GLEN ALLEN, Va. — In Glen Allen at the Henrico Sports & Events Center on Saturday morning 9 individuals who have made significant contributions both on and off the field were given Hall of Fame recognition.
The 52nd annual Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which was held outside of Hampton Roads for the first time, welcomed yet another impressive class.
Former Special Olympics President Rick Jeffrey, long time UVA Athletic Director Craig Littlepage, former Virginia Tech SID Dave Smith and Richmond Sportswriter Paul Woody were of the members inducted as well as the late Hampton- Sydney men's basketball coach Hal Nunnally.
UVA All-American Chris Long, Portsmouth native and track and field Olympian LaShawn Merritt rounded out the class along with former Cavalier Monica Wright Rogers and former USWNT head coach Jill Ellis.
For Long, a Charlottesville native drafted second overall in the 2008 NFL draft and a two time Super Bowl champ, he says that receiving the accolade on behalf of his home state hits different.
"You can win Super Bowls and Win Man of he Year and all that stuff but when you come home you want to be respected at home and for me that means more than anything that's happened outside these states lines so to be in this group its a dream come true. It's fantastic," he explained.
"Moving here when I was a kid from a long way away in California when my dad retired it was like I didn't really have a home and this place kind of scooped me up and when I stepped foot it it was home from day one and its been home since. I raise my family here and hang out with a bunch of guys I grew up with on the weekends. For me its all come full circle so to be here today is incredible."
For Portsmouth native LaShawn Merritt who attended Manor High School (formerly known as Woodrow Wilson), he is one of the most decorated track athletes of all time but ironically athletics don't run in the family.
"It's a little different being that I don't come from a background of athletes. I feel like had I come from a background of athletes it would have been this thing that people were really going for to be one of the greats but I take more pride in being a great person than a great athlete so I'm just glad people recognize the work that I put in."
With eight World Champions and four Olympic medals, LaShawn is able to reflect on his childhood and turning his dreams into a reality.
"In my yearbook I wrote that I want to get a world record in running. I didn't even know the discipline it would take but I stayed the course and was so happy that I found something that I love and that I was blessed with early."
Jill Ellis, who had a stellar soccer career at William and Mary before leading the USWNT to back to back World Cup Championships, says it was all for the love of the game.
"There's very few times in life where you just reflect and I think this is one of those moments when you think of all the people that have been on your journey with you. Sport has been such a gift for me in my life and helping me find my voice and my family and my career and being so involved in it was just a journey of passion to be honest."