Aug. 26, 2001
By CORKY BLAKE
The Express-Times
EASTON -- After a year's hiatus, the Lafayette College Maroon Club will
induct five more members into its athletic hall of fame.
And what a quintet it is.
NCAA record-setters Erik Marsh and Heidi Caruso lead a group that includes
legendary men's basketball coach Butch van Breda Kolff, 1,000-point scorer
and NBA draft choice Tony Duckett and former pro football player Frank
Kirkleski.
Induction ceremonies will be held Nov. 16 at the college's Marquis Hall.
No members were inducted last year. Instead, the Maroon Club honored the 15
greatest Lafayette athletes of the 20th century.
Among those 15 honorees was Marsh, who came to Lafayette from nearby
Bethlehem Catholic High School in the fall of 1991 and led the Leopards to
Patriot League football championships in 1992 and 1994.
Marsh, recruited by current Lafayette coach Frank Tavani, started out as a
backup tailback to Tom Costello. When injuries sidelined Costello, Marsh
stepped in as a freshman and rushed for 779 yards to earn the league's
rookie of the year honor.
That was just a prelude of what was to come. In 1992, Marsh ran for 1,365
yards and 10 touchdowns as the Leopards went 8-3 overall and 5-0 to win the
Patriot League crown.
The following season the indestructible Marsh set a school record with 1,441
yards on 304 attempts and was named the league's offensive player of the
year for the second straight year.
In 1994, the Leopards lost their first six games but regrouped to win their
final five -- all against Patriot League opponents -- to capture the school's
last league championship.
Marsh played a huge part with 1,249 yards.
In his final three games against Lehigh (1992-94) Marsh averaged 238 yards
rushing.
Marsh left Lafayette as the NCAA Division I-AA record holder for career
rushes (1,027) and the school and league career rushing leader with 4,834
yards. He signed a free agent contract with the New York Jets in 1995.
Caruso, who graduated in 1994, departed College Hill as the best women's
soccer player in school history. Yet, the diminutive Caruso was so versatile
she set an NCAA Division I women's basketball record for steals in a game
(14), career (532) and season (168). Her steals per game (6.0) is also an
NCAA mark.
Caruso holds eight school soccer records, including being Lafayette's
all-time leading scorer (63 goals and 17 assists in 69 matches). She was the
Patriot League Player of the Year in 1991 and was a regional All America in
1993.
Though he's best known for his coaching stints with Princeton and the Los
Angeles Lakers, van Breda Kolff gained his first notoriety from 1951-55 with
the Leopards. His first captain was future Princeton coach Pete Carril.
Van Breda Kolff wrapped up his initial tour at Lafayette by directing the
Leopards to the 1955 NIT, the school's first postseason appearance. VBK
returned nearly 30 years later to coach the Leopards from 1984-88. On Jan.
4, 1988, VBK's Leopards shocked visiting Notre Dame 83-68 at Kirby Sports
Center.
Duckett came under VBK's tutelage for his final season (1984-85). He
finished as Lafayette's career assist leader with 622. He also holds the
season's assist mark with 192 in 1983-84.
Duckett, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 1985 NBA draft by the
Atlanta Hawks and later played in Europe, scored 1,063 points and started
101 games. Twice, Duckett was an East Coast Conference first-team selection.
Kirkleski was a four-year halfback for the Leopards during their glory years
in the 1920s. Lafayette was 29-4-3 during that span. Kirkleski was captain
in 1926 when the Leopards went 9-0 and were declared the mythical national
champion by some publications.
Kirkleski went on to play pro football for the Pottsville Maroons, Newark
Tornadoes and Brooklyn Dodgers.
