Hall of Fame induction: 2007

Shannon ran for Wilmington High School and in 1984, he was Division II State Champion in both the 100m (:10.7) & the 200m (:21.6) events. He was also 1984 New Castle County Champion in the 200m dash and tied the State Record in the trials of that meet with a time of :21.2.

Shannon went on to run for Jackson State (1984-85) and Grambling (1985-86). He came back to Delaware and began coaching at his old alma mater, Wilmington High School. He was the sprint coach at Wilmington H. S., which became the Charter School of Wilmington/Cab Calloway School of Performing Arts in 1999. During his coaching career, Shannon’s 4 x 200m team won the1999 indoor championships at the University of Delaware.

Shannon was one of the co-creators of the 400 Elite Track Club, which took local athletes to National meets around the country. Shannon is tied for 1st on the Delaware H. S. All-Time Performance List (Outdoor) in the 200m with a converted time of :21.40.

Sadly, Shannon died in February, 2004.

Hall of Fame induction: 2007

Bill was a Newark High School graduate and went on to be an outstanding middle distance runner at the University of Delaware in the 50’s. He set two course records in Cross Country at Delaware and finished 11th as a junior and 4th as a senior at the MAC Championships.

He set Delaware Track & Field records in both the 880yd run in 1:53.9 and the mile run in 4:18.6. In 1954, he ran his 1:53.9 in his heat of the NCAA Championships, faster than either of the other two heat winners, but fourth in his heat behind Olympian Tom Courtney, failing to qualify for the final. In the MAC, Bill won the mile title in his senior year, adding a second place in the 880yd run.

He captained both the Cross Country and Track & Field teams at Delaware. He was acclaimed the Outstanding Senior Athlete at UD in 1954. In the summer of 1954, he was on a team that won the medley relay at the National AAU Outdoor Championships.

Hall of Fame induction: 2006

Cynthia competed for Caesar Rodney High School and was one of the first four-time State Champion event winners, winning the 200m from 1977 to 1980.

She was instrumental in Caesar Rodney winning 4 straight team Championships from 1977-1980. Cynthia set a State Record in the 200m (24.2) in 1978, which stood for 20 years and is 5th on the All Time List with a converted time of 24.40.

She also anchored Caesar Rodney relay teams six-times (4 x 100m & 4 x 200m) in state meets to victory. Her 4 x 100m relay team set a State Record of 48.5 in 1978. That record held for 20 years, and is listed 6th on the All Time List with a converted time of 48.74.

Cynthia went on to continue her running career at Auburn University from 1980-1982. She graduated from Delaware State University in 1984.

Hall of Fame induction: 2006

Joe coached for thirty years at Delaware State University, producing dozens of championship athletes. His teams won MEAC team championships, indoors in ’83, ’84, ’86, and ’87 and outdoors in ’76 and ’92. Each time he was named the MEAC Outstanding Tournament Coach. He also received the award in 1981. Joe coached two previous inductees, Brad Morris and Mike Wilson. Brad Morris was DSU’s first All-American, earning the honor for the 440yd. Dash in 1974 and 1975. Mike Wilson holds the MEAC all-time one and two mile run records. Other athletes Joe has coached still hold nine MEAC records and eight MEAC records held by his athletes have since been broken.

Joe was a star athlete at I.C. Norcum High School in Portsmouth, VA. He still holds the VA state record with 31 touchdowns and 192 points in a season. He was the first high school African American All-American from Virginia . He was a four-year letterman in football at Iowa State. He coached football and track & field at Delaware State.

Hall of Fame induction: 2006

Neil was a high school discus thrower and shot putter from Wm. Penn High School. He was State Southern Regional Division I Champion in the shot put and discus. Neil threw the discus 171’8.5″ to become the state high school individual champion in 1977. That throw ranks 9th on the Delaware all-time high school list. He was the 1977 New Castle County Discus Champion and record holder at that time with a throw of 166’2″.

After high school, Neil went to the University of Florida after a short stint at the University of Delaware. At Delaware, he still holds both the freshman and school records in the discus.

As a “Gator”, he is 6th on their all-time school list in the shot put (59’5″ in 1981) and discus (191’8″ in 1982). In 1982, he finished 12th in the discus at the NCAA’s, making Neil an All-American.