The 2018 class will be inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame this Thursday.
The Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame’s 2018 class will be inducted on Thursday, Nov. 1, at the SugarHouse Event Center, 1001 N. Delaware Ave.
The public is invited to the 15th annual ceremony. There will be a dinner reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony at 7:30.
The cost is $50 for the induction ceremony and $175 for the dinner reception and induction ceremony. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
The Hall of Fame’s latest class of inductees consists of 15 individuals and a team induction.
Pride of Philadelphia awards will be given to the Eagles, for winning Super Bowl LII, and Villanova men’s basketball team, for capturing its second NCAA title in three years.
Former 76ers general manager Pat Williams will be the master of ceremonies.
The inductees are:
• Allen Iverson, the top overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the 76ers. He was the Rookie of the Year, two-time All-Star Game MVP, led the league in scoring four times and a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.
• Benny Bass, a boxer who went 157–29–6 with 72 knockouts. He won the world junior lightweight title in 1929. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2002.
• Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, a Chichester High School graduate and running back at Widener University. He played 14 seasons in the NFL with the Houston Oilers, Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins. He made three Pro Bowl games and was MVP in 1975. He was best known as a punt and kickoff returnee.
• Brian Westbrook, who played football at Villanova and was a third-round pick by the Eagles in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played eight seasons with the Eagles and made two Pro Bowl games. He is the Eagles’ all-time leader in yards from scrimmage.
• Claire Smith, a Neshaminy High School graduate who became a columnist for the New York Times and Philadelphia Inquirer. She has been an ESPN news editor since 2007. She has won two Pulitzer Prizes.
- Danny Murtaugh, a Chester High School graduate who played four seasons for the Phillies during two stints interrupted by service in World War II. He managed the Pittsburgh Pirates for 15 seasons, winning the World Series in 1960 and ‘71.
• David Berkoff, a graduate of Penn Charter who won the NCAA 100-yard backstroke in record time in 1987 and ’89 while swimming for Harvard. In the Olympics, he won two gold medals, a silver and a bronze.
- Donald Lippincott, who ran track at Penn from 1911–15. He won the Olympic silver medal in the 200 meters in 1912 and a bronze medal in the 100 meters that same year.
• Gavvy Cravath, who played outfield for the Phillies from 1912–20. He led the National League six times in home runs. He was a member of the 1915 team that won the National League and was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2000.
• Jamie Moyer, a Souderton High School graduate who pitched at St. Joseph’s University. He played 25 seasons in Major League Baseball, including five with the Phillies. He made the 2003 All-Star Game while with the Seattle Mariners. He won 269 career games. In 2008, he went 16–7 with a 3.71 ERA for the World Series-champion Phillies.
• Joanne Iverson, president of the Vesper Boat Club. She won multiple national competitions in the 1950s and 1960s. She coached women’s rowing at Penn from 1968–75. She is a member of the National Rowing Hall of Fame.
• Louis Santop, who played 17 seasons in the Negro Leagues, including with the Philadelphia Giants and the Hilldales. He was referred to as the “Black Babe Ruth.” He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
- Mel Greenberg, a Northeast High School graduate who has been a sports writer for the Inquirer for more than 40 years. He created the first women’s college basketball poll in 1976. He is a member of the Big 5 Hall of Fame.
• Muffet McGraw, who graduated from Bishop Shanahan High School. She was a four-year starter in basketball at St. Joseph’s University from 1973–77. She went 88–41 as coach at Lehigh from 1982–87. She has been the coach at Notre Dame since 1987, winning NCAA titles in 2001 and ‘18.
• Reggie Leach, who played eight seasons at right wing for the Flyers. He led the NHL in goals in 1976. He was a member of the 1975 Flyers team that won the Stanley Cup. He made two NHL All-Star Games.
• 1948–49 Philadelphia Eagles, who won the NFL championship both years. They beat the Chicago Cardinals, 7–0, in ’48 and the Los Angeles Rams, 14–0, in ‘49.
Allen Iverson, Joanne Iverson, Johnson, Westbrook, Smith, Berkoff, Moyer, Greenberg, McGraw and Leach are scheduled to attend.
A grandson of Bass will accept the boxing great’s award.
The Hall of Fame opened a gallery at Spike’s, a trophy and awards shop at 2701 Grant Ave. The gallery is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon or by appointment.
For more information, go to phillyhall.org/2018 or the Hall’s pages on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. ••
All photos courtesy of Wikimedia
