The Hammond Sports Hall of Fame inducted six new members within the induction class of 2023.
The Hammond Sports Hall of Fame class of 2023 includes Juan Alba, Roy L. McPipe, Mark Allan Nagy, Jim Tarka, Louis Kosanovich, and the 1972 Hammond Edison Little League baseball team.
Each year, athletes, coaches, and other members of the Hammond sports community get nominated and then selected to get inducted into the hall of fame. Community members are able to nominate people they feel meet the induction criteria through a nomination form that can be found on hammondsportshalloffame.com.
“Every year when we reconvene in the fall to start planning this event in March, we will have a nominee subcommittee and they'll sort through the nomination forms we have and vet it out to a workable number, and then from there we pick our induction class for the upcoming year,” Committee Chairman Wes Lukoshus said.
The committee is extremely passionate about the hall of fame and works hard to put on this event. The induction ceremony included a social hour, dinner, and a ceremony to welcome the new members into the hall of fame.
“It's the greatest joy here to serve with a group of people who are so passionate about this hall of fame and want to be a part of making it an event that the city of Hammond can take a great deal of pride in.”
History was made at the 37th annual induction ceremony into the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame. Along with five individuals being inducted, an entire team was also inducted.
“For the first time, we're inducting an entire team of athletes,” Lukoshus said. “The Edison Little League team in 1972 went to the Little League World Series championship game. They were the U.S. champions and played for the world title.”
This team advanced to the World Series championship game through a single-elimination style tournament, meaning they had to win every single game they played. This team earned this hall of fame recognition by having a 12-0 record when going into the championship game representing Hammond.
“There were plenty of other little leagues across the city of Hammond that had really good players too, but this South Hammond team went all the way to the World Series championship game which speaks volumes about the type of athletes who grew up and played sports here in Hammond, Indiana.”
The late Louis Kosanovich was inducted into the hall of fame after playing football for Hammond High and Indiana University, and then declining an offer to play in the NFL. His daughter Kathleen Alexander was honored to represent her father during the ceremony while her sister Jody Harris was in attendance in the audience.
“My dad was such a humble, good person,” Jody Harris, Kosanovich’s daughter, said. “As kids and daughters when you have stress, the safest place in the world is in that hug of your dad. Nothing can hurt you there. He was that kind of guy and so was our mom. He didn't brag about this or that. I wish he would have told us more.”
The members of the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame are pieces of Hammond history. Each and every inductee has achieved significant athletic milestones and are now being recognized.
“Being a part of the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame means I am part of the best athletes in the best coaches Hammond ever had,” inductee Jim Tarka said. “To be a part of that is phenomenal. I'm so honored to be part of it. I feel blessed that I was chosen to be part of this fantastic group of athletes and coaches.”
For more information regarding the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame, visit hammondsportshalloffame.com.For more information regarding the City of Hammond, visit gohammond.com.