The Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame, which already has inducted some of the most notable people in sports history—from the County and in the sports world overall—has been overwhelmed in recent weeks with nominations for its next class of inductees. Seeking to consider all worthy individuals who have contributed to the County’s incredible sports history, the organization has extended its nomination deadline to Sunday, Sept. 15.
Since the County Sports Hall of Fame invited residents to submit nominations just a few weeks ago, it has received more than four dozen detailed nominations.
Anyone can submit a nomination. In addition to individuals who have excelled in their respective sports, the County Sports Hall of Fame is seeking nominations of people who have contributed to sports in other ways.
The County Sports Hall of Fame, which was founded in 2019, recently named high school football coaching legend Bob Milloy as the new chair of its board of directors. Earlier this year, the Sports Hall of Fame found a physical home as part of the new Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center in Downtown Silver Spring. On July 23, a new sculpture of former gold medal-winning gymnast, and County Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Dominque Dawes was dedicated outside of the recreation center with County Executive Marc Elrich and County Councilmember Gabe Albornoz leading the ceremonies.
“Just a few weeks ago, we invited the public to submit nominations,” said Milloy, who won 405 games in 47 years of coaching at Whitman, Springbrook, Sherwood and Good Counsel high schools. “We quickly were reminded about how much people in Montgomery County care about sports—and about the people who have made sports so great in this County. We received many nominations, and the achievements of these people is extraordinary. This led us to make sure there is more opportunity to nominate people who have made Montgomery sports special. That is why we are extending the nomination deadline to Sept. 15.”
Nominations can be submitted for athletes, coaches, journalists, officials and others who have made significant contributions or brought notoriety to sports in Montgomery County. This could include people who have had an impact on many lives and were not necessarily in the spotlight, such as longtime administrators, assistant coaches, youth coaches or those who have made a difference in aspects of the sports world.
The nomination form, along with nomination criteria and rules, can be found on the organization’s website at www.mcshf.org. The list of past inductees and their achievements also are on the website.
The next class of inductees will be chosen by the Sports Hall of Fame’s board of directors. The inductees will be honored at a ceremony in May.
“We have already inducted an incredible list of people from many generations and many sports,” said Milloy. “We know that there are lots of fantastic people that need to be honored from the past and that there are current and upcoming athletes that will earn their place on the list. As the Hall of Fame evolves, we will continue to honor the stars of sports, but we also want to make sure that people who have contributed in ways not necessarily reflected on the scoreboard are considered. We are working on furthering the Sports Hall of Fame into an institution that will honor achievements of many types and make sure the appropriate people are always remembered and recognized.”