Hampden-Sydney College and the Athletics Hall of Fame inducts its
23nd class on Saturday, October 30, 2010, at 11 am in the Kirk
Athletic Center. Included in the Athletics Hall of Fame Class of
2010 are former baseball, football, and soccer greats, a
legendary lacrosse coach and a Hampden-Sydney athletics
fixture. The five man class features baseball and football stars
Dr. Dean Tester '54 and George Simons '75, soccer standout Mike
Bizon '00, the Tigers' first lacrosse coach Howdy Myers and the
Hampden-Sydney do-it-all man, Henry Read '53.
Dr. Dean Tester '54, Football and Baseball
Tester was a two-sport athlete, lettering all four years
in football and baseball. A quarterback on the football team,
Tester led the Tigers to Mason-Dixon and Little Seven Championships
while being named All-Little-Seven and All-Mason-Dixon Conference
as a senior. On the baseball diamond, as co-captain in his junior
and senior years, Tester was a solid third baseman with a batting
average over .300. After college, the Pulaski, Virginia, native
signed a professional baseball contract and played for one year
before enrolling at the Medical College of Virginia. Tester was
very active in campus life: a member of ODK, he was student body
vice president, fraternity president, secretary-treasurer of the
student body, vice president of the Monogram Club, and was elected
to Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities. Tester
is a retired physician in High Point, NC.
George Simons '75, Football and Baseball
Simons was a two-sport athlete and heralded as one of the
best all-around kickers in Hampden-Sydney football history. He
helped the Tigers to back-to-back Mason-Dixon Conference football
championships in 1972 and 1973. As a junior and senior on the
gridiron, he was selected for All-VCAA and All-Mason-Dixon honors.
Simons did all of the kicking for the Tigers and his career punting
average is 38.7 yards, while he was 30-of-36 on extra points and
16-of-29 on field goal attempts. On the baseball field, he was
named the team's most improved player in 1973 before twice being
named the most valuable player. Simons is a sales manager for
Tallant Industries, Inc. in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and resides
in Richmond.
Michael Bizon '00, Soccer
Bizon is one of the most decorated soccer players in
Hampden-Sydney history and the best goalie to date.
A three-time First-Team All-ODAC selection, Bizon was named
the ODAC Player of the Year as a senior in 1999, while also being
just the second Tiger soccer star to be named All-American. As a
sophomore, Bizon was named to the NSCAA-Adidas All-South Region
Third Team while earning First-Team honors as a junior and senior.
He remains the program's leader in career shutouts with 24, while
his 10 shutouts as a senior are also a school record. Bizon's marks
of seven and six shutouts as a junior and sophomore mark third and
seventh all-time, respectively. His 220 saves are fourth in school
history. Bizon is a Vice-President and Financial Analyst for Bank
of America in Charlotte, North Carolina.
SPECIAL CITATION
Howard "Howdy" Myers
Howdy Myers was a lacrosse coach for 46 years, amassing a
379-141-6 overall record. He was the first full-time lacrosse coach
at Hampden-Sydney, compiling a 22-18 record between 1976 and 1978.
Myers is known as the "Father of Zone Defense," and throughout his
career he won 17 championships, including three national
championships at Johns Hopkins, where he also coached football and
basketball. In 1950, Myers became the athletic director, head
football coach, and lacrosse coach at Hofstra University, where he
stayed for 25 years. Myers was inducted into the National Lacrosse
Hall of Fame in 1971 and the Virginia Lacrosse Hall of Fame in
1999. The lacrosse MVP award at Hampden-Sydney is named for him,
and the USILA presents an annual "Man of the Year" award in his
name. Myers passed away in 1980.
Henry Read '53
Henry Read was the do-it-all man for the Hampden-Sydney
athletic department. As a student, Read was very involved as
football, basketball, and equipment room manager. Athletic Director
Jim Hickey created the "Graduate Manager of Athletics" position
upon Read's graduation, which had responsibilities in athletic
administration, athletic training, and sports information. Read
spent countless hours publicizing Hampden-Sydney athletics while
also creating brochures for football, basketball, and all the
spring sports (what we now know as media guides). He was also
responsible for travel and accommodations for many teams. Read went
on to work in other athletic departments with various jobs such as
athletic trainer at UNC and Assistant Athletic Director at the
Citadel. He returned to the College in 1967 as Director of Public
Relations and helped increase publicity across the media spectrum.
Read became Director of Development at Sullins College in Bristol,
Virginia, in 1972 and later assumed the same position at Saint
Mary's College, Raleigh, N.C., from which he retired in 1996. He
lives in Raleigh.
Hampden-Sydney Athletics Hall of
Fame
The Hampden-Sydney Athletic Hall of Fame was created in
1988 and is designed to honor men who have made outstanding
contributions to Hampden-Sydney athletics and have helped bring
recognition, honor, excellence and distinction to the College and
its intercollegiate athletics program. Members are selected
annually by the Hall of Fame Committee from nominations submitted
by alumni and friends of the College.
