Hall of Fame

Athletic excellence to inspire future Trojans. 

The new class of athletes selected into the Athletic Hall of Fame are inducted in a ceremony at Homecoming every year. These individuals and teams left their mark on TA athletics and provided memorable moments that won't be forgotten. Their stories inspire future generations of Trojans to work hard and excel in their sport.

2023 Inductee Bob Kimball '63

Hall of Fame Inductees

Championship success in the sport of ice hockey in the state of Maine has historically been linked with schools located near the
Androscoggin River. For a two-year period, however, the capital of the sport in the state shifted south to Saco. In 2011 and 2012, Thornton
Academy captured the state title in hockey for the only times in the school’s history. Each of the championships had a very different script from the other, but included a cast of characters that rank among the finest players in Thornton history.

Mike coached golf at Thornton Academy for 25 years in two stints of 15 (1980 – 1994) and 10 years (2004 – 2013). He compiled an impressive 205 – 93 - 1 record, including three state championships. Mike’s golf resume alone justifies his induction into the TA Athletic Hall of Fame, but there is more. Mike coached baseball for 12 years, the last three from 1989 to 1991 serving as the Head Varsity Coach.  In addition, he  coached freshman basketball for many years. Mike can be equally proud of his 40-year career as a teacher in the Mathematics Department at TA.  He is credited with founding the first AP Statistics course offered at the school.

Kat was one of Thornton Academy’s most prolific and versatile athletes to run, hurdle, jump, and vault for the Trojans. From 2002 to 2005, she personally imprinted herself in the record books. Her performances in Track and Field helped her and her teammates propel TA to two Indoor Track and Field State Championships and two Outdoor Team State Championships along with winning her own Individual Championships. In indoor and outdoor track and field during her 10th , 11th , and 12th grade years, Kathleen scored in 17 of the 18 events she competed in, including relays, with only a false start in the 400 her sophomore year keeping her from scoring every time she entered a state meet event. Kathleen was the first TA female athlete to medal in the Indoor Track New England Championship by placing sixth in the 1000 meter in 2004, and likewise was the first to medal on the track in the Outdoor New England’s by placing fifth in the 800 meters.

Andy left his mark on Thornton Academy in a variety of different arenas over a sustained career that saw him succeed as a varsity player beginning his freshman year. He earned 10 letters in four varsity sports. Andy shined especially bright as both a baseball and hockey player. On the ice, Andy played for four years on the Trojans’ varsity team and was captain of the team both his junior and senior years. He was named to the 1996 and 1997 All-State Teams as a defenseman. Further, he was selected to the league’s All Scholastic Team all four years that he was part of the program. In 1997, Andy’s senior year, his hockey skills were recognized as he was selected to compete in Sweden as part of the Maine High School Elite team. On the baseball diamond, Andy earned All-Telegram league accolades in both 1996 and 1997, years in which he also captained the squads. In 1997, Andy was named the All- Conference SMAA first team second baseman, as he both fielded his position well and ended up as the SMAA runner-up in the chase for the batting title.

One of the finest athletes of his generation at Thornton Academy, Craig excelled in both football and baseball during his career at the school. He performed at a level of excellence which ranks him among the top players ever to don the Maroon and Gold in each sport. Craig was a two-time Telegram League First Team All Star and 1977 Telegram League batting champion. As a tailback on the football team, Craig proved to be a power runner who was difficult to tackle. As a senior, he rushed for more than 1,000 yards and scored all his team’s points in a game against Westbrook. For his efforts, he was named as a first-team performer on the Maine Sunday Telegram All-State Team.

The 1995-96 Girl’s Indoor Track team overcame many things to win the State Class A Championship that winter. Most obvious was the graduation of several seniors from the previous winter’s 1994-95 team, still considered one of the best indoor teams in the history of the state. In fact, the TA girls were not noted in the preseason as one of the favorites to contend for honors in the 1996 meet to be held in Orono. Additionally, in one of the meet’s most important events, the 4X200 relay, TA’s inability to clinch the meet as a result of failing to get the baton safely from athlete to athlete made for one gigantically exciting finish.

Brynn Smith is widely regarded as the best female thrower in the history of Thornton Academy track and field. Brynn holds the school record for the discus and is also the indoor and outdoor school record holder in the shot put. Brynn scored in the discus in the state meet her junior and senior years and also placed in the New England meet her senior year.

Dan Smith was a multi-sport athlete during his time at Thornton Academy, excelling in football as well as indoor and outdoor track and field.

When observing high school baseball and basketball games, invariably you will see the most talented athletes manning the positions of point guard and shortstop. In the late 1960s, Thornton Academy basketball coach Jim McGaffin and baseball coach Phil Curtis penciled in Richard “Dickie” Martin to those positions on their scorecards.

Well before the introduction of Title IX in 1972, which was the cornerstone of providing fairness and equity in amateur sports, female physical education instructors saw themselves as knowledgeable authority figures for their students. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, this influential group of women took control of providing physical education programs in a higher education setting. It was their mission to offer a balance between the rigors of intellectual endeavors with healthy and appropriate sporting activities.

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