University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Announces 2021 Athletics Hall of Fame Class
10/6/2021 3:15:00 PM | Baseball, Field Hockey, Football, Men's Lacrosse, Softball, Women's Basketball, Delaware Athletics
NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware Athletics Department announced today that six former Blue Hens highlight the 2021 UD Athletics Hall of Fame class.
The 2021 Hall of Fame class includes Jack Turner (football/baseball), Kathy Tucci (softball/field hockey), Jordan Hall (men's lacrosse), Megan Dellegrotti (women's basketball), Bob Shillinglaw (men's lacrosse), Lenny Williams (football).
The Delaware Athletics Hall of Fame, which originated in 1997, was established to salute outstanding student-athletes, coaches, and administrators who have contributed to UD's athletic tradition of excellence. Nearly 200 former Blue Hens have been inducted into the hall of fame.
The invitation-only induction ceremony will take place on Friday, Nov. 5 at the Whitney Athletic Center, and the group will be introduced at halftime of the football game on Saturday, Nov. 6.
For more information on the Delaware Athletics Hall of Fame click here.
2021 Delaware Athletics Hall of Fame Class
Megan Dellegrotti
Women's Basketball (1998-2002)
The quintessential point guard, Megan Dellegrotti led the resurgence of Delaware basketball under coach Tina Martin as a four-year starter in 1998-2002. The multi-talented left-hander and two-time captain was as adept at setting up teammates as she was shooting the ball. The Berwick, Pa. native led the Blue Hens to a four-year mark of 86-31, including a school-record 26-5 mark in 2000-01 when UD won the America East title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. As a senior, she earned All-Colonial Athletic Association honors in leading the Hens to an appearance in the post-season WNIT Tournament. She later was selected as the UD Outstanding Senior Female Athlete of the Year. An outstanding student, the 2002 UD graduate also earned a spot on the prestigious CoSIDA District 2 All-Academic team. She scored 1,112 career points for the Blue Hens, set school career records for three-point field goals (154) and free throw percentage (.839), and ranked No. 3 all-time with 284 assists. She later moved on to a successful coaching career in the high school ranks in Pennsylvania.
Jordan Hall
Men's Lacrosse (2004-07)
One of the top midfielders in the rich history of Delaware men's lacrosse, Jordan Hall led the Blue Hens to unprecedented success during his four years as a starter for head coach and fellow UD Hall of Fame inductee Bob Shillinglaw. A native of Surrey, British Columbia, Jordan was a two-time team captain and led the Hens to a four-year record of 46-23 that included a 13-6 mark and the team's only appearance in the NCAA Tournament national semifinals in 2007. The 2007 UD graduate also led the Blue Hens to two conference titles and yet another NCAA Tournament appearance in 2005. He earned USILA All-American honors twice, was a three-time All-Colonial Athletic Association performer, and was named CAA Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2005 when he led the league in scoring. In 66 career games, he totaled 85 goals, 54 assists, and 140 points, ranking among the all-time leaders in UD history in each category. He moved on to an outstanding All-Star career professionally in both the indoor National Lacrosse League and outdoor Major League Lacrosse.
Katherine "Kathy" Tucci
Field Hockey (1986-89)
Softball (1987-90)
Not only a standout in the sports of softball and field hockey, Kathy Tucci was an award- winning scholar-athlete during her remarkable career at Delaware. A native of Ellicott City, Md., Kathy was a dominating left-handed pitcher in 1987-90, leading the team to 77 wins over four seasons, a 1987 East Coast Conference runner-up finish, and a spot on the 1987 All-ECC team. She established UD records for games pitched (81) and wins (41) and finished her career among the all-time top 3 in ERA (1.58), strikeouts (147), and shutouts (13). She also batted .249 with 36 RBI and 16 stolen bases. In field hockey, she was a three-year standout link/midfielder who played in 49 career games, led the team to the ECC Tournament championship in 1988 (16-3-2) and regular season title in 1987 (13-4-3). She earned All-ECC honors as team captain in 1989. A 1990 UD graduate, she was named the ECC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for both softball and field hockey in 1989-90 and earned the league's overall Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. She also earned a spot on the prestigious CoSIDA District 2 All-Academic team.
John J. Jack Turner
Football (1956-59)
Baseball (1957-59)
One of the top University of Delaware athletes of the 1950's, Jack Turner was a record-setting All-American running back in football and a standout infielder in baseball during a stellar two-sport career. The Philadelphia native and 1960 UD graduate was a three-year starter at halfback and defensive back in football and led the 1959 team to an 8-1 record, the Middle Atlantic Conference title, and the Lambert Cup Trophy. He set a school record with 874 rushing yards in 1958 and established the UD career mark of 1,785 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. He also recorded five career interceptions and returned kickoffs and punts. He earned second team Associated Press All-American honors in 1959 and honorable mention laurels in 1958. He was a two-year standout in baseball as an infielder and led the 1959 team to a 15-4 record while pacing the team with a .360 batting average, 31 hits, and 14 walks while also knocking in 14 runs. The 1958 team went 19-3 and captured the MAC title. He later went on to a distinguished Hall of Fame career as a coach and administrator at his alma mater, Germantown Academy.
Robert "Bob" Shillinglaw
Men's Lacrosse Head Coach (1979-2017)
One of the most successful and dedicated coaches in the history of men's college lacrosse, Bob Shillinglaw built the Blue Hens program into national prominence and served one of the longest head coaching tenures in the history of the sport. A native of Annapolis, Md., Bob came to Delaware in 1979 and led the program for 39 seasons, accumulating 310 victories and leading the Blue Hens to 16 conference titles and six NCAA Tournament appearances, including the school's first national semifinal appearance in 2007. He coached at the college level for 43 seasons, his 334 total wins ranks among the top 10 all-time in college history, and his 654 games coached is an NCAA record. He was named the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association National Coach of the Year in both 1979 and 1999, earned conference coach of the year honors six times, coached 20 All-Americans, eight conference players of the year, over 100 all-conference selections, and seven members of the UD Athletics Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Hall of Fame in July, 2021.
Leonard L. "Lenny" Williams
Football (1952-55)
Wrestling (1954-55)
A civil rights pioneer throughout his distinguished life, Lenny Williams was not only the first African-American to play football at the University of Delaware, but was a standout two-way lineman for some of the top teams of that decade. A native of Wilmington, Del., Lenny was a three-year varsity letterwinner and two-year starter at center in 1953-55, leading the squad to a combined mark of 23-4, including records of 7-1 in 1953, 8-2 and a Refrigerator Bowl victory in 1954, and 8-1 in 1955. He paved the way for an offense that scored 20 or more points 17 times in 27 games and ranked third in the East in total offense in 1955 with 369.9 yards per game. Lenny was also a member of the wrestling team from 1954-55. He earned his degree from UD in 1956, went to law school at Georgetown, and then returned to Delaware in the late 1950s and practiced law with nationally prominent civil rights advocate Louis L. Redding, working closely with him on many landmark civil rights cases. He also served as a municipal judge in Wilmington for 35 years before retiring from the bench. In 1986, Judge Williams was inducted into the University's Alumni Wall of Fame.
Williams passed away in 2013.
