Five to be Inducted into Athletic Hall of Fame

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Two of the most prolific offensive players in University at Buffalo football history, the first 1,000-point scorer and leading rebounder in women's basketball and a record-setting swimmer comprise the next class to be inducted into the UB Athletic Hall of Fame.

The quartet, as well as a contributor and staunch supporter of the UB athletics program, will be honored during a dinner and induction ceremony beginning at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 23 in the Center for Tomorrow on the UB North Campus.

The Hall of Fame is sponsored by the UB Alumni Association.

Tickets for the dinner and induction ceremony are $50 and can be obtained by contacting the UB Office of Alumni Relations at 829-2608.

This year's inductees are:

• The Rev. Christopher D'Amico, B.S. '85, a wide receiver for the football team who set seven school records, two of which still stand.

In 1983, D'Amico set what were then school records in receptions (56, placing him 14th in NCAA Division III), yardage (929) and touchdowns (10). In single-season statistics, D'Amico remains tied for first in TDs, and stands fourth in yardage and fifth in catches.

In addition, he is tied for first in career TD receptions (19), ranks second in career yardage (2,331) and third in total receptions (143). All of those figures broke the previous UB standards in each category.

His four TD grabs against Alfred in November 1983 still stand as a school record.

After his junior year, D'Amico was named a third-teamer on the Pizza Hut Division III All America Team and was first-team All-Upstate New York -- an honor he also would earn after his senior year after catching 48 passes for 747 yards and four TDs.

D'Amico turned down invitations to sign as a free agent with teams in the National and U.S. Football leagues after graduation and enrolled in Rhema Bible College in Tulsa, Okla., where he received a degree in pastoral studies in 1987. He established Chris D'Amico Ministries five years ago. He lives in Tulsa, Okla.

• Alan Bell Jr., B.A. '97, the second-leading career rusher in Bulls' gridiron history. A starter for four years who played for three different head coaches, Bell also returned punts and kickoffs. Statistically, he stands in the top 10 in 34 categories and is the leader in three: single-game rushing -- 266 yards against Duquesne in 1991; average gain per carry in a single game -- 10.2, also against Duquesne, and kickoff yardage -- 159 -- in a single game. Bell rushed for 100 yards or more in 10 games and stands second in career 100-yard games. He was the last UB player to return a kickoff for a touchdown, against Ithaca on Oct. 14, 1989.

A Buffalo resident, Bell serves as assistant equipment manager for the Division of Athletics.

• Ann Marie Gorski, Ed.M. 2000, B.A. '94, who broke eight UB women's swimming records from 1991-95 and was a member of the team that won the East Coast Conference (1993-94) title. She still maintains the UB mark (4:31.28) in the 400-yard individual medley, established during her senior year. Gorski was a multiple Division II All American, and also earned honors within the Eastern College Athletic Conference. She was the most valuable swimmer on the 1994-95 team and during the same year was presented the Clifford Furnas Award for outstanding academic and athletic excellence.

A resident of Warsaw, she teaches French at Letchworth Central School.

• Janet Lilley, who attended UB from 1977-82, and became the most prolific rebounder in women's basketball history. Although the 6-0 center played in only 67 career games -- 40 fewer than the present leading career scorer -- she stands fifth on the all-time point list with 1,127. Her per-game career average of 16.8 points is the highest in UB women's history, and her 480 career field goals rank her second in that category. Lilley also is UB's all-time leading rebounder, with 982 during her career -- pulling down a school-record 26 in one game. Additionally, she shares the single-game record (8) for blocks and stands fifth in career blocks.

Lilley lives in Odenton, Md., and is a stay-at-home mom.

• The late Howard Tieckelmann, Ph.D. '48, who will be presented, posthumously, with the Russell J. Gugino Award for his "significant and long-term commitment to athletics." Tieckelmann, former chair of the UB Department of Chemistry, served on the UB Faculty Athletic Committee, the principal planning and oversight body for university athletics. Tieckelmann and his late wife, Betty, were long-time season ticket-holders in both basketball and football, and were familiar figures, at not only home games, but many road games, as well.