Joe Lank

Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Milford, Del.
High School:
Milford
Major:
Education

University of Delaware
Athletics Hall of Fame
Class of 2015

JOSEPH M. “JOE” LANK
Football (1948-51)
Baseball (1950-52)
Outdoor Track & Field (1949-50)

A three-sport standout in football, baseball, and track & field, Joe stands as one of the top all-around athletes in Delaware history and was named the University of Delware Outstanding Senior Male Athlete of the Year in 1952.

A native of Milford, Del., Joe earned three letters in football as an end and defensive back and was the team’s lone 60-minute player his senior year in 1951 when he earned the Baker-Taylor Award as the team’s Most Valuable Player. He played for Hall of Fame head coaches Bill Murray (1949-50) and Dave Nelson (1951) during his football career.

He also was a three-year letterwinner in baseball as a shortstop and batted .311 with a team-high 17 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 1952. In track and field, he earned letters competing in the discus and javelin. His accomplishments at Delaware in addition to his outstanding high school career at Milford High School helped earn him induction into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 2011.

He served 36 years in the military, including 28 years as a Regular Army Field Artillery Officer and eight years as The Adjutant General of the Delaware National Guard, before retiring in 1989. A 1952 Delaware education graduate, he also served as an assistant professor in the Military Science program at Delaware. He previously was inducted into the University of Delaware Wall of Fame and the University of Delaware ROTC Hall of Heroes.

Class of 2015
Back row: Omar Cuff, Bruce Fad, Ken Dill, George Schmitt, Steve Shaw
Front row: Ted Kempski, Sarah Gause, Leah Geib, Stephanie Barry, Joe Lank