Class of 2015

Peter "Rabbi" Henderson

Our next inductee is Peter “Rabbi” Henderson. Henderson graduated from Camden Rockport High School in 1975. While at Camden-Rockport, he earned 8 Varsity Letters working with the soccer and basketball teams, highlighted by serving as manager of 1973 team that won the Western Class B Championship, and the 1974 team that won a Class B State Championship. He also played on the varsity baseball team.

Henderson attended the University of Prince Edward Island where he worked with Mid-Coast Sports Hall of Fame member Gary Heald. At UPEI, Rabbi found his interest in hockey. He worked as the equipment manager for the University’s hockey team. He enjoyed this experience so much that he decided to make this his career. He began his professional hockey career with the Peoria Prancers of the International Hockey League during the 1982 1983 season. From 1983 until 1986, Rabbi worked for the Maine Mariners. After his work with the Mariners, Peter moved onto the National Hockey League, where he would work as the assistant equipment manager for the New Jersey Devils. In 1991 Rabbi returned to the Maine Mariners until they moved to Providence and became the Providence Bruins in 1992, where he stayed until 1998. At that point Peter was called up to the Boston Bruins to work as the equipment manager from 1998 until 2006. He received a Stanley Cup ring in 2011 for his years of service to the Bruins organization. Peter moved on to the Norfolk Admirals in 2007, and then back to the Providence Bruins in 2009. He has worked as an equipment manager in more than 2,000 professional games, which is over 300 more than any other person.

Peter has also had a deep impact on the midcoast sports scene. He coached baseball at Camden Rockport high school, and has been at the helm of several Babe Ruth teams in Camden and Rockland, winning over 300 games, making him one of the winningest coaches in Maine Babe Ruth history. He led his Babe Ruth teams to back-to-back state championships in 2002 and 2003, and took one Babe Ruth team to the New England tournament.

Karl Henrikson

Our next inductee is Karl Henrikson, a 1974 graduate of Georges Valley High School. He has had a long and storied career as a basketball athlete and coach here in the state of Maine. He has played basketball at the high school and collegiate level, and coached in high school, community college, NCAA Division III, NAIA, and professionally.

As an athlete at Georges Valley, Henrikson competed for the Bucs in Basketball, Soccer and Track and Field. He was a three-year member of the Buc’s Varsity Basketball team, and as a Senior Captain, Henrikson led the team to a 14-6 overall record, including a win against York in the Western Maine Class C tournament before bowing to eventual State Champion Hall Dale. Henrikson averaged 20.6 ppg and 16.8 rpg, and recorded 47 Blocked shots during his senior year. He had four 20 rebound games during that season and was named the Courier Gazette MVP.

As a collegiate athlete at the University of Southern Maine, Henrikson was named team captain in 1978. This team is often called the finest in USM history. The team, comprised of five 1000pt scorers, finished the year with a 22-6 overall record, were NAIA District V Champs, and participated in the NAIA National tournament. In the summer following his senior season, Henrikson represented the United States State Dept. as USM played 10 contests in Aruba and Curacao.

Henrikson began his coaching career in Fall of 1978 at Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute where he led the Techs to 30 plus wins in two seasons. From SMVTI, Henrikson coached the Lincoln Academy Eagles in 1980-81 to a Western Maine Class B tournament birth before a losing to Lake Region. From LA, Henrikson served as a member of Ed Bilik’s coaching staff at Springfield College in Massachusetts where in 81-82 season, he coached the sub-varsity, completed his masters degree coursework and was a awarded a doctoral fellowship.

Henrikson returned to Maine in 1982 to teach and coach at Mount Desert Island High Shool leading the Trojans to the Eastern Maine postseason five times. Henrikson left MDI in 1987 to coach Class A Edward Little, qualifying for two Western Maine Tournaments. Henrikson’s 1987-88 EL team set a school record for wins and Henrikson was named the SMAA Coach of the Year.

Henrikson was named the Head Basketball Coach at UM Presque Isle in 1989 and won 58% of contests against DIII, NAIA and DI opponents as UMPI’s coach. During his nine-year tenure, UMPI won an NCC Championship and Henrikson earned coach of the year. The team continued its success with an NAIA top 25 ranking and two trips to the MAC Tournament Finals. Henrikson coached three NAIA All Americans and the NAIA national Player of the Week.

Henrikson spent the 1998-99 season coaching professionally in Finland where he functioned as the Associate Head Coach of Namika Lahti, a traditional power in Finnish Basketball. His next stop was Maine Central Institute, where his nationally ranked prep team won 64 games in a three-year period at a 77% clip. Henrikson recruited 45 DI players to MCI placing them at UConn, George Mason, Texas A&M, Missouri, and many others. Two of Henrikson’s players participated in the NCAA DI final four, several have played abroad professionally, and Caron Butler, currently a member of the Sacramento Kings, was picked 10th overall in the 2002 NBA Draft.

In 2003, Henrikson returned to his Alma Mater, USM, where he is currently the Head Men’s Basketball Coach. During his tenure the Huskies have competed in the Division III power Little East Conference, where they have advanced to the LEC Semi Finals twice. Henrikson’s 14-15 Huskies defeated DI University of Maine in an exhibition contest. Under Henrikson, USM has won five Costello Cup Championships against rival St, Joseph’s College, placed one player in the USM Hall of Fame, and five on All Conference teams. Three of Henrikson’s Huskies have played professionally with stints in the US, Kosovo, Portugal, England, Mexico and Finland.

This September, Henrikson was inducted into the University of Maine at Presque Isle Athletics Hall of Maine.

Caitlin Hynes

Our next inductee is Caitlin Hynes. Caitlin was a standout athlete at Rockland District high school, playing for years of varsity field hockey, softball, and basketball for the Tigers. In field hockey Caitlin was a courier gazette All-Star four times, an all KVAC selection, and was an all-state player her senior season.

Though talented in all three sports, Caitlin truly shined the brightest in basketball. In her four years of high school Caitlin’s Rockland teams finished with a record of 55 wins and 25 losses, leading her team to the Eastern Maine tournament all four years, highlighted by an upset of the number one seeded Presque Isle Wildcats during her junior season.

Her senior year was filled with highlights as she scored her 1000th career point, becoming the first female basketball player and only the sixth Rockland athlete to reach that milestone, concluding her career with 1,097 points. She was named the KVAC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, was named a McDonald’s All Star, and was selected as an All State Player.

After graduating as Rockland high school’s valedictorian, Caitlin continued her basketball career at Bowdoin College.

During her four years at Bowdoin College, Caitlin helped lead her team to an overall record of 95 wins and 23 losses. She finished at Bowdoin with 889 points, 133 block shots which is second most in Bowdoin College history, and grabbed 509 rebounds during her 108 game career. She was a team captain during her senior season, starting all 29 games, and leading Bowdoin in scoring with 12.6 points per game, 5.2 rebounds, and blocked a team-high 54 shots. Bowdoin finished that season with a record of 22 wins and seven losses, advancing to the NESCAC semifinals and reaching the NCAA Division III Sweet 16, before losing to Kean University.

That season, Hynes was honored as being named second team all NESCAC, she was named to the second team of the all New England women’s basketball Association, was named the NESCAC player of the week once and was named the Maine college player of the week twice. Considering the academic rigors of the NESCAC Conference, nicknamed the Little Ivies, it is very impressive that Caitlin was also an All-Academic Conference selection during her Junior and Senior seasons.

Adelbert “Red” Norwood

Our next inductee is Red Norwood. Adelbert “Red” Norwood was born in Rockland Maine. He graduated from Gould academy in Bethel, Maine in 1946. While at Gould, he earned varsity letters in football, basketball, and baseball. He graduated from the University of Maine in 1950, lettering in basketball and baseball, and earned his masters degree from George Washington University in 1966.

Mr. Norwood signed a professional baseball contract for the Boston Red Sox in 1950. His five-year minor-league record was 46 wins and 34 losses. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1952 to 1954. Red managed professionally in the Appalachian rookie league for the Minnesota twins from 1960 until 1963, winning the league twice and finishing second twice. He managed for the Kansas City Royals organization in 1964. Norwood managed the semi pro Luray Colonials from 1965 until 1968, winning the league all four years.

While working as a teacher at Washington-Lee high school in Virginia, Red Norwood coached junior varsity baseball in 1957 and 1958 with a record of 31 wins and five losses. He coach varsity baseball from 1959 to 1987 with a record of 384 wins and 180 losses. His teams won the districts 19 times and the regionals 14 times. Although, for more than half of his career Virginia did not recognize state champions in baseball, Norwood’s teams achieved state runner-up status twice. He is the most successful baseball coach in the program’s 70 year history. Norwood also coach varsity soccer winning over 300 games. Norwood also restarted the girls varsity basketball program at Washington -Lee high school 1974, coaching for 15 years. Out of all of his great sports achievements, perhaps Norwood’s greatest contribution to Washington – Lee high school was his dedication. A coach and a teacher for over 32 years, until his retirement in January 1988, Norwood never missed a single day of school when students were present.

Red gained many honors through his association with baseball. Among them, he was named Coach of the year by the Better Sports Club of Virginia in 1972, he was inducted into the Homeplate Club, Sandlot Hall of Fame in 1977, and he was inducted into the Virginia high school Hall of Fame in 1992.

Phil Page

Phil Page, while attending Lincoln Academy from 1966 to 1970, was an outstanding four-year, three sport athlete in cross-country, track, and basketball.

In 1969, he won the regional class B cross country championship at Colby college, and placed a week later third overall in the state meet. In track, Phil broke the Lincoln Academy 2 mile record in the Knox Lincoln and Waldo championships at Bowdoin College, while leading LA to another track title. He later placed third in the 2 mile at the state track meet. Phil also was a great 880, and mile runner and finished second in the state mile his senior year.

Phil's basketball career was highlighted by a 38 point scoring performance in an LA victory over George's Valley his senior year. It was Phil’s attitude and pride in defense, however, which made him a special player. Phil’s high school athletic career was capped off at Lincoln Academy by his winning the prestigious Balfour award for the schools top athlete in 1970.

After graduating from the University of Southern Maine in 1975, Phil took a job at Medomak Valley as a teacher and assistant basketball coach under Art Dyer. He served seven years as a freshman and JV basketball coach along with coaching both cross-country and track. The players he helped to develop as freshman and JV players later on won the 1980 State Class B Basketball championship with an undefeated record of 27-0.

In the early 1980s, Phil returned to Lincoln Academy and dedicated himself to a long-term visionary program for basketball success. He rebuilt the boys basketball program from the ground up and in a few years the program took off. He won the conference championship in 1988 and the state class B championship in 1989. Phil’s overall basketball record in 11 varsity seasons was 127 wins and 79 losses. In 1995, he retired from varsity coaching. The Page era continues at Lincoln Academy however. The children’s programs that he built for summer hoop camps, all stars, and cross country invitational’s for grades three through eight are still, after 35 years, running strong today.

As an athletic director for more than 30 years, Phil was well respected by the conference as a consummate professional both in coaching and sports administration. His teaching career in the classroom matched his longtime athletic work ethic and deep dedication to the success of sports at Lincoln Academy. Phil Page stands alone as a legendary sport symbol at Lincoln Academy. He has over many years, both educationally and athletically, enriched the lives of hundreds of students at Lincoln Academy and Medomak Valley. Many administrators and educators have admired first hand, his unique style, pride, dedication, and true patriotism to his life’s work with kids. As an honor and lasting tribute, Lincoln Academy dedicated the 2015 yearbook in his honor.

Don Shields

Our next inductee is Don Shields. Don Shields grew up in Rockport, and was a graduate of Camden-Rockport High School where he was a four year Varsity Manager for the Windjammer’s soccer, basketball, and baseball teams. After graduating from the north east broadcasting school in Boston, Don began his radio career at WVCC radio in Linesville, Pennsylvania and a year later moved on to WMBA in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, where he called a handful of American Legion baseball games. In the 1980s, Don returned to Maine to take a position with WCME in Wiscasset, and in 1985 he was hired by WRKD and WMCM in Rockland and this is where his sportscasting career took off, as he has called local high school games for more than 30 years.

He called a few games here and there for the station, but in 1988, he was named the station’s number one sportscaster and called the majority of station’s local games, most notably basketball.

During his 23 year tenure at WRKD and WMCM in Rockland, Don Shields called countless regular season and postseason high school games in a variety of sports. In addition to his work at WRKD and WMCM, Don also freelanced for WQDY in Calais and WABI radio in Bangor, stations at which he called many eastern Maine tournament games, and he even did a pair of Class A tournament games for Channel 5 out of Bangor.

In 2006, he created and headed Fox Sports Maine’s wall to wall coverage of the Classes A, C, and D tournament at the Augusta Civic Center. From 1989 through 2008, Shields called at least one High School State Championship basketball game annually, and beyond basketball, Don had the honor of calling Georges Valley High School’s state championship soccer and softball wins, Rockland’s lone Baseball State Championship win, as well as nearly a dozen State Championship Football Games for Fox Sports Maine.

After leaving WRKD/WMCM, he spend a year calling high school games for Maine TV 85 before joining 105.5 where he has worked and called local basketball games since 2010.

In October of 2007, Shields was hired by Black Bear Sports Properties to become the new voice of the University of Maine Women’s Basketball team and has traveled with the team for the last 8 years, calling games in 20 different states including working at the WNIT last season at Villanova University.

Through all his work in broadcasting, Don has received numerous honors, winning over a dozen Play by Play awards from the Maine Association of Broadcasters, and in 2007 he was named the MAB’s Broadcaster of the Year which also placed him in that organization’s hall of fame. In 2004, he was named the winner of the Maine Interscholastic Athletic Administrator Media Award for outstanding coverage of High School Sports, and this past June he received the Maine Sportscaster of the Year Award from the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

Away from the broadcast booth, for the last 20 years Coach Shields has been very involved in the local baseball scene, first as an umpire for 10 years, and for the last decade he has served as the varsity baseball coach for the Georges Valley Buccaneers, and then as the coach for the Oceanside Mariners, leading that team to a KVAC Championship Title in 2015.

Dana Verge

Our next inductee is Dana Verge. Dana played basketball, baseball, and ran cross-country for Waldoboro High School. He was selected by the faculty of that school as the “Outstanding Athlete of the Year” his senior year. Upon graduating from Waldoboro High School, Mr. Verge went on to Thomas College where he played basketball and baseball. He averaged 19.2 points per game during his sophomore year and was named team MVP for that season.

At the local level, Mr. Verge has been involved with baseball for over 55 years as a player, coach, umpire, and District Commissioner for Little League Baseball. He has been a member of the KLW Umpire’s Association for over 52 years. He has served as President, Vice-President, Rules Interpreter, and a member of the board’s executive committee.

Mr. Verge has taught classes to prospective umpires, and he has umpired Babe Ruth Playoff and Championship Games, he umpired at Fenway Park for a Fantasy Baseball League, and he has volunteer umpired for little league for over 40 years, including serving for 25 years as the District Commissioner for the KLW Little League, which stretches from Searsport to Wiscasset.

In basketball, Mr. Verge is a forty year member of the IAABO – Eastern Maine Board 111 – serving as President one year and as a member of the executive committee for four years. He has worked basketball tournament games at both the Bangor Auditorium and Augusta Civic Center. He has taught classes to prospective basketball officials and was instrumental in starting boy’s pee wee basketball in Thomaston. He coached pee wee basketball for four years, leading his team to one championship. He played adult basketball in Rockland for six years winning one league championship.

Mr. Verged was honored as the Grand Marshall of the Thomaston 4th of July Parade that had baseball as its main theme, certainly a fitting person for that job. In all Dana Verge has umpired and officiated over 4,000 games at all levels of competition.