins was Brandeis’ first tennis coach. In an interview with the Center for Sport and Jewish Life, Collins explained that Benny Friedman, Brandeis’ first athletic director and NFL legend, asked Collins to coach the team, offering him “$250…and all the sweat socks you can steal.” He would hold the position from 1959 to 1963 where he coached many players, including Abbie Hoffman. The future radical actually had to be coached to not be so conservative in his game play but did cause trouble, wearing a waiter’s jacket with a piece of rope on road trips. Another athlete that went through Collins was Bert Strug whose daughter Keri helped the United States Woman’s gymnastics team to a gold in 1996.
He covered Wimbledon for ABC from 1968-72 and then served in the same capacity for NBC until he was let go after the 2007 tournament. Collins joined ESPN shortly after and still covers tennis for the Boston Globe. Bud Collins was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1994
Another familiar name on the list is fencer Tim Morehouse ’00 who made history as the first Brandeis athlete to win an Olympic Medal. He reached that peak as a member of the 2008 U.S Men’s Saber Fencing team which wound up surprising the world, taking the silver at the Beijing summer games. Morehouse, who also competed in Athens in 2004, was also the first Brandeis alum to compete in the Olympics. In his college career, Morehouse was a three time UAA Champion, three time All-American, served as captain in his last two years with the squad. In 2000, Morehouse was voted the NCAA’s men’s Fencer of the Year after leading the Judges to a top-10 finish in the Division I NCAA championships.
Theresa Ceriello ’03 is the first member of the women’s volleyball program to be inducted into the hall of fame. In her career, she led the Judges to three ECAC tournaments and was Brandeis’ first-ever American Volleyball Coaches Association First-Team All-New England selection. She was also a four time All-UAA selection.
Kevin Curtin ’84 led the Judges to three straight top two finishes in Men’s Cross Country including a national championship in 1983. During his senior season, Curtin won the New England Division III championship in the 1,000-meter run, and established a still standing meet record. He was also a captain of three New England championship teams at the same time.
Mark Eisenstock ’72 was the picture of versatility during his time at Brandeis. A member of both the baseball and basketball programs, Eisenstock played all nine positions on the diamond and three positions on the court. Playing multiple positions didn’t phase him as he finished a career .300 hitter. He also served as president of FOBA and helped create the Hall of Fame.
Ginny Lypscon Richburg ’81 earned her place in school history as the first woman to qualify for the NCAA Track and Field Championships, securing a spot in the 1981 heptathlon. She was also named Brandeis’ top athlete in 1979.
Michael Novaria ’91 made his name on the soccer pitch. The third all-time leading scorer in the school’s soccer history, Novaria was a three-time All-New England and four-time All-UAA selection. He is also one of two players from Brandeis to be named as the UAA Player of the Year in soccer, earning the title in 1989. Donald Soffer ’54 rounds out the inductees. A member of the long extinct football program, he made a name for himself as one of the top lineman in the school’s history.
