After 18 months of planning, Osbourn Park debuted their Hall of Fame Thursday night at Old Hickory Golf Club.
The Osbourn Park community gathered Thursday night at Old Hickory Country Club to celebrate their rich history of academics and athletics by inducting nominated individuals to their brand new Hall of Fame. Fifteen people made up the inaugural 2021 class.
"This Hall of Fame is 46 years in the making. It will show our current student athletes the foundation of the sports community that they themselves represent. It brings our past to the present and allows our current student body to connect with those that came before them," said current director of student activities Keith Laine.
Laine continued, "It's something our school has really needed- something to honor our best of the best and to inspire our current and future athletes."
Despite the enthusiasm from Laine and the rest of the OP community, there was plenty of uncertainty over the past 18 months since they had started planning it.
Current OP student activities director Keith Layne addresses the Osbourn Park community
"We didn’t know what was going to happen or what sports would be like. I went to a Virginia high school league meeting on the 12th. They cancelled the meeting on the 13th and then school was cancelled. All the spring seasons were cancelled. I’m excited it happened tonight. We’d been planning it for 18 months and I had so much help from our trustees, the structural committee and everyone. I’m so excited for the inductees and their opportunity to come back to the school and reach our kids tomorrow and make those connections. I’m thrilled they all found this important enough to come from all over the country.”
Michael Foley was the perfect choice as Master of Ceremonies
The event was hosted by former teacher, coach and current football announcer Michael Foley. Having been an institution at the school since January 1979, Foley jumped at the chance to host such a prestigious festivity.
"I thought the evening went very well. It was great to hear what each of the inductees had to say."
Foley set the table for the inductees, and they all knocked their speeches out of the park with great stories, memories, jokes and more.
Below are the first fifteen members of the Osbourn Park Hall of Fame.
Kevin Ambrose
Kevin is a member of the Class of 1982 and was an elite athlete on the track and field and cross country teams. He was a state champion in 1981 of the 3200-meters and set a state record for that event. He would go on to attend UVA on a track scholarship. He's now married with two sons and an account executive for Adobe. He also freelances for the Washington Post which includes writing and photography.
“I love it. I was one of those kids that high school was the best four years of my life. I enjoyed the running, the classes, the comradery, and stories I can’t even tell to my kids. Just bringing back all the memories again tonight and to be honored for it meant a lot.”
Victor A. Cahoon
Victor Cahoon was a member of the Class of 1986. He was a multi-sport athlete, having played football, basketball and track. He was AAA 1st Team All-State and 3 time 1st Team All District for football. He was a NW Regional Player of the Year in football and a 1986 AAA State Champion of the long jump.
Following his OPHS career, Victor played football for Arizona State University and was a PAC-10 champion in 1987 as well as a Rose Bowl Champion. Victor would play for the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins.
Unfortunately, Victor passed away in 2003 but was well-represented by his two brothers who celebrated him with all sorts of great stories not only to the athlete he was but also the great person he was as well.
Todd Colas
Todd was a member of the Class of 1980 and excelled at cross country and track. He was a 3 time AA State Champion and a 6 time All State AA at cross country and indoor/outdoor track. He's the OPHS record holder for the 1600 meter.
After his time at Osbourn Park, Todd ran track at the University of Pittsburgh where he was a 1984 NCAA All-American in the 1000 meter. He ran professionally for Puma. Todd currently resides in Denver, Colorado and is a managing partner for two companies.
Albert L. Crow
Known to many as simply Al Crow, the late Yellow Jacket was athletic director from 1962 to 1991. Prior to Osbourn Park opening, he worked at Osbourn High School and was a coach of football, track and wrestling. After OP, Crow did missionary work in East Africa for 15 years. He'd go on to set up a basketball league in Kenya and the players used old Prince William County Schools uniforms. OPHS would go on to name their stadium after him.
Crow was represented by his son.
Andrew Dykstra
A member of the Class of 2004, Dykstra played football, wrestling and soccer. He was Osbourn Park's Male Athlete of the Year in 2004 and was 1st Team All District/All Region in both football and soccer. He would also have an All-State Honorable Mention for both sports.
After OP, Dykstra was a part of the CAA All-Rookie team in 2005 and played professionally for ten years. He was a two-time US Open Cup Champion (2013 and 2017).
Daniel J. Evans, Sr.
Daniel Evans taught at OP from 1976 to 1995. He won the Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award in 1993. Evans would coach football from 1976-1995 and coached girls track from 1981 to 1987. He'd go on to be the Activities Director from 1995-2008, having been integral in overseeing a restructuring of the Athletic Boosters. Under Evans, Osbourn Park saw a stadium renovation, practice and game field renovations and a new uniform rotation. All were via the Boosters. He'd also supervise the addition of swimming, field hockey and lacrosse.
Evans now spends his much-deserved retirement playing golf, volunteering and spending time with his family- including two grandkids. His son, Dan Evans, Jr. would be the head football coach of OP from 2015-2018, as the father/son duo were able to coach together.
Billy Fields
A member of the Class of 1978, fields was on both the basketball and golf teams. He's the all-time leading scorer in OPHS history and was on the Washington Post All-Met Team. Other accolades include All-District, All-Region and All-State. Fields would be the Individual Commonwealth District Golf Champion in 1977.
After Osbourn Park, he'd go on to play four years at Providence College. He currently travels between Virginia and Florida where he owns WLF Contracting.
Fields seemed besides himself at the nomination.
“It was a shock when I first
heard about it. It’s really meaningful because there’s some heavy hitters here with
the admin people who have influenced thousands of kids while we just came
through here for four years and played a sport. It’s very humbling. It’s
incredible to see many different friends as well.”
Marcia D. Fletcher
Fletcher graduated in 1987, having excelled at Track and Field. She was a two-time State AAA Champion in the 55 and 100m hurdles. She was also a two-time national champion at the triple jump and finished having earned All State Honors a whopping ten times.
Following her time at OPHS, Marcia ran track at Clemson University where she'd be a two-time All-ACC performer in the long and triple jump.
She'd earn NCAA Division 1 All-American Honors and was the first African-American head coach at Clemson.
Michael E. Holupka, Jr.
Michael was the Boosters President for six years from 1998-2003 as part of the Ways & Means committee. He helped establish the two most successful fundraisers: the golf tournament and silent auction. OPHS has been able to raise around 1.5 million dollars for athletics over the past 25 years, and Holupka was integral in sparking that culture.
He and his wife Kathy donated the stand-alone weight room and renovated the outdoor concession and restrooms at the stadium, saving many an OP fan the walk to the school. Michael lit up the room with his speech, mixing in wit and humor perfectly.
Ariel Karabinus
Ariel was the youngest member inducted to the OPHS Hall of Fame. Graduating in 2010, Ariel left quite the legacy in cross country and track. She was a three-time District Champion in cross country as well as a five-time Northwest Regional Champion in the 1600 and 3200 meter. She was a AAA State Champion in the 100m and finished All State ten times in the 1000 meter, 1600 meter, two mile and 4 by 800 relay.
Ariel attended the University of Virginia where she was a 2010 cross country NCAA Division 1 Team National Qualifier. I had a chance to get her thoughts on the induction.
"It's pretty incredible. I feel like I shouldn't even be a part of this group. It's just weird. It's been a lot of different people, a lot of different generations and I feel super honored to be in a class with such amazing athletes and people in general."
Jack Lynch
Lynch was a middle school teacher in Prince William County for ten years which parlayed into being an assistant principle for ten more. Having not even applied for the OPHS principal position, Lynch was surprised by the superintendent two weeks before the school year when he was giving the new gig. He'd also spend six years as an Area Superintendent. He now spends his retirement in Florida.
“It sounds cliché but it’s
very humbling. OP was a wonderful place and whatever successes I had was because
of all the great people around me. They named the gym after me after I left and
that was wonderful. It’s overwhelming. When you get to my age you realize a lot
of what you accomplished is from the efforts of a whole lot of people. Secretaries,
custodians, cafeteria workers- all those people coming together to do the job
makes me a lucky man to be the recipient of this honor.”
Gabrielle M. Mizerak
Gabrielle graduated from Osbourn Park in 2009 and is the first swimmer to be inducted into the OP Hall of Fame. She was a state champion in 2009 and a three-time automatic All-American. She holds six OPHS records and was a three-time MVP as well as Rookie of the Year.
She continued her swimming career at William & Mary and then with the Tribe Alumni Master team.
Larry Nemerow
Nemerow coached girls and boys soccer as well as basketball, having been voted Washington Post All Met Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2012. In 2002 he was VHSL Coach of the Year. The accolades didn't end there as he was Potomac New Coach of the Year multiple times in multiple sports. He never posted a losing record as a coach, winning 299 games and led his program to 14 straight regional appearances before retiring in 2014.
This legacy and an induction might inflate one's ego, but not Nemerow's.
“It’s rare that you get to
participate in a first. Just to be a part of something like this is a privilege
and something that not many people get to experience. There’s definitely a
surreal feeling about it. As time goes by, I’ll appreciate it even more. It’s a
really neat thing and personally I never expected anything like it. My two
brothers were big supporters when I was a kid. It’s hard that they aren’t here,
but I’m glad my family was here to support me.”
Osbourn Park would go on to name their main athletic grounds "Larry Nemerow Field" in 2017.
Following his retirement, he spends time with his lifelong companion, Lynn. Larry has 14 grandchildren who enjoy soccer, basketball and more. He rides over 3,000 miles a a year on his bike.
Debbie Saffer
Having graduated in 1983. Debbie was the first female athlete to score over 1,000 points (1,133). She now ranks fourth all-time. She was a four year varsity starter in both basketball and softball as well as a four year All-District basketball team member. She was a key part in an undefeated season for OP.
After graduating, she went to UNC Wilmington and returned to Osbourn Park to coach softball.
It was noted that as great as an athlete she was, Debbie was even more generous as a human being and will forever be missed.
Helen Theisen
Helen graduated in 2008 and is the first ever volleyball player to be in the OP Hall of Fame. She set three VHSL state records, was All-District Player of the Year from 2004-2007 and was an All-Region player from 2005-2007. Theisen was also Prince William County Athlete of the Year.
After OP, Helen continued her volleyball career at the University of Louisiana Monroe. She graduated from Concord University in 2012 with her bachelor's degree and would go on to graduate with her masters from the University North Georgia.
Helen made sure to thank her parents for their role in her life, having allowed her to travel the country to go to camps, tournaments and more.
2021 Osbourn Park's 2021 Hall of Fame class gather for a picture
This year's class was the first of many, as Keith Laine stated the Hall of Fame Ceremony will be an annual event. Laine also mentioned a 65" digital touch screen would be installed in the gym lobby. The screen would be a physical way to unite the present, past and future of Osbourn Park.
A special thanks went out to the Booster Board, comprised of President Jason Dwyer, Vice President Jeni Westhoff, Secretary Keli Fisher and Treasurer Crystal Riley.
For more on OPHS athletics, visit their website and follow them on Twitter at @OPJackets.
