Hammond Sports Hall of Fame - The Inductees Class of 2015

Hammond Sports Hall of Fame
The Class of 2017 Inductees

Albert Ford	Leroy J. Harwell, Sr.;	William Lightsey	Mike Marshall
Ulysses N. McClendon	Mike Ramirez	Ted Walsh	Chris White

2017 Inductees:

ALBERT AHMED FORD
(Deceased)
During the late 1930s & 1940, he starred in 3 sports for Hammond High—as a basketball center, football halfback and versatile track & field competitor. As a senior at the Indiana high school track & field championships, he led the Wildcats to a 2nd place finish by running on the victorious mile relay, setting a record in the 120-yard high hurdles and tying for 1st place in the high jump. He continued his athletic career at Southern University in New Orleans, playing center on the school’s 1942 championship team.

LEROY J. HARWELL, Sr.
(Hammond resident)
After a standout career at Hammond High on the basketball court and as a track & field high jumper, this 1963 alumnus continued his career at Western Illinois University. A skilled floor general and potent scorer (21.5 points a game), he earned NAIA All-America Honorable Mention honors in 1966. After returning to Hammond High as a teacher (33 years) and coach (25 years), he was head boys basketball coach for 17 years and led the ‘Cats to 6 sectional titles.

WILLIAM LEWIS LIGHTSEY
(Gary resident)
This 1967 Hammond High alumnus achieved high school track & field prominence as a state finalist in the long jump and a sprinter on a record-breaking 880-yard relay. But it was in college where he soared—literally—as an NCAA long jump champion in 1971 representing the University of Kentucky. He also ran on UK’s highly regarded 4 X 100 relay team in ’70 & ‘71.

MICHAEL J. MARSHALL
(Georgetown, Tex. resident)
One of Hammond’s most prolific basketball scorers, this 1971 Morton alumnus and 3-year starter led the Calumet Region with a 28.2 points per game average during the ’70-71 season and earned All-Northwest Indiana honors. Though hampered by injuries, he competed collegiately at Wichita State, from which he graduated Magna Cum Laude in ’75.

ULYSSES NAPOLEAN McCLENDON
(Deceased)
Part of Hammond High’s rich track & field legacy, this 1947 alumnus excelled as a sprinter, hurdler & long jumper, earning 4 varsity letters and then 2 more at Indiana State University. He anchored Hammond High’s 880-yard relay to a state title in ’46, but arguably his most heroic performance came in ’47 when his 880 relay anchor leg rallied the ‘Cats from 7th to 2nd place.

MIKE RAMIREZ
(Dyer resident)
One of Clark’s most versatile and accomplished athletes, he earned 12 varsity letters competing in 4 sports and achieved all-conference recognition in 3 (football, basketball & baseball). On the gridiron, he set 12 school records and was an all-state quarterback in ’98. As a basketball player, his 1,024 career points ranks him among all-time Pioneer scoring leaders.

TED WALSH
(Deceased)
This 1964 Gavit alumnus and 4-year football player enjoyed a distinguished, 34-year career as a high school referee/official/umpire in football, basketball, wrestling, baseball, softball and volleyball. He worked 7 Indiana state championship games in football (4), baseball (2) & softball (1) and was selected IHSAA Football Official of the Year in 2000. He also coached Morton softball teams for 18 years, leading the Governors to 9 sectional titles.

CHRIS WHITE
(Sioux Falls, SD resident)
He was all-conference as a Gavit basketball player, but the best was yet to come for this 1988 alumnus. He went on to play at nearby South Suburban (Ill.) Community College, graduating as the school’s leading scorer. Subsequently, at South Dakota State University, he scored 1,380 points in 2 seasons and was selected North Central Conference MVP in 1991-92 with a 22.6 scoring average. He was inducted into the SDSU Hall of Fame in 2016.