Eric Sievers

Football 1991

Eric went to school in Arlington, kindergarten through high school and attended Washington-Lee (1973-1976), where he lettered in football, basketball and track. Eric was All-Met, All-State and Parade All-American in football. He represented W-L at Boys State, was a Who's Who in Nation’s High Schools, received the AI Harringer Memorial Award as W-L's Most Outstanding Athlete and was the 1976 Better Sports Club Athlete of the Year.

Eric accepted a scholarship to the University of Maryland in 1976. He graduated with a B.S. in Business Management in 1980. He lettered four years and played in the Cotton, Hall of Fame, Sun and Tangerine Bowls. Eric received the Outstanding Blocker award following the 1978 and 1980 seasons. He was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl following his senior year and was awarded the 1980 A. V. Williams Memorial Award given to the Outstanding Citizen/Scholar/Athlete.

Eric played ten seasons in the National Football League. In 1981, he was drafted by the San Diego Chargers where he played for eight seasons. In 1981, he was named to the NFL All-Rookie team. He played one season for the Los Angeles Rams and completed his pro career with the New England Patriots. With the Patriots in 1989, Eric led all AFC tight ends in receptions with 54 and received the Patriots’ Unsung Hero Award.

Eric has received many awards for community service including: 1984, 1985 Good Scout Award; 1985, 1986 Jaycee's Outstanding Young Citizen finalist; 1985 Chargers NFL "Lite" Man of the Year; 1987 San Diego Health Citizen of the Year; 1986, 1987 nominee for the NFL Byron "Whizzer" White Humanitarian Award; 1987 Chargers Ed Block Courage Award winner; and 1987 Childhelp U.S.A. Award finalist. Eric raised over $150,000 with the "Sievers Receivers" Pledge Program for St. Vincent DePaul Homeless Center. He boxed an exhibition match with then Heavyweight Champion Larry Holmes to raise money for an injured San Diego boxer. He served as Vice President of the Southern California Kidney Foundation. Eric has been a member of the United Way Speakers Bureau since 1984, and has filmed NFL United Way spots for the Chargers in 1985 and for the Patriots in 1990. Eric also served on the Board of Directors for "Winners Say No to Drugs, Inc."

Darrell Snyder

Coach/Administrator 2010

Darrell Snyder exemplifies the attributes of the student-athletes that are honored by the Better Sports Club and Arlington Sports Hall of Fame. He attended Weirton High School in West Virginia where he was named All-State in both football and baseball his senior year. He also was president of the senior class. Darrell received a football scholarship to attend Shepherd College, now Shepherd University, in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. In his freshman year, Darrell played on the only unbeaten football team in the history of the college as the Rams went 10-0. As a senior, in 1958, he was named Shepherd College's Athlete of the Year.

Darrell came to Northern Virginia in the early 1960's and served as the athletic director at Flint Hill School (1965-1974), where he also was the varsity football, basketball and baseball coach. In 1974, Darrell moved to O'Connell where he started out as the head football coach of the varsity football team and compiled a 55-33 record before stepping down in 1981. Darrell returned as head football coach from 1994 to 2002, and finished his football coaching career with an overall record, including Flint Hill, of 180-116-2.

In 1980, Darrell was named athletic director at O'Connell. He also took over as coach of the golf team and, through this year, the golf team has a 30-year record of 290-146. His teams won two Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championships (1992 & 2000) and six Virginia Independent Schools state championships (1983, 1985, 1992-1994 and 2000) and he was recognized as VIS Coach of the Year each of those years.

In football, Darrell was named WCAC Coach of the Year in 1994 and 2000, and was named VIS Coach of the Year in 1976, 1979, 1981 and 1994. Darrell was named WCAC Athletic Director of the Year for 1995-1996. The Better Sports Club named him Sportsman of the Year in 1992 and Coach of the Year in 1995.

Maren Taylor

Diving 2022

Maren Taylor graduated from Yorktown High School in 2009 and was recruited by the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in History in 2014 and earned a Master’s in Global Policy in 2017. She then went on to law school at American University in Washington, D.C., receiving her Juris Doctorate in 2022.

For 20 years, she competed at all levels of Springboard and Platform diving, initially in the Junior category and later as a Senior. While at Yorktown, Maren was a four time AAA VA Northern Region diving champion, a three time Virginia state diving champion, four time Washington Post All-Met swim/dive team selectee, two time High School All American, first place finalist in numerous national diving championships (including Canada and Great Britain), and was awarded the Girls Swim/Dive Sportsmanship Award by the Better Sports Club of Arlington in 2009.

At the University of Texas, she was named team Most Valuable Player five times, won ten Big 12 Conference individual championships, and twice finished as runner-up at the NCAA Div 1 Championships. She was selected as an All American ten times.

USA Diving selected her to the National Team from 2013 through 2016. Maren won three U.S. National Championships ( 1 meter springboard, 3 meter springboard, and 3 meter synchronized springboard). She was a finalist twice at the U.S. Olympic Trials and represented the United States seven times at international diving meets, including the World Championships (11th place on the 3 meter spring board) and the Pan American Games (Bronze medal in the 3 meter synchronized diving event)

Woody Taylor

Coach/Official 1994

Warren W. “Woody” Taylor was involved in the Arlington sports scene for over forty years. He was a championship youth baseball and football coach. As manager of Vet Vans and Arlington Motors in the 1950's and 1960's, his teams won several Little Major league titles and he coached the Arlington Optimist All-Stars to a state title in 1959. He was named Arlington Coach of the Year in 1964.

Woody had a keen affinity for the game of football. He coached the Arlington Optimist 115 lbs youth football team and spent many years as a gridiron official and member of the Board of the Northern Virginia Football Officials Association. In 1992, Woody became only the second person to be inducted into the Football Officials Hall of Fame. Woody was past president of the Better Sports Club in 1965, and received its Billy Castleberry Award in 1969 as Outstanding Member.

Harry L. Thomas

Baseball 1994

Harry L. Thomas, Jr. grew up in Arlington and attended the University of Virginia. As a 12-year-old, he recorded what was then the 6th highest batting average in Arlington Little League history. It was second in the league that season to another ASHOF inductee, Jim Barbe, and was the start of a lasting competitive/teammate relationship between the two. Harry was a starter in football, basketball and track/field for Kenmore Junior High in 1968-1969 when the middle school went undefeated in every sport.

In high school, Harry started all three seasons on the Washington-Lee football team and remarkably never came out of a game in his junior and senior years. He set the school record for interceptions his senior year (12) while garnering All-District, All-Region, and First Team All-Met honors. In baseball, he was the Potomac District and Northern Region Player of the Year and was unprecedently selected First Team All-Region in two of the nine diamond positions. He was selected as the Washington Touchdown Club’s Scholar Athlete of the Year (Virginia) and was voted the Athlete of the Year at Washington-Lee for the 1971-1972 year. After graduation, he declined an MLB contract and attended UVA on a full football scholarship. He played football and baseball his freshman year. In 1974, he set what is still the ACC pitching record for most strikeouts in a game (19) and voted co-captain in 1976.

More recently, as a golfer he won the 2015 Northern Region Senior Amateur and has been ranked as high as number three among Super Seniors in Virginia. In 2019, he was voted into the W-L Hall of Fame. In business, he was voted in as Northwestern Mutual’s youngest president of their nationwide Adviser’s Association in 1989. Harry has three sons who were all outstanding athletes in their own right.

George C. Towner, Jr.

Soccer 2004

George C. Towner Jr., was born in Baltimore. In 1957, after graduating from law school, he settled in Arlington, was admitted to the Virginia State Bar and became an associate with the Arlington law firm of Simmonds, Culler, Damm & Coleburn.

George soon became involved in local civic affairs and youth sports. In 1969, he founded the Potomac Kiwanis Soccer Club. From that moment in time sprang the ever increasing popularity of the sport of soccer for countless Arlington children and adults. George, deservedly, is credited as having been one of the driving forces behind the success of soccer in Arlington and throughout the state of Virginia.

In 1970, George was a key founding member of the highly successful Arlington Soccer Association, and has served as an officer and board member of the ASA since its establishment. In 1982, he was elected president of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association. And during his three-year tenure as president, George developed the VYSA newsletter and oversaw a five-fold registration increase from 6,000 to 31,000 players.

From 1985-1997, George took on ever increasing responsibilities as a board member, director and chairman of several regional and national soccer committees for the United States Youth Soccer Association, and for the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body for professional, amateur and youth soccer in the U.S.

George was a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association for 26 years, from 1972-1997; and from 1983-1990, wrote a weekly soccer column for the Northern Virginia Sun newspaper.

George has received several well-deserved honors for his achievements in soccer and for his contributions while serving on Arlington County and Northern Virginia Parks Commissions. Among them, he was selected 1970 "Man of the Year" by the Arlington Inter-Service Club Council. In 1973, he received the Virginia Parks and Recreation Society Award for volunteer services. In 1989, he was selected by the Better Sports Club as Sportsman of the Year. And in 2001, George was inducted into the Virginia/D.C. Soccer Hall of Fame for meritorious service.

George, a graduate of Princeton University (1952) and Harvard Law School (1957) remains a practicing lawyer in Arlington. In his current practice, as sole proprietor, he deals in civil trial work, wills, trusts, probate and estate planning.

George was a member of the Potomac Kiwanis Club (1963-83), serving as its president in 1967 and 1975. He is currently a member of the Arlington Kiwanis Club.

Floyd Tuthill

Baseball Coach 1977

Floyd G. "Tut" Tuthill has been on the baseball and sports scene in Arlington and Northern Virginia for over thirty years. He has been highly successful in managing or coaching baseball teams at the levels of American Legion as well as Unlimited. His Virginia White Sox Unlimited Baseball Team were five-time league champions (1951-1952, 1954, 1959-1960). He also managed the American Legion Post #44 to a championship in 1962.

In addition, he sponsored many youth teams, both boys and girls over the years. For the past several years, he has been a scout for the San Diego Padres. He contributes much of his success to his family which includes his wife, Gertrude, son Bob and daughter Pat. In 1974, he was inducted into the Sandlot Hall of Fame of Baseball by the Home Plate Club of Washington.

Anne Viviani

Multi-Sport Athlete 2019

An Arlingtonian for over 45 years until her tragic death in a car accident last year, Anne Viviani was pre-Title IX and never competed in school, becoming a competitive athlete only in mid-life
when her four children were almost grown. “I was just lucky” was her usual response to winning local races, national championships, and even world championships. She participated in 40
World Championship races in the triathlon, duathlon, and aquathlon, racing with her husband Donn in 20 of them. She was World Champion three times in the long distance triathlon (2004,
2005, 2017) and medaled at six other World Championships. She competed in three Kona Ironmans. At 52 years old, she was part of a four-woman team that won the Race Across America bike race, riding 3000 miles in seven and a half days. At 63, she won her age group in
the Beach to Battleship Ironman (140.3 miles), coming in under 14 hours. She won 12 National Championships in duathlon and triathlon, all the while smiling, encouraging others, cheering on
her competitors, and, humbly never mentioning her victories. Along the way, she served Arlington as a longtime administrator at Bishop O’Connell and as a volunteer at Taylor Elementary, Key Middle School, H-B Woodlawn, the Thomas Jefferson Center and the
Arlington Food Bank.

This year, USA Triathlon named its Grand Master Award for Duathlete of the Year the “Anne
Viviani Award.” Anne’s legacy can be found in the hundreds of athletes she mentored, inspired,
taught in her clinics, and in the hearts of her family and friends

Michael Wardian

Marathon Runner 2012

Michael Wardian grew up in Fairfax and graduated from Oakton. He started running competitively in 1996, after finishing his lacrosse career at Michigan State University, where he played attack.

His first marathon was the Marine Corps Marathon in 1996, where he finished with a time of 3:08 and qualified for the Boston Marathon. Since then, Michael has become one of the world's premier and most prolific long distance runners, completing more than 150 marathons, 60 Ultra Marathons on three continents and 20 triathlons, including the Iron Man Lake Placid.

In the 2011 Marine Corps Marathon, Michael came in second with a time of 2:23:46. He has also won six of the past seven National Marathons in D.C.

Michael is a three-time Olympic Trials Qualifier (2004, 2008, 2012) with a personal best marathon time of 2:17:49.

He is a five-time member of Team USA for the 100K World Championships in 2008-2012. In the 26 years of this competition, Michael led the team to the first ever Team Gold Medal for the USA Men. Michael is a two-time member of Team USA for the 50K World Championships in 2009 and 2010. In both years, Michael was the Bronze medalist for the U.S.

Runner’s World magazine has called Michael "the world 's fastest megamarathoner," As an ultra-marathoner, he was a 3rd place finisher at the 135-mile Badwater Ultra Marathon held in Death Valley, California in July of 2011, where the average temperature was 121 degrees. In another ultramarathon, Michael was the highest USA men's finisher ever at the "Marathon Des Sables," where he finished 3rd in the 150-mile stage race across the Sahara Desert held in 2010.

Michael has been selected USA Track & Field's (USATF) Ultrarunner of the Year (2008-2011), and in 2010 the International Association of Ultra runners also named him Ultrarunner of the Year. He has won seven USATF national championships in the 50K, 50-Mile and 100K.

Michael has lived in Arlington since 2000, and he works full-time as an International Ship Broker for Potomac Maritime LLC in Washington, D.C.

Peter Weilenmann

Running 2018

Peter Weilenmann is a lifelong Arlington resident. He attended Glebe, Drew and
then Landon schools. As a teenager, he worked for the Arlington Recreation
Department, and has spent the last 25 years working for Arlington Public Schools.
Peter loved soccer, but a high school coach encouraged him to run track and his
running career began. He was named to the All Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC)
cross-country team even while playing soccer. As a senior, he was third in the tri-state
area in the 1,500 meter and was the Maryland private school, the IAC, and the
IAC/Metro all-star 1,500 meter champion.

As a redshirt freshman at James Madison University, he placed 2nd in the
Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA) cross country championship. He won the next three
CAA cross country championships and qualified for 3 nationals, earning Academic All
American honors, and was named to the CAA Silver Anniversary Team. In track, he
qualified for indoor and outdoor nationals his senior year and set JMU records in the
outdoor 1,500 and the indoor 3,000. Peter earned a Rhodes Scholar nomination, was a
Walter Byers Scholarship finalist (NCAA award) and was a Virginia Governors fellow. In
2017, Peter was elected into the JMU Sports Hall of Fame.

After college, Peter competed on five U.S. national teams from 1991-1996,
including two World Half Marathon Championships. In 1995, he finished 28th (top US
finisher) at the World Half Marathon Championships. He also reached the finals of the
1992 Olympic Trials (5000M). Peter had road race wins in the Asbury Park 10k in 1991
and the Army 10 Miler in 1994. He also competed in three US Olympic Festivals
finishing 3rd in the 1500M in Los Angeles in 1990, 5th in 5000M in San Antonio in 1993,
and 5th in 5000M in Colorado Springs in 1995.

Mary White

Sportswoman 2020

Mary White has been a fixture in the Arlington soccer community for over 30 years, achieving success as a player and a coach, while also earning national recognition as a sprinter on the track.

She founded the Arlington Women’s Soccer League in 1977. Known for her speed and skill on the soccer field, Mary was a frequent All-Star selection for the league she founded. For the past 20 years, she has continued her success as a player, competing on an Arlington over-50 women’s soccer team, the Virginia Vintage, and leading the team to numerous tournament medals across the country.

While excelling as a player, Mary was also a respected coach. She was known for her patience and encouragement as a coach, leading numerous Arlington youth girls’ soccer teams to success in the region while instilling sportsmanship in the girls.

The speed that made her a great soccer player also translated to the track. Mary excelled in Masters Track and Field, specializing in the sprint events. She set Northern Virginia Senior Games records for the 60m and 200m across three different age groups. And, in 2013, she won a gold medal for the 60m at the USA Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships.

As a soccer player, a sprinter, and a coach, Mary’s legacy has paved the way for Arlington’s girls and women, setting a great example for us all.

Jay Jacob Wind

Running 2008

Jay Wind was born in Chicago. He has been an Arlington resident for over 45 years. While a teenager, the sport of distance running blossomed for Jay running to and from his home to his Evanston Township High School. During high school, he was a member of the track squad, as well as later at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where, in 1971, he received a B.A. in Psychology. Jay earned an MBA in Management Science from the University of Georgia in 1977. Following that, he chose Arlington as his next destination, going to work for a company headquartered in Rosslyn.

Both the sporting and non-sporting communities of Arlington agree, it was a great choice. After becoming an Arlington resident, Jay set as a goal: to see Arlington County recognized as one of America's top communities for the sport of running. To achieve his goal, and as time would allow, he has been thoroughly engaged as a runner, race organizer, race director, coach, charitable fund-raiser, publicist, writer and sports columnist.

Jay is a long-time member of the D.C. Road Runners Club and the Potomac Valley Track Club. He has competed in thousands of races and his success in running extends from one-milers up to fifty-mile races. His favorite is the marathon (26.2 miles). He has earned All-American status running 3,000 meters (1 .86 miles) each year, 1995-2004, and finished more than 118 marathons, including 20 Boston Marathons and 25 Marine Corps Marathons.

Jay was the coach of Arlington's Hershey Youth Track and Field Program, 1987-1995. In 1996, he co-founded and is the coach for the PVTC's Young Flyers Track & Field Program. He has coached hundreds of adult marathon runners in support of many charities.

Jay served eight years on the Arlington County Park & Recreation Commission (1991-1998), serving two years as chairman. He helped raise millions of dollars for parks and recreation. He also served the Arlington County Civic Federation as its Parks & Recreation chairman.

In recognition of his sports achievements, community service and charitable efforts, Jay has been honored with many prestigious awards. Among them, the Better Sports Club Sportsman of the Year (2003); PVTC President's Award (1999); Ed Barron Memorial Service Award (2001); Seaboard Region United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Men's Club "Blue Yarmulke Man of the Year" (2002); D.C. Road Runners Club Outstanding Male Masters Runner (1998); Arlington County Board and Arlington Sun Gazette's Arlington "Community Hero" Award (1997); and the Road Runners Club of America's National Volunteer Award (1994).

John Youngblood

Coach/Administrator 1977

John came to Arlington in 1952 as a P.E. teacher at Stratford Junior High where he also coached softball and football. In 1956, he moved to W-L where he coached JV wrestling for two years (undefeated); track for one year (state runner-up in indoor track, 3rd place in outdoor track); head JV football coach for three years; head varsity coach for six years (three NoVa Championships and one state championship).

Later, he was Assistant Principal in charge of Health, Physical Education, Driver Education, and Athletic Programs at W-L. John has been a leader in Virginia High School sports for many years. He served as the first President of the Virginia High School Athletic Directors Association, helping to form that group in 1973. He has served the Better Sports Club in many ways both as a speaker and advisor on its Awards Committee. He has had several articles published at the national level concerning athletic administration. And John has been the featured speaker at many civic and professional meetings and banquets.