Hall of Fame
1995
Boniewski, Sophie (m. Chilaravallo)
Sophie Boniewski (m. Chilaravallo)
Class of 1942
Student #3551 – 1995 Athletic Hall of Fame
Leonard Damilowski played football at both the halfback and quarterback positions. He had unlimited energy as a ball carrier, carrying the ball several Sophie “Bonnie” Boniewski (m. Chilaravallo) played on several great A.S.D. girls’ basketball teams. She was a sharpshooter, an aggressive ball handler, and a great rebounder. She was full of pep in every game she played and was therefore named co-captain of the 1941-1942 basketball team. She was an all-around athlete, playing softball, tennis, archery, and track.
Damilowski, Leonard
Leonard Damilowski
Class of 1946
Student #3836 – 1995 Athletic Hall of Fame
Leonard Damilowski played football at both the halfback and quarterback positions. He had unlimited energy as a ball carrier, carrying the ball several times in succession and wearing out the opposite team. He was also a tremendous forward passer and threw for many touchdowns. He was an equally great basketball player, and he led the ASD team in scoring in almost every game he played. He was an outstanding softball player at ASD as well, but his heart was in baseball. After graduation, he continued playing ball and ultimately reached the minor leagues.
Dardis, James
James Dardis
Class of 1949
Student #3686 – 1995 Athletic Hall of Fame
James Dardis started out playing center but was later transferred to tackle, where he excelled. He was compared to the seven mules of Notre Dame, blocking punts and causing the visitors to fumble frequently by his hard-charging and tackling. He was only 5’9″ in height and 168 lbs. but played as if he was much larger. He was named to the All-American Schools for the Deaf Football team, first as Second Team and was a First Team All-American Tackle. His ability to block the opposition was an inspiration to the A.S.D. group that he was named Captain of the A.S.D. football team in 1947.
Halberg, David H.
David H. Halberg
Class of 1948
Student #3643 – 1995 Athletic Hall of Fame
David Halberg was named to the All-American Deaf football team as an end in 1945 and was captain of the ASD football team in 1946. He began his career as a guard and then switched to end, where he excelled. He also played halfback and quarterback. He was admired for his ability to keep calm under pressure and to play hard at all times. He also played basketball (guard) and baseball (pitcher and catcher) during his ASD years. He continued to excel in college, participating in football, wrestling, and track at Gallaudet College. He co-captained the 1952 Gallaudet football team and won a silver medal in the 1953 National AAU wrestling tournament. After college, he began the ASD wrestling program.
LaGier, Robert
Robert LaGier
Class of 1944
Student #3484 – 1995 Athletic Hall of Fame
Robert LaGier is on Walter Rockwell’s list of great ASD football players. He captained the 1942 and 1943 football teams. He started out playing center in 1938 and then switched to halfback for the rest of his career. He was also a dynamic, playmaking guard in basketball. He captained the 1944 ASD basketball team and was selected best all-around sportsman in the 1942 ASD basketball tournament.
Pelser, Reeda (m. Rex)
Reeda Pelser (m. Rex)
Class of 1935
Student #3285 – 1995 Athletic Hall of Fame
A great female athlete, Reeda Pelser (m. Rex), never experienced a losing basketball season. She played guard and forward and was very successful at both positions. When the team needed points, she played forward, and when A.S.D. needed to stop the opposition’s high scorer, she switched to guard. She played in 67 games between 1931 and 1935. A.S.D.’s record in those games was 62-5. Her experience and knowledge of the game made her a fine leader and led to her being named captain of the 1934-1935 girls basketball team.
Rudnicki, Stanley Joseph
Stanley Joseph Rudnicki
Class of 1957
Student #4192 – 1995 Athletic Hall of Fame
Stanley Rudnicki was an outstanding football player, playing both offensive and defense in every game he played. He was large in stature and was an ideal football player to play for A.S.D. Both the Silent Worker and N.F.S.D. named him to the Deaf Football All-American team in 1956. He was also named to the Deaf Basketball Second Team by the Silent Worker in 1956-1957. He was a big scorer on the A.S.D. basketball team; leading the team in points in most of the games he played. A natural-born athlete, he inspired his teammates to do their very best.
Szablinski, Thaddeus
Thaddeus Szablinski
Class of 1940
Student #3402 – 1995 Athletic Hall of Fame
was on Walter Rockwell’s all-time great list and was very versatile. He was an excellent running back, an excellent forward passer with more completed passes than in-completed passes, and a terrific placekicker. He had an aggressive playing style, and he was a great catcher and hitter on the ASD baseball team. He also played basketball from 1935 to 1939.
Zaharevitz, Ann
Ann Zaharevitz
Class of 1935
Student #3370 – 1995 Athletic Hall of Fame
Ann Zaharevitz was on Coach Beth Wetherbee’s list of all-time great female basketball players. She played both the guard and forward positions and was an outstanding sharpshooter. As a guard, she was a great playmaker and an inspiration to her teammates. Also, she excelled in track and swimming. After leaving A.S.D., she played in the women’s Industrial Basketball League for several years. Coach Wetherbee named Ann as the best all-around player for 1934-1935. One reason was because of Ann’s system of guarding, which was virtually impregnable.
