8 to be inducted in Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame

Mon, 08/02/2021 - 5:30pm

The Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame will be inducting eight more individuals at their 14th annual Induction Banquet scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 16 at the Elks Club in Rockland. Also to be recognized at this banquet will be outstanding student athletes from the Midcoast area plus one or more past great teams from the area.

Inductees for 2021 will be:

Michael Curtis – Michael attended Rockland District High School from 1999 to 2003 where he was a three sport athlete in baseball, basketball and football. Football was the sport that Mike was most noted for, along with his academic excellence, receiving several scholar/athlete awards. In football, Mike broke many records for Rockland football as a running back, scoring 42 points in one game on six touchdowns and three 2-point conversions, rushing for 318 yards in that game. He was a two time All Campbell Conference selection and chosen team MVP during his sophomore and senior years. He was the first Rockland football player ever to be chosen as a James J. Fitzpatrick semi-finalist. During his high school career Mike carried the ball 408 times, rushing for 2,759 yards. He went on to Bowdoin College, where he played football, competing as a running back, kick return specialist and defensive back

Keenan Flanagan – Keenan attended Rockland District High School from 1977 to 1980. He came from a golfing family, being a very accomplished golfer as a youth and in high school. He was a Junior Club Champion at Rockland Golf Club, a Junior Presidents Club Champion and a member of the Rockland District High School State Championship Team in 1980. Keenan is most noted though for his contributions to the game of golf after graduating from high school. He pursued a career as a PGA Professional, receiving his Class A membership in 1992. He has served as an assistant golf professional at Augusta Country Club and head golf professional at Springbrook Golf Club and has been the head golf professional at Rockland Golf Club since 1998. He has also been the superintendent at Rockland Golf Club since 2012. Keenan has served 17 years as head golf coach at Rockland/Oceanside HS, compiling a 97-63 record, three times being selected as KVAC Coach of the Year. He has been very actively involved in promoting the game of golf to the younger generation thru the First Tee program and serving as a director for Midcoast Junior Golf. In 2019 he was inducted into the Maine Golf Hall of Fame.

Walter Gorneau - Walter was born in Fort Fairfield, Maine, attended high school in Hallowell and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine at Presque Isle, and master’s from the University of Maine – Portland/Gorham. After several years of teaching and coaching in Lubec and Gray-New Gloucester he moved to the Midcoast area, first in Boothbay Harbor from 1968 to 1980 and his last 20 years in education at Wiscasset High School. Walt has coached numerous sports during his career and served as athletic director in Boothbay Harbor for 12 years. He is most noted though for his officiating career in soccer, basketball and baseball. Walt has refereed games for going on 50 years now at all levels from rec leagues to college. He has served as interpreter of his soccer board plus officiated numerous high school tournament games in all three sports. He plans to officiate soccer again this fall.

Emilio Mazzeo – Emilio was one of 11 children born to Italian immigrant parents. He attended Rockland High School from 1937 to 1940 where he was a student athlete in football, hockey and track. Running was the love of both he and his older brother Bruno, who was inducted into the Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame in 2019. At the time both brothers were among the best long distance runners in the country. They did not have the luxury of sophisticated training or top level equipment and often they would hitch hike to races. Emilio, in 1942, won the state’s top race back then, the Portland Boys Club 5 Miler, after his brother Bruno had won it the year before. His best overall race was the Boston Marathon in 1947 where he finished 7th overall. In 1948 he was the 4th finishing American runner in the Boston Marathon, which earned him a spot on the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team as an alternate. Unable to pay his own expenses to go to London for the Olympics, Emilio did participate in an exhibition marathon in Los Angeles, just before the Olympics, expenses paid for by the AAU. He finished 4th in the race The race finished in the Los Angeles Coliseum before 100,000 spectators

Chris McKenney – Chris was a 1989 graduate of Lincoln Academy where he was an outstanding athlete in soccer, basketball, baseball and track. As a soccer player Chris helped his team win the State Class B Championship in 1987 and State Runner-ups in 1988. He was voted All State his junior and senior years and selected as the Maine Sunday Telegram Player of the Year in 1987. In basketball, Chris was the Lincoln Academy all time leading scorer with 1,157 points. His LA teams appeared in three consecutive state tournaments, highlighted by a Western Maine runner-up finish in 1988 and a State Class B title in 1989, in which Chris scored 45 points in the championship game versus Rockland. He played varsity baseball his first three years, being the starting shortstop. During his junior year he finished in the top fove for batting average in Western B baseball and 1st in stolen bases. During his senior year, Chris ran track in the spring, becoming the team MVP. He won the Western B regional 200 meter and was a member of the Western B regional 4 x 100 relay team. Chris has gone on to an extensive career in coaching basketball at various levels.

Dennis Pratt – Dennis graduated from Bingham/Valley High School and went on to get a bachelor’s degree in 1974 from the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Dennis started teaching and coaching at Vinalhaven in 1978, also serving as the athletic director. Over the years he has coached nearly every sport offered at Vinalhaven, but he is most noted for his career as the boys basketball coach. He has accumulated over 300 wins in the 24 years that he coached the boys team, taking the team to the state tournament on numerous occasions, winning the Western Maine Final in 1994, only to lose in the state game. He also coached the girls basketball team at Vinalhaven for nine years, bringing them to the state tournament several years, making it to the Western Maine Final in 1986. Dennis retired from teaching and coaching in 2011

Gary Woodcock – Gary graduated from Thomaston/Georges Valley High School in 1966. He was a two sport athlete in basketball and baseball, voted Outstanding Male Athlete at Georges Valley his senior year. Gary was most noted for his baseball accomplishments as a pitcher. He had tremendous success in Little League, Babe Ruth and American Legion baseball, pitching no hitters on several occasions. During his high school career he was the ace of the staff, having two stretches of 21 and 25 scoreless innings. Gary went on to Colby College, having a very successful college career. His sophomore year was probably his best at Colby, pitching 66 innings, with 45 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.043. During his junior year he had an impressive win over perennial powerhouse, Miami Dade, allowing only 5 hits in a 4-1 win. Gary developed arm problems late in his junior year and was never able to pitch again. This arm issue probably cost him a chance at a professional baseball opportunity. After graduation from Colby, Gary embarked on a 37-year baseball coaching career at various levels, culminating in being the varsity baseball coach at Wiscasset High School.

Carl Woodman – Carl was a 1964 graduate of Rockland District High School and a 1968 graduate of Maine Maritime Academy. He was a three sport athlete in high school, participating in basketball, baseball and track. Carl was most noted for his basketball skills, being an outstanding shooter. His high school team then competed in Eastern Maine Class AA, making it to the Eastern Maine Final his senior year. Carl was voted to the Eastern AA All Tourney team and 2nd team All State his senior year. At Maine Maritime Academy Carl was a varsity basketball team member all four years, He was voted All Conference and team MVP his sophomore, junior and senior years. After graduation from college Carl has given back to the game of basketball by coaching at various levels. He was an assistant to varsity coach Chris Elkington at RDHS during the 1990s.