All profiles appear as written at the time of induction.
A two-sport athlete in basketball and baseball, Corriveau was best known for his talents on the basketball court. He reigns as the men’s all-time leading scorer, with 1,875 career points, all of which were scored prior to the adoption of three-point scoring. In addition to his career points, Corriveau also currently holds the school records for career field goals (716), career field goal attempts (1,477), game points (50 vs Amherst in 1964), game field goals (20 vs Amherst in 1964), game free throws (22 vs Merrimack in 1963), and game free throw attempts (26 vs Merrimack in 1963).
Corriveau was an All-New England selection in 1963 and 1964, and was named the Worcester Area Coaches’ Poll Most Valuable Player also in 1963 and 1964. As a senior he earned the athletic department’s Hebert Trophy as the outstanding senior male athlete. In addition to his pursuits in athletics, Corriveau was selected to Gryphon, a senior men’s honorary society for contributions to the University.
Following his outstanding career at Clark, Corriveau was drafted by the Boston Celtics. He returned to Clark in 1969 as assistant man’s basketball coach for 10 years. For the past 12 season, Corrieveau has been the boys' basketball coach at Wachusett Regional High School, where he has taught history for 30 years.
Duane is married to Carolyn (Clark ‘64). They have two children: Tracy (25) and Daryle (22).
Presenter: R. Norman Peters ‘62
The school’s first four-year All-America athlete, Catherine Desrosiers was an exceptional swimmer for Clark, while also rowing on the crew team one season. A four-time NCAA National Championship participant, Desrosiers earned All-America honors six times in her career: 200 breaststroke (1979, 1980, 1981, 1982); 100 breaststroke (1980); and 400 individual medley (1979). In her senior season, she was the national runner-up in the 200 breastsroke, and she had three additional top 10 NCAA performances that season. She also led the 1981-82 team to a finish of 16th among the 40 schools participating in the NCAA meet. A team captain, Desrosiers was the recipient of the athletic department’s Hughes Trophy as the top female senior athlete at Clark in 1982. She currently holds six school records: 50, 100, and 200 breaststroke; 50 and 100 butterfly; and she is on the record-setting 400 medley relay team.
Catherine is married to Michael (Clark ‘79), and they have three children: Megan (9), Andrea (6), and Erin (3).
Presenter: Dr. Michael Bisceglia ‘79
When one thinks of Clark University athletics, the name Russ Granger immediately comes to mind. He was associated with the University beginning with his enrollment as a student in 1934 and ending with his retirement from collegiate athletic administration and coaching in 1990. A two-sport athlete in baseball and basketball, Granger was the basketball team captain for two years and he was a four-year pitcher on the baseball team. As a senior, he received the athletic department’s Hebert Trophy, given to the top male senior athlete. After graduating from Clark in 1938, Granger stayed on to earn his master’s degree in 1939. He also coached basketball, baseball, and soccer and served as assistant athletic director. In 1949, he took over as athletic director, beginning a 30-year uninterrupted administration which culminated in 1978. Although he passed on the duties of athletic director, Granger stayed on as golf coach, a position he held from 1950 to 1990. In all, Russ Granger coached more than 70 seasons in four sports spanning five decades. Today, he carries the title of Athletic Director Emeritus. In 1982, it was fitting that the annual Russ Granger Scholar-Athlete Award was established at Clark to recognize the department’s outstanding male student-athlete. Additional honor was bestowed on Granger when the athletic department’s outdoor facilities on Beaver Street were also named in his honor. In 1987, the Eastern College Athletic Conference presented Russ with a Distinguished Achievement Award.
Russ is married to Katherine, and they’ve had four children: David, Nancy (Clark ‘60, MA ‘62), John, and Paul (Clark ‘70).
Presenter: Matthew Stepanski ‘42
A three-sport athlete, Halas played basketball, baseball, and soccer as an undergraduate. His dominant sport was basketball, in which he scored 1,448 career points to currently rank as the men’s seventh all-time leading scorer (before the existence of the three-point shot). Halas was the recipient of the Bob Cousy Award, given to the best New England basketball player under 6’; and he received the athletic department’s Hebert Trophy as the top male senior athlete. Following graduation Halas continued his love for sports and returned to Clark in 1974 as head men’s basketball coach, head baseball coach, and director of intramurals and recreation. He held all three positions until 1981, when he took over as director of athletics, while still coaching men’s basketball. While at the helm of the men’s basketball program, Halas guided the Cougars to 10 consecutive NCAA Division III tournament berths, including two finishes as national runner-up in 1984 and 1987. In addition, Halas was selected as the New England Division III Coach of the Year five times in his 13-year tenure. Halas left Clark in 1987 to take over as head basketball coach at Columbia University, a position he held until 1990. He currently serves as commissioner of the World Scholar-Athlete Games.
Wally is married to Kathleen (Clark ‘73). They have three children: Michael (14), John (10), and Jaclyn (8).
Presenter: Francis P. Halas, Sr.
A four-year soccer player and three-year member of the crew team, Mhlanga earned All- America honors in soccer in 1963 and 1964. A team captain and member of the University Athletic Council, Mhlanga was honored as the top male senior athlete when he recived the athletic department’s Hebert Trophy. Following graduation, Mhlanga stayed at Clark to earn a master’s degree in 1966 and then went on to earn his Ph.D. from Columbia Teacher’s College. In 1992, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Clark University at commmencement. One of Africa’s leading environmentalists, Mhlanga currently serves as General Manager of the Agricultural Rural Development Authority in Harare, Zimbabwe - a position he has held since 1981. As general manager, Mhlanga has become the largest producer of food in Africa, specifically for Zimbabwe, which has population of 10 million people. In addition, Mhlanga is considered to be among the foremost environmental practitioners in all of Africa, and he was a prominent member of the Zimbabwe delegation to the Earth Summit (the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development) in 1992. Accepting for Mhlanga will be his son, Musa.
Liberty and his wife, Kate, have two children, Musa and Suki.
Presenter: Dick Ford, Clark professor of history and director of international development
Considered by many to be the “outstanding player in his era,” Strzelecki was a four-year basketball player at Clark. He was the country’s second-leading scorer in his last three seasons at Clark, and his talents earned him the Hebert trophy as the top male senior athlete of his class. Considered by many opposing coaches to be one of the top players in the East, Strzelecki was best known for his hook shots (both right- and left- handed) as well as his dribbling, passing, and fast release set shots. After his playing days at Clark, Strzelecki traveled around New England with several semi-professional teams; and from the period of 1937 to 1952, he played in approximately 1,200 games, scoring more than 24,000 points. Strzelecki turned down an offer to join the newly formed NBA Boston Celtics in 1945 in order to take on the position of director of physical education in the Webster- Dudley school system. He also coached boys basketball at Bartlett High School where he earned an 80-40 career record, and was a high school and college basketball official for 25 years.
Strzelecki died in 1988. Accepting his award for him will be his wife, Dorothy.
Presenter: Joseph Christopher