In addition to honoring Gorman and Vincent, the Tribute Dinner also held a fundraising auction with items donated from Seattle U teams, alumni, and other area sponsors. In all, the 200 attendees helped raise over $20,000 for the various Seattle U sports.
Gorman played tennis for Seattle U from 1965 to 1968, earning two All-American nominations. After graduation, he went on to play professional tennis in three different decades, peaking in 1974 after being ranked #10 on the worldwide ATP rankings. Gorman won seven singles titles throughout his career and reached semifinal rounds of three majors: Wimbledon in 1971, the US Open in 1972, and the French Open in 1973. After his playing career, Gorman went on to lead the US Davis Cup team to victory in 1990 as the squad's coach.
Gorman had the opportunity to reflect on his years at SU in front of the crowd and spoke about what the Tribute Dinner meant to him. "This is such a big event," Gorman said during his speech. "I'm moved by it... I really appreciate it and my family appreciates it as well."
Vincent attended the school from 1964 to 1967 and was named the MVP of the men's golf team three times. At Seattle U, he medaled in over 25 events and won the Banana Belt Intercollegiate Tournament. He went on to play professional golf intermittently for four years, winning one PGA tour event; the 1971 Ponce de Leon Open. While golfing professionally, Vincent worked in the golf business as well, founding OB Sports, a course management and remodeling company. As that company grew, he designed and built 80 courses around the country, including Washington National Golf Club in Auburn, Wash. He was named the PGA's Professional of the year twice thanks to his commercial golf successes.
Vincent also spoke at the event, sharing stories about his teammates. He credits them for helping him build up his game and make his college years memorable. He also spoke to the current Seattle U golf teams, encouraging the members to keep working hard and set high goals for themselves.
The Seattle University athletic program is in its final year of reclassifying back to Division I. Starting in the 2012-13 season, 17 of its 19 sports will join the Western Athletic Conference.