West Springfield High School Athletic Hall of Fame Committee Chair Brian Griffin spoke at a previous induction ceremony, which will be announced for 2026 in the coming weeks.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Nominations for this year’s West Springfield High School Athletic Hall of Fame induction class are officially open until Sept. 30 for athletes, teams, coaches or special contributors who have helped shape WSHS athletics.
The community is invited to nominate potential inductees into the Terrier Hall of Fame for their accomplishments, leadership or dedication to West Springfield.
Athletes are eligible five years after graduation, teams are eligible after five years and coaches are eligible three years after retirement from the sport.
Special contributors are considered those who have helped develop, inspire and foster growth in WSHS athletics or the community.
Special nominees are also included in the nomination form and include candidates who have been selected into any state or national hall of fame, have achieved a world record, have participated and represented the United States in the Olympics or World Games or is a member of a professional or amateur national championship team.
The West Springfield High School Athletic Hall of Fame Committee formed in a 2016 collaboration with Town Councilor Brian Griffin and Mayor William Reichelt after WSHS baseball won the Division I state championship.
Griffin has served as the committee chair since and said it has held onto most of the original members.
“We sat together and we said ‘geez, why don’t we have a Hall of Fame here in West Springfield,’” Griffin said. “We decided to create one and since then, we’ve had many classes … I think our first class was 2018.”
Griffin said the classes typically see about six athletes, two teams, two coaches and two special contributors — tallying to about 12 inductees a year. He said some inductees are Olympic gold medalists and people who have gone on to have long careers in athletics or coaching.
“[Inductees] harken back to where their athletic careers all started,” Griffin said. “They started on West Side, and when they all come back, they just feel that this is where it all started for them and it’s remarkable … As we’re developing the script together for the events, we learn so much about our athletes, about our history. This is half the reason why we’re doing it, because it thrills us so much. The stories that come out of how hard it is to be an athlete in particular, but nevermind being in the Hall of Fame, the stories behind it and where they’ve gone from when they were in West Springfield as athletes to national, international successes. We embrace all of it.”
He recalled looking at soccer teams from the 1970s and having the chance to learn about how they are still together as a family.
“You see those people come back and they’re all collectively together in one room beaming with pride,” Griffin said. “That’s really what it’s all about. This is really why we have it, to recognize those individuals of those teams and those special contributors and thank them for all they did and the commitment it took. It is a tremendous amount of commitment to be an athlete in high school and a tremendous amount of commitment to further yourself in your career as well.”
The committee is still receiving nominations and will announce the induction ceremony date in the coming weeks. Nominations can be submitted at wsps.org under the “families and community” tab.
