4 Former Athletes, 1 Team Joins Athletics Hall of Fame

A former Middletown mayor, Olympic volleyball coach, a three-hour marathon runner, and Baldwin Medal winner are among the newest members of Wesleyan’s Athletics Hall of Fame.

Wesleyan will formally induct the third class into its Athletics Hall of Fame during a ceremony Nov. 6 as part of Homecoming/ Family Weekend activities. Wesleyan will enshrine four individuals and one team to join the previous two classes of inductees, bringing to total in the Hall of Fame to 20 individuals and three teams.

Entering in the fall class of 2009 are Emilio Daddario ’39, Winthrop “Wink” Davenport ’64, Sally Zimmer Knight ’81, Kofi Appenteng ’81 and the baseball team of 1994:

• Emilio Daddario excelled in football and baseball at Wesleyan in the 1930s and went on to a storied political career which included serving as Mayor of Middletown (Conn.) and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

• Winthrop “Wink” Davenport was a tremendous basketball talent for the University and still holds singlegame and career scoring average school records. He went on to prominence in volleyball as an Olympic player, coach and official. He is the father of women’s tennis professional Lindsay Davenport.

• Sally Zimmer Knight was one of the early pioneers of women’s running at Wesleyan in the late 1970s, setting numerous school track records including the 880-yard and mile while also competing in cross country. She produced a sub-three-hour effort in the marathon during her undergraduate days and eventually qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials in the event. She is a long-time running coach and teacher at Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Conn.

• Kofi Appenteng was a standout defender for the Wesleyan men’s soccer team, earning both all-New England and All-America honors. He also was a stalwart for the track team, excelling in the quarter-mile. A prominent attorney, he is a co-founder of the West Africa Fund and a member of the board of directors of numerous organizations. A former Wesleyan trustee, Kofi is a recipient of Wesleyan’s Baldwin Medal for outstanding service to the college and the public at large.

• The Wesleyan baseball team of 1994 is currently the only Wesleyan squad to play in an NCAA Division III national championship game. Posting a 30-8 overall record, the team won the NCAA Division III New England regional tournament to earn a spot in the Division III World Series in Battle Creek, Mich. There the team went 3-2, losing twice to three-time defending national champion Wisconsin-Oshkosh.