Top left to top right: James Farriol, Denny Hamlin, Lanny Wadkins. Bottom left to bottom right: Lacy Waldrop, Bobby Wadkins, Ken Oxendine. (Photo: Getty)
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Chesterfield Sports Hall of Fame has announced its first 10 inductees.
The Chesterfield Sports Hall of Fame originally planned to select only five people for this year’s inaugural class of inductees, but after receiving more than 40 nominations from area residents, the organization decided to select 10 instead.
The first ten Hall of Fame members are:
- Dave Amsler Amsler is credited with bringing soccer to the Richmond area. He coached Chesterfield County soccer players for 50 years, founding the Richmond Strikers in 1976 and FC Richmond Soccer Club in 1985.
- James Farriol A former NFL defensive lineman, he was selected 8th overall by the New York Jets in the 1997 NFL Draft and later won two Super Bowl championships with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006 and 2009.
- Johnny Grubb He played 16 seasons in professional baseball and won a World Series in 1984 with the Detroit Tigers.
- Denny Hamlin He has been competing in the NASCAR Cup Series since 2006. He was named one of the 75 greatest drivers in NASCAR history..
- Ken Oxendine He enrolled as one of the top nine high school football players in the nation during his senior year at Thomas Dale High School, then starred as a running back at Virginia Tech before being selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1998 NFL Draft. After two seasons with the Falcons, Oxendine joined the Los Angeles Xtreme of the original XFL, where he won the league’s first and only championship in 2001.
- Bobby Wadkins He won two Richmond City Junior titles at Meadowbrook Country Club and finished second six times in 715 PGA Tour events before winning four events on the Champions Tour and claiming a major title at the 2006 Senior Players Championship.
- Lanny Wadkins He won four Richmond City Junior titles at Meadowbrook Country Club and won 21 PGA Tour titles, including the PGA Championship in 1977. He played in eight Ryder Cups between 1977 and 1993 and coached the U.S. team in 1995.
- Lacey Waldrop She led Florida State to four NCAA softball tournament appearances and became the first player in school history to be named Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year two years in a row.
- Kelly Wells Brinkley She earned all-district, all-region and all-state honors as a runner at James River High School, then broke the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 100-meter hurdles indoor record at Hampton University and won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
- Vic Williams As head football coach for several Richmond-area teams, he won a total of 213 games and seven Central Region titles, and in 2009 he led Thomas Dale High School to the VHSL Group AAA Division 6 State Football Championship.
The names of all inductees will be posted at the River City Sportsplex, 13030 Genito Road, and they will be honored at a banquet on Thursday, Sept. 12, at the Perkinson Center for the Arts and Education in the Chester area.
