Army West Point Athletics Welcomes Hall of Fame Class of 2020

WEST POINT, N.Y. –  The 17th class of the Army Sports Hall of Fame was inducted on Friday, September 17.  A special plaque unveiling ceremony was held in the Kenna Hall of Army Sports inside Kimsey Athletic Center, followed by the formal black-tie Hall of Fame Induction Banquet at Eisenhower Hall.    

The Hall of Fame Class of 2020 includes the following: Rhonda Barush ’86 (Rifle), Leamon Hall ’78 (Football), Don Kutyna ’57 (Men’s Swimming & Diving), Jack Price ’32 (Football/Track & Field), Stewart Sherard ’62 (Men’s Basketball Athlete and Assistant Coach), Kenny Smith ’67 (Baseball/Hockey), Gene Ventriglia (Women’s Soccer Head Coach), Cardell Williams ’83 (Men’s Track & Field), Ronn Zinn ’62 (Olympian)  

Rhonda Barush ’86 | Rifle  
Rhonda Barush was a five-time National Rifle Association (NRA) All-American after earning first-team smallbore honors in 1985 and second-team recognition in 1983, 1984, and 1986. She also garnered a second-team All-America nod for air rifle in 1985. Barush was the program record holder in smallbore when she set the mark in 1984. Barush served as team captain during her senior campaign in 1985-86 and helped guide Army to a 15-1 record and third-place finish in the NCAA Championship. Barush went on to have a successful career competing on the international level. She won 12 individual and 10 team international medals, and five national and 10 Interservice Championships. Barush earned gold at the CISM Military World Championships in 1991 and 2008. She was a silver medalist at the 2010 World Championships on the 300-meter and 320-meter teams. She earned the bronze medal in the women’s 50 meters prone at the 2010 Championship of the Americas. Barush has set 16 national records (12 in rifle and four in pistol).   

Leamon Hall ’78 | Football  
Leamon Hall graduated as the Black Knights’ all-time passing leader on game, season, and career levels and virtually re-wrote Army’s passing record book during his three-year career as a starter. Hall still holds the standard for single-game passing (385 yards versus North Carolina in 1976) and in career touchdown passes (38). His career passing mark stood for 30 years before being surpassed by Zac Dahman in 2005. Hall totaled 2,174 passing yards during the 1976 season and 1,944 passing yards in 1977 to rank second and third all-time for the Black Knights. His 15 touchdown passes still stand as the single-season record at Army, which he accomplished twice (1976 and 1977). His career 51 touchdowns responsible for are third-most in program history. Hall still boasts the record for total offense standards for a game (378) and season (2,121) levels. As a senior, Hall served as Army’s co-captain in 1977 helping the Black Knights capture the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy, while also earning an invite to the Hula Bowl and East-West Shrine Game.     

Don Kutyna ’57 | Men’s Swimming & Diving 
Don Kutyna completed two varsity seasons (1954-56) on the men’s swimming & diving team. Kutyna set the American and World Record in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:03.0) at the AAU National Championships in 1956. He was a two-time Easter Collegiate champion in the 200-yard breaststroke, capturing the titles in 1955 and 1956. He earned All-America honors twice in the 200-yard breaststroke and finished as the runner-up in the 200 at the NCAA Championships his senior year in 1956. It marked the highest finish by a Cadet at the NCAA Championships until 1987. He also competed at the 1956 Olympic Trials in the 200m breaststroke. After graduating from the United States Military Academy in 1957, Kutyna earned a master of science degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1965. In 1987, he became the commander of the Air Force Space Command and was the commander in chief of the North American Aerospace Defense Command from 1990-92. He was promoted to General on April 1, 1990, with same date of rank, and retired on June 30, 1992.  

Jack Price ’32 | Football/Track and Field  
Jack Price was a two-time First Team All-American as a tackle (1930 and 1931) and a three-year letterwinner. He captained the 1931 football team that went 8-2-1, defeating Notre Dame and Navy. The Black Knights compiled a 23-7-3 mark during the three years he lettered and went 2-0 against the Midshipmen. He was a four-year letterwinner on the track and field team.   

Stewart Sherard ’62 | Men’s Basketball Athlete and Assistant Coach  
Stewart Sherard (1959-62) graduated as Army’s all-time leader in points, made free throws, and free throw percentage. A member of the 1,000-point club with 1,299 career points, he led the Cadets in scoring for three consecutive seasons (1959-62). He ranks second on the Black Knights’ single-season scoring average list with 22.7 points per game during the 1961-62 season while serving as team captain. His career scoring average of 19.4 points per game was third on the all-time list when he finished his career. Sherard also set program records at the free-throw line. He led the Black Knights in free throw percentage from 1959-62, including setting a then-academy single-season record in free throw percentage (87.7) during the 1960-61 season. His 377 made free throws and 84.9 free throw percentage were program records at the time of his graduation. Sherard was an honorable mention All-America selection by Converse Yearbook in 1962, was tabbed to the NABC All-District third team as a senior in 1962, and was the MVP of the 1962 East-West College All-Star Game. He served as an assistant coach on the 1969-70 team under Army and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Knight. Sherard was a member of two NIT teams – as a player in 1961 and as an assistant coach in 1970.  

Kenny Smith ’67 | Baseball/Hockey 
Kenny Smith was a three-year letterwinner in baseball (1965-67) and hockey (1964-67). On the diamond, Smith graduated as the program leader in career batting average (.360), career triples (8), career home runs (17), and held the single-season record for triples in 1966 with five. He led the team with 32 hits in 1965 and with 23 hits in 1967, in total bases with 50 in 1966 and 40 in 1967, in RBI with 26 in 1965 and with 30 in 1966, in runs scored with 18 in 1965 and 18 in 1967, in batting average at .400 in 1965, .324 in 1966, and .348 in 1967, and in home runs with seven in 1965, five in 1966 and 1967. Smith earned first-team Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League honors in 1965 as the third baseman. He was part of the 1965 and 1966 teams that won Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League titles and notched two victories against Navy. The team went 41-18 during his three seasons playing. After graduation, Smith was named to the Pan American Baseball team and earned a gold medal as the starting shortstop. On the ice, he recorded 114 points (62 goals, 54 assists) for the Black Knights. His 62 career goals are tied for 18th all-time. Smith led the 1965-66 team in goals with 30. His five career hat-tricks, including a pair of four-goal games, are tied for ninth-most in program history. Smith retired from the Army as a Colonel after 25 years of service.   

Gene Ventriglia | Women’s Soccer Head Coach  
Given the moniker as the “Father of Army Women’s Soccer”, Gene Ventriglia was the inaugural coach of the Army West Point women’s soccer team elevating the team from club to varsity level. The program started at the NCAA Division II level in 1986 before moving to NCAA Division I in 1990 and joining the Patriot League. He was crowned the Patriot League Coach of the Year six times (1991, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2008). The Black Knights captured four regular-season Patriot League titles (1991, 1992, 1993, 2002) and twice won the tournament title (1993, 2008) taking the team to the NCAAs for the first time in 2008 after ousting top-seeded and host Navy in double overtime. Ventriglia led Army to 14 Patriot League Tournament appearances over 17 years and mentored players who collected 73 All-Patriot League certificates. He coached three Patriot League Offensive Players of the Year, Patriot League Defensive and Goalkeeper of the Year, and three Patriot League Rookies of the Year. Three former players have been inducted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame – Holly Pedley, Alexis Albano, and Lauren Rowe. He compiled a 262-164-299 mark over 23 years and a 67-32-12 regular-season Patriot League mark in his tenure.   

Cardell Williams ’83 | Men’s Track & Field  
Cardell Williams was a track and field standout and a two-time All-American representing the Black Knights from 1979-83. Williams was named an All-American in the 880-yard run following a third-place finish at the 1983 NCAA Indoor Championships. He qualified for the outdoor championships that year as well in the 800-meter run to earn All-America recognition after clocking in ninth. Williams set school and Indoor Heptagonal records winning the title in the 800-meter run his senior year. He held school indoor marks in the 1000-meters and was part of the 3200-meter relay team and distance medley relay. He was the Army Athletic Association Award winner in 1983.  

Ron Zinn ’62 | Olympian   
Ron Zinn was an Olympian who ranked among the top race walkers in the United States. He was a four-year member of the U.S. National Team while a Cadet. He competed in the 20k at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome and finished 19th. He also competed in the 1964 Tokyo Games and was sixth. In the 1963 Pan American Games, Zinn captured bronze after winning four National Senior Outdoor AAU Championships by the year 1961. He earned his first National Senior AAU Championship in 1960 in the 35k walk in Seattle. He won three events at the 1962 National Senior AAU Championships. He was a three-time winner (1961-63) of the 1 Mile Walk at the National AAU Indoor Track & Field Championships in New York City. He also won two National AAU events (10K Walk and 2 Mile Walk) in 1963.  Zinn was killed in action in Vietnam (1965) and was elevated to Captain with the Bronze Star with “V” device.  USA Track and Field Federation established the Captain Ronald Zinn Memorial Award in his honor in 1975.