Washington, D.C. - Six area natives, including basketball greats Len Bias, Grant Hill and Walt Williams, a Washington Capitals record-setting player and franchise-saving executive and perhaps the greatest players at their respective positions for DC United and the Washington Senators have been selected for induction into the Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame. The 10 honorees will be inducted in a special ceremony on Sunday, May 6 at Nationals Park prior to the 1:35 p.m. game between the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies. The 2018 DC Sports Hall of Fame class includes longtime sports statistician Marty Aronoff, late University of Maryland basketball star Bias, Capitals scoring great Peter Bondra, popular broadcaster Steve Buckhantz, South Lakes High School-Duke University-NBA luminary Hill, legendary DC United striker Jaime Moreno, excellent hitting Senators second baseman Buddy Myer, former Capitals General Manager David Poile, former Washington Tennis and Education Foundation Executive Director Eleni Rossides, and Maryland basketball standout Williams.
"This year's outstanding group of inductees consists of extraordinary individuals who have achieved excellence in sports here in the Nation's Capital and includes six who come from this area," said DC Sports Hall of Fame committee chairman Bobby Goldwater. "It will be a privilege to add these 10 names to the Sports Hall of Fame honor roll on May 6 at the induction ceremony at Nationals Park. The committee is grateful once again for the generous and enthusiastic support of Mark Lerner and the Washington Nationals."
The DC Sports Hall of Fame selection committee includes co-chairmen emeritus and veteran D.C. sports executives Charlie Brotman and Andy Ockershausen, former radio and TV reporter/producer Brenda J. Curtis-Heiken, journalist David Elfin, Georgetown University Sports Industry Management master's program faculty member and sports industry consultant Bobby Goldwater, NBC Sports Washington anchor/commentator Chick Hernandez, attorney Phil Hochberg, Washington Nationals vice chairman and principal owner Mark D. Lerner, Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism Director at the University of Maryland George Solomon, attorney Mark Tuohey, radio and television personality and former Washington Redskins tight end Rick "Doc" Walker, baseball commentator and historian Phil Wood and former Comcast SportsNet managing editor and Merrill College visiting professor Joe Yasharoff.
Nominees for inclusion must have gained prominence in the Washington area through their achievements in sports as an athlete, coach, owner, executive, member of the media or contributor.
The 2018 inductees:
MARTY ARONOFF: A longtime District resident and the nation's guru for sports statistics, Aronoff has worked for over 40 years with the best broadcasters in sports including Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Football League and college football and basketball. He has been a statistician for the Washington Wizards franchise since 1979. A graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in D.C., Aronoff began in the industry on Bullets telecasts before becoming a sports producer at Channel 9 in Washington.
LEN BIAS (1963-1986): One of the all-time great basketball players in University of Maryland and ACC history, Bias set 15 school records and is still the third-leading scorer in school history. A two-time ACC Player of the Year, he led the Terps to four NCAA tournaments and the 1984 ACC championship. He was chosen second overall in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics just before his untimely death at 22 years old.
PETER BONDRA: One of the Washington Capitals' all-time greats, Bondra led the team to numerous playoff appearances, including the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals. Over the course of 14 years with the Capitals, Bondra racked up 472 goals as well as holding team records in power play goals (137), game-winning goals (73), short-handed goals (32) and hat tricks (19). A five-time NHL All-Star and two-time goal-scoring champion, Bondra is one of 45 players who scored 500 career goals.
STEVE BUCKHANTZ: A staple in Washington sports broadcasting, Buckhantz has been the television play-by-play announcer of the Washington Wizards for the past 21 years, was a sports anchor for Channel 5 and was the Navy football voice for seven years. In his 33 years in D.C., he has memorably added the terms "dagger," "backbreaker" and "not possible" into the local sports lexicon. Buckhantz was elected into the NATAS Silver Circle in 2011 and, for 18 years, has been the spokesperson for the Steve Buckhantz/St. Jude Celebrity Golf Tournament benefiting Children's Hospital in Memphis, TN.
GRANT HILL: A Reston native, Hill starred in basketball at South Lakes High School, and then at Duke University where he was a two-time NCAA champion, the 1994 ACC Player of the Year and two-time All-American. He went on to a successful career in the NBA, including six seasons for Detroit averaging 21.6 points per game, being a co-Rookie of the Year and becoming a seven-time NBA All-Star. He also was a member of the United States Olympic gold medal-winning team in 1996. Hill is now a television commentator and a part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks.
JAIME MORENO: A premier striker for DC United, Moreno is considered one of the greatest players in Major League Soccer history. He is one of only two MLS athletes with 100 goals and 100 assists and scored the fourth-most goals in league history. A four-time MLS Cup champion with United, Moreno was the MLS Cup MVP in 1997 and was named to the MLS Best XI five times. He retired as the league's all-time leading scorer.
CHARLES SOLOMON "BUDDY" MYER (1904-1974): A member of the Washington Senators in 16 seasons from 1925 to 1941, Myer finished his career with 2,131 hits and a .303 career batting average, with eight seasons hitting above .300 with the Senators including leading the American League with a .349 average in 1935. The left-handed hitting second baseman was twice named an All-Star and helped lead the Senators to the 1933 AL pennant.
DAVID POILE: Poile's 15-year tenure as General Manager of the Washington Capitals transformed the team from also-rans to contenders. His strategic trades, shrewd draft picks and strong leadership saved the franchise from relocating, and renewed Washington-area fans' interest in hockey. He led the Capitals to the first playoff appearance in their ninth season and to the postseason for 14 consecutive years. Poile currently is the GM of the Nashville Predators, and is the winningest general manager in NHL history.
ELENI ROSSIDES: A District native and a graduate of Sidwell Friends, Rossides brought honor to her hometown as an NCAA tennis champion at Stanford University and as a professional singles player who was ranked among the world's top 200 women. She also played a critical role in bringing her sport to the city as the Executive Director of the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation. During her 13-year tenure at WTEF, she extended the organization's outreach to nearly twice as many children in the area and was honored with the 2009 EXCEL Leadership Award recognizing outstanding nonprofit leadership.
WALT WILLIAMS: A native of Temple Hills, Williams was widely credited with saving the University of Maryland men's basketball program, deciding to stay when the school was placed on NCAA probation. During his senior year, he averaged a school record 26.8 points per game, scored 20 or more points in 19 straight games and broke Bias's senior scoring record. He was selected seventh overall by Sacramento in the 1992 NBA Draft and went on to play in the league for 11 years. In honor of his father, Williams established a $125,000 fund at Maryland benefiting minority students.
The names of DC Sports Hall of Fame inductees are prominently displayed at Nationals Park, the site of the annual induction ceremony. Information about the DC Sports Hall of Fame, including the honor roll of all inductees, is available at the organization's website, dcsportshall.com.