My name is Mark C. Russell, and I competed in diving for the Spencerport Rangers in the 1970s. The district’s John “Jake” Murphy Athletics Hall of Fame (HOF) Committee nominated me for consideration for the HOF in 2012. I have been in touch with the selection committee over the past 15 years of eligibility, but I have not been selected for induction. I have an impeccable resume of notable accomplishments. A five-year letter winner, I was All-League four consecutive seasons and earned Sectional Champion, State Champion (the youngest ever), and All-American (top 30 divers in the country) honors in 1977, 1978, and 1979. I was also a two-time participant in the National Junior Olympics Championship. Later, I competed on a full scholarship at the University of Kentucky, where I was named All-Conference from 1980-1983 and an NCAA Pre-Qualifier during the same period. I was the first eighth-grader EVER to dive and swim varsity and was inducted into the Section V Swimming Hall of Fame in 2011. Why have I not been selected for the Spencerport HOF? I recently learned that the HOF Committee will no longer be considering my candidacy. To me and others, this non-selection is a travesty that we believe to be politically motivated. It is just a disappointment.
Mark C. Russell
Brockport
