WORCESTER, Mass. - The athletic department at the College of the Holy Cross has announced that six former football standouts will be honored this fall, as the inaugural class of the Crusader Football Legends Ring of Fame. Gill Fenerty (Class of 1986),Gordie Lockbaum (Class of 1988),Edmund Murphy (Class of 1943), Bill Osmanski (Class of 1939), Vince Promuto (Class of 1960) and John Provost (Class of 1975) will all be honored in a ceremony at the 2010 homecoming game against Fordham on Oct. 2, and receive permanent recognition at Fitton Field.
Only former Crusader football players who have been elected to the Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame are eligible for this honor. The inductees were selected by a committee including representatives from the Holy Cross Athletic Department, the Gridiron Club Leadership Council, the Holy Cross Varsity Club and the Holy Cross Development Office, along with fan voting on www.goholycross.com.
Gordie Lockbaum, who was elected to the College Football Hall of fame in 2001, was a two-way standout for the Crusaders, in an era when the two-way player was a thing of the past. In his junior season he was named ECAC Player of the Year, New England Offensive Player of the Year, and WTBS National Player of the Year. He finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting. In his senior season he finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting, second in the Maxwell Award voting, and was named the Football News Division I-AA Player of the Year. He was a two-time first team All-America selection, receiving recognition on offense, defense and special teams. The only full-time two-way performer in major college football during 1986 and 1987, he was in the game for 143 plays against Army in 1986 and scored six touchdowns in a Holy Cross victory over Dartmouth that same season. He graduated with his name on top of many Crusader record lists, including points in a season (132) and a career (264); touchdowns in a season (22) and a career (44); all-purpose yards in a season (2,173); receptions in a game (15), season (78) and career (135); and receiving yards gained in a season (1,152) and career (2,012). He was selected to play in the Senior Bowl, East-West Classic and the Blue-Gray game, and was an NCAA Scholar-Athlete "Top Six" Honoree. Chosen as Crusader of the Year in 1988, his teams won two Lambert Cups (1986 and 1987) and went undefeated in 1987 (11-0), with that squad being selected as the national champion in the NCAA and Sports Network polls. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ninth round.
Bill Osmanski, a 1973 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame, was the starting fullback for some of the greatest teams in Holy Cross history, using his bursting speed, instinctive balance and awesome power to bolster one of the finest offensive threats in Eastern football during the late 1930s. The Crusaders posted a 23-3-3 record during his career, with the three loses coming by a total of five points. In 1936, his 85-yard run gave Holy Cross a 7-0 victory over Dartmouth. He had other runs of 92, 68, 65 and 45 yards, was given the nickname "Bullet Bill" and was named an All-America in 1938. In 1939, he won the Most Valuable Player trophy in the College All-Star Game, before being drafted in the first round (sixth overall) by the Chicago Bears. He played for the Bears from 1939-1943, and again from 1946-1947. In between his two terms with the Bears, he served in the Marines in World War II. The Bears won four league championships in his time, and he led the league in rushing yardage in 1939. In addition to playing with the Bears, Osmanski earned a dental degree from Northwestern University. He briefly returned to Holy Cross as a head coach from 1948-1949 before returning to his dental practice full-time. He passed away in 1996.
