Sep. 19, 1996-Vol28n04: Three alumni to be inducted into Athletic Hall of Fame Sept. 27

Three alumni to be inducted into Athletic Hall of Fame Sept. 27

By MARY BETH SPINA
News Services Editor

Three UB alumni who distinguished themselves in athletics during their college careers will be inducted into the UB Athletic Hall of Fame at a dinner to be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, in the Center for the Arts on the North Campus.

Gerald J. ("Faker") LaFountain of Scottsdale, Ariz.; George V. Lesser of Amherst, and Edgar Greenard Poles of Buffalo will be inducted into the hall of fame by UB President William R. Greiner and Athletic Director Nelson E. Townsend.

The dinner is open to the public; tickets are $30 per person and reservations must be made by Sept. 20. Call 829-2608 or 1-800-BUILD-UB.

LaFountain, Lesser and Poles also will be honored at halftime of the UB Bulls-Edinboro University Fighting Scots game, which will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, in UB Stadium on the North Campus

LaFountain, who earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1966, received honorable mention in 1965 for the NCAA Division I football all-star team. He also won three intercollegiate skiing championships, and was named to the All-East NCAA Division I first team in 1965. He played professional football for seven years with the Edmonton Eskimos. He is a real estate executive.

Lesser, D.D.S. '39, earned first place in the Class "A" epee in the 1939 Eastern Intercollegiate Fencing Championships, winning 12 consecutive matches and upsetting the defending champion. He also earned second place in sabre and fifth in foil in the 1939 championships. He retired from practicing dentistry in 1993.

Poles earned bachelor's degrees in social welfare and business administration, both in 1973. He was undefeated as a freshman in the wrestling unlimited weight class, and suffered only one varsity defeat as a sophomore wrestling in the 191-pound class. A defensive lineman on the football team, he was named to the Associated Press All-East second team in 1965 and received honorable mention for the AP All-American team in 1965. He played professional football for the Edmonton Eskimos and the British Columbia Lions for four years, receiving the Joe Clark Memorial trophy as the outstanding rookie in 1966.

He twice has been named Black Achiever of the Year in Buffalo. He is supervisor of distribution operations at the William Street Post Office and also serves as coordinator of the Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers Inc.'s income-tax assistance program.