By Anthony Panciocco
Six new plaques now hang in the University of Maine Hall of Fame.
Francois Bouchard, Jack Capuano, Gerard LaFlamme, Susan Herrick Lizotte, Carleton “Speed” Merritt and Chad White were inducted to the University of Maine Hall of Fame on Friday night in the Memorial Gym.
These six athletes set records, won championships, led their teams and blazed a trail of tradition for the athletes that fill their shoes today. As Athletic Director Steve Abbott said at the ceremony, “We don’t honor the past by living in it; we try to honor it by reflecting the ideals of those before us.”
The first inductee was two-time women’s swim captain Susan Herrick Lizotte. In 1995-96, she was the America East champion in the 200 butterfly as well as the 200 and 400 individual medleys, where she set a new meet record at 4:31:97. Susan became an assistant coach at UMaine in 2000 and was named the men’s and women’s swimming coach in 2010. She has great goals in mind for her teams both for this year and beyond.
“We want to build our program and stay competitive in our conference,” Lizotte said. “We are on our way to a great season.”
Former UMaine quarterback Carleton “Speed” Merritt was honored posthumously at Friday’s ceremony, but the stories told of him will live forever. Considered one of the “All-Time State Series Greatest Players”, he was UMaine’s first professional football player. In Rhode Island, Merritt won 10 high school championships as a three-sport coach. He received the Black Bear award from the Alumni Association and founded the Marion Farrington Merritt fund, which still provides money for student athletes to this day. He was represented by his son, who said that his favorite part about the University of Maine was “his friends and his sports. He had lots of friends and was a proud brother of Theta Chi.”
Perhaps the best-known inductee is Jack Capuano. Capuano was the captain of the men’s hockey team and was named an All-American during the 1987-88 season. He holds the UMaine record for goals by a defenseman with 32 and added 88 assists to give him 121 points in his storied career. After graduating, he spent three years in the National Hockey League and American Hockey League, splitting time between the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins. In 2010 he was named the head coach for the New York Islanders, a position he still holds today.
Chad White, captain of the 1993 baseball team, was the next athlete to have his name immortalized in UMaine’s Hall of Fame. He was a North Atlantic Player of the Year that year, was a Second Team All-American and was on the NAC All-Conference and All-Tourney teams. In 1991 he made the NCAA All-Regional team, and in 1992 he led the Black Bears in home runs and runs batted in. After his time at UMaine he was drafted by Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros, but says there were some parts about UMaine that he liked better than playing professionally.
“In the majors it was more of a business. In college, I loved my teammates, sitting in the dugouts, playing in front of our fans. I loved the camaraderie. It was a different atmosphere here.”
One of UMaine’s finest basketball players, Francois Bouchard, was also honored. In his first season with the Black Bears in 1990-91, he won NAC Rookie of the Year and a spot on the All-Rookie team. From there he never slowed down. He led the team in points his sophomore and junior years, led the team in rebounding all four years, and still ranks fifth on UMaine’s all-time scoring list with 1,541 career points. He played for 15 years professionally in France after graduating. Even after playing overseas, he still considers Maine his home.
“I went here because it’s home. I grew up in Maine, it’s where I need to be. I love to fish; I love to hunt; I love it here.”
The last plaque to hang belonged to star runner Gerrard LaFlamme. He was a state champion in the mile and two mile in 1973-74, the mile and two mile relay in 74-75, and was the 1976 Maine State Champion in cross country. He was a two-year cross country captain and a top-10 Yankee Conference runner. It was crystal clear when he started to speak how he accomplished what he did. He started to talk of his time at UMaine, when there came a spark in his eye and a smile on his face.
“I just loved to compete. Let me tell you, all I wanted to do was put myself on the line. I wanted to win every time I was out there. I hated to practice, but I loved to compete,” he said.
“It’s a privilege and an honor for this to happen. It’s overwhelming.”
The six newest members of UMaine’s Hall of Fame were also honored at halftime of the football game this past Saturday.