Honors Three Soccer Legends as Newest Members of the Hall of Fame
On Friday, October 5, the Seattle University Men’s Soccer team honored the three newest members of the Seattle University Athletic Hall of Fame at their 40th anniversary banquet. The three new members, Joe Zavaglia, Tom Hardy, and Bobby McAllister were all instrumental parts of building the men’s soccer team to what it is today. The trio were the first three soccer players to be inducted into the Seattle University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Joe Zavaglia was a member of the original soccer team in 1967. He was responsible for the school adopting the sport and was in charge of scheduling the first season of varsity competition. He helped to a 7-2 record their first season including wins over Seattle Pacific, and UW. He was named the most inspirational member of the team in 1967, ?68, and ?69.
Tom Hardy led the 1997 team to the school’s first national title. It was after winning the 1997 NAIA National Championship that Championship Field was given its name. That season Hardy was named the inaugural NAIA Men’s Soccer Player of the Year as well as both Outstanding Defensive Player and Most Valuable Player of the 1997 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship. He went on to be drafted into the MLS by the Kansas City Wizards.
Bobby McAllister was the 2004 NCAA Division II Player of the Year. He led to the Division II National Championships scoring 22 goals that season, which is still a school record. His final goal was the game winner in the national championship game to give the Redhawks the title and put himself on the final four all-tournament team.
All three men were present at the banquet, which was attended by the current Redhawks players and coaches, athletic administration, and friends of the program. The current team, coached by Brad Agoos is 12-2 and ranked #5 in the country in the current NSCAA/adidas National Poll.
A committee has been formed by the athletic department to select future classes to the Seattle University Athletic Hall of Fame. The committee meets monthly and plans to announce its next class sometime in 2008.