Athletic Hall of Fame Welcomes Members

Eight new members were admitted to the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame on October 14. The induction ceremony took place during Homecoming weekend.

This year’s class includes former Genesee Community College coach Dolores Chiocco ’53, longtime Ithaca High School coach Art Cicchetti ’54, veteran Pittsburgh Pirates broadcaster Lanny Frattare ’70, football all-American Bill George ’80, field hockey and lacrosse standout Karen Hollands ’94, 21-time all-American swimmer Julie Smith McGill ’95, high school coach Ambrose Moran ’50, and Bomber lacrosse star and professional lacrosse executive John Mouradian ’76.

Chiocco, who attended Ithaca before intercollegiate sports for women were instituted, played intramural field hockey and was a sports reporter for the Ithacan. A professor of physical education at Genesee Community College for 28 years, she coached field hockey, women’s basketball, and softball. Since her retirement in 1996, she has continued to teach classes while remaining active with the Special Olympics.

Cicchetti lettered in baseball and basketball at Ithaca. A three-year baseball regular, he batted .313 in 47 games, serving as team captain in 1954. The Bombers won 33 of 39 games during his career. After playing two years in the Chicago White Sox organization, Cicchetti joined the Ithaca City School District physical education staff. He coached varsity baseball and ice hockey, winning seven sectional titles and leading the Little Red hockey team to state championships in 1984, 1987, and 1994. He is a member of both the New York State High School and the Section IV Halls of Fame.

For the past 25 years, Frattare has been the play-by-play announcer for the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team, broadcasting over 3,500 games in that span. He was elected to the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1995, and in 1996 he was honored for a third time by Vectors/Pittsburgh for his community service.

George was a four-year starter on Ithaca’s offensive line, helping the Bombers to a record of 32-9-1 from 1976 to 1979. He earned first-team all-American honors as a center on Ithaca’s 1979 national championship team (the school’s first title in any sport). George was a two-time NCAA qualifier in wrestling as well as a two-time place winner at heavyweight in the state championship meet. After nine years as a member of Ithaca’s football coaching staff (helping the Bombers to the 1991 national championship), George left Ithaca for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where he is entering his second year as head coach.

Hollands, a goalie for the field hockey and lacrosse teams, helped both squads to NCAA playoff berths (including quarterfinal appearances in 1991 and 1992 for the field hockey team). She was a two-time first-team all-American in field hockey and set school records with 550 career saves and a career save percentage of .896. The head field hockey and women’s lacrosse coach at Hamilton since 1998, Hollands led the Continentals to their first NCAA playoff appearance in lacrosse last spring and was named New York region coach of the year by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association.

McGill won 27 dual meets in her swimming career at Ithaca, losing only once. She was just as successful in postseason competition, winning eight conference and four state titles in individual events. She earned all-American honors 21 times in her career (fourth on Ithaca’s career list) and helped the Bombers win four conference titles, two state championships, and a record three top-10 finishes at the NCAA championships. McGill, who won Ithaca’s 1995 Iris Carnell Award as the top female athlete in the senior class, was the 1995 NCAA runner-up in the 100-yard backstroke and recorded three 3rd-place finishes at nationals.

Moran played freshman baseball, basketball, and soccer at Ithaca before embarking on a 28-year career in coaching. The baseball and boys’ basketball coach at New Hyde Park High School, he led his baseball teams to 492 wins and 27 winning seasons. His basketball teams won 304 games and reached the playoffs in all but one season of his coaching tenure. A two-time New York Daily News coach of the year, Moran won last year’s Long Island March of Dimes "Golden Apple" Teacher of the Year Award.

Mouradian, the general manager of the National Lacrosse League’s Ottawa Rough Riders since 1998, is Ithaca’s ninth-leading career scorer (170 points in 33 games). He also started in goal for three years for Ithaca’s ice hockey team. He was the Bombers’ top scorer in 1975 and 1976 and ranked third in college lacrosse (all divisions) in points as a junior, finishing with 71 in 11 games. After helping Ithaca to a 24-9 record during his playing career, Mouradian was named to the Canadian national team. He coached that team in the 1984 Olympics and began his career in professional lacrosse as general manager of the Buffalo Bandits of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League. The Bandits won two league titles in Mouradian’s three seasons.

Ithaca’s first hall of fame ceremony took place in 1969, when 15 individuals were named as charter members. A total of 188 athletes, coaches, and administrators have been inducted in the past 31 years.