Warren, Mich. -- De La Salle Collegiate is proud to announce that it will induct a new Athletic Hall of Fame class during the 2021-22 school year. The 2021 Hall of Fame class, which will consist of five individual inductees and one team, will be formally enshrined during a ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. 

De La Salle President Larry Rancilio, '86, is excited to be bringing back the Athletic Hall of Fame, after a 13-year hiatus. De La Salle hasn’t inducted an Athletic Hall of Fame class since 2008. "It is great to have the tradition of our Athletic Hall of Fame back," Rancilio said. "The men that make up this Hall of Fame class, as well as the ones previously inducted, are Lasallians who exemplify what it means to be a Pilot. We are excited to have everyone back to the school to celebrate their accomplishments."

The 2021 class will be the sixth Athletic Hall of Fame class in the 95-year history of the school. The inaugural class was inducted in 2000, and featured the likes of longtime athletic director and school administrator Br. George Synan, Super Bowl champion Chris Godfrey, ‘76, and the 1956 Catholic and city championship football team. 

 "I am truly excited to be honoring some of our greatest athletes and teams by inducting them into the 2021 Hall of Fame class at De La Salle," DLS Athletic Director Dan Rohn said. "We need to make sure we are always remembering our past and celebrating the success of our alumni. After all, it is one of the reasons De La Salle is so great."   

Hall of Fame Weekend
Inductees will be recognized at the first all-school Mass of the year on Friday, Sept. 10, at 9:30 a.m., followed by a reception in the school’s TARMAC room. The formal induction ceremony and reception will take place on Saturday, Sept. 11, at 4 p.m., in the Bill Fox Gymnasium. Questions can be submitted to the school’s Athletic Director, Mr. Dan Rohn, at drohn@delasallehs.com.

2021 Hall of Fame Inductees

Br. Robert Carnaghi, FSC, SJ '48 
The iconic Br. Robert (Bob) Carnaghi, a class of 1948 graduate from St. Joe's, spearheads the highly-decorated class. Br. Bob Carnaghi, who most notably served as De La Salle President from 2002-11, was a four-year basketball player at St. Joe's. He represented the school in the first-ever basketball city championship, which was played in 1947 at the old Olympia Stadium against Detroit-based Miller High School. The game was said to have attracted over 16,000 fans. As a result of his terrific play, he earned All-City basketball honors. He is the first St. Joe’s Blue Jay to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. 

He served three stints at De La Salle, with his first assignment coming in 1987. He served in a variety of roles, ranging from teacher and guidance counselor to vice-principal and finally president. Among his multitude of accolades was being inducted into the Detroit Catholic High School League Hall of Fame as an administrator in 2011. He also notably had the vacant Warren YMCA dedicated in his honor -- named the Brother Robert Activity Center (BRAC) -- in 2010. He passed away peacefully on March 2, 2021, at De La Salle Hall in Lincroft, N.J. 

Dr. Charles Lucas, DLS '55
Dr. Lucas participated in two years each of varsity track, football, and basketball. He was also part of a junior varsity basketball city championship team. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Detroit in 1959 and his doctor of medicine from Wayne State University in 1962. Presently, he’s a Professor of Surgery at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, and he’s enjoyed a long, successful career in the medical field. 

Vince Thomas, DLS '96
Thomas achieved eight varsity letters -- three in football, three in baseball, and two in basketball. In 1995, he received All-League, All-Catholic, All-County, and All-State honors in football. Additionally, in 1996, he received All-League, All-Catholic, All-County, and All-State honors in baseball. He followed that up by being named to the Michigan High School Athletic Association Football All-Star Game in 1995 and the MHSAA Baseball All-Star Game in 1996. Additionally, he was named the ROTC Athlete of the Year in 1996. Upon graduating, he received a baseball scholarship to Eastern Michigan University and became a four-year varsity letter winner at the university. Thomas was inducted into the Detroit Catholic High School League Hall of Fame in 2002. 

Mark Torzy, DLS '75
Torzy earned All-League, All-Catholic, All-City, All-State, and All-American honors in football. He was a three-year, two-way starter at linebacker and tight end. Following graduation,  he played football at the University of Michigan. He proceeded to be part of three Big Ten championship teams (1976, 1977 and 1978). He was also a participant in one Orange Bowl and three Rose Bowls. Torzy hails from a three-generation De La Salle family. His father Joseph, '39, and sons Shane, '07, and Kyle, '08, all attended and played football while at DLS.

Craig Wolanin, DLS '85
Wolanin played football and baseball as a Pilot. He played in the Ontario Hockey League with the Kitchener Rangers, before being drafted No. 3 overall in the first round of the 1985 NHL Draft, at only 17 years old, by the New Jersey Devils. He made his NHL debut, at just 18 years old, on October 10, 1985. He played 13 years in the National Hockey League, and logged time in nearly 700 total games, with New Jersey, the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche and the Toronto Maple Leafs. He holds the record for being the youngest defenseman in NHL history to record a three-point game. He also won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 1996. His professional hockey career also encompassed representing Team USA on four separate occasions -- in 1987 in Austria, in 1991 in both Finland and the Canada Cup, and in 1994 in Italy. 

2000 State Championship Baseball Team 
Led by head coach Brian Kelly, the 2000 De La Salle varsity baseball team finished 30-14. The Pilots started the season just 18-13, but went 12-1 the rest of the way, en route to capturing the Division 1 state championship over Catholic League Central Division rival Detroit Catholic Central. The Pilots defeated the Shamrocks, 3-1. De La Salle hit .315 for the season, while opponents hit just .206. Meanwhile, the pitching staff produced an impressive earned run average of 2.34, while the opposition posted a 6.40 ERA.