Class of 2021

Michael Curtis

Michael attended Rockland District High School from 1999-2003 and was a three sport letter winner in football, basketball and baseball. In high school he was a tailback and defensive back and set many football records that still stand today. He is the all time rushing leader with 3,322 all purpose yards. He scored 32 touchdowns over his career and 19 two point conversions for a school record 230 points. In one game Mike scored 6 touchdowns, three two point conversions, ran for a total of 318 yards and scored 42 points. He was a two time team MVP in football and a two time all Campbell Conference running back. In his sophomore year he was honored as an all LTC honorable mention defensive back. He captained the football team his junior and senior years. Mike is the first Rockland player ever to be one of 10 finalists for the state of Maine’s prestigious James J. Fitzpatrick award. The Fitzpatrick award is to Maine high school football what the Heisman Trophy is to college football. During his senior year he was honored with the Gatorade offensive player of the year award. He was recruited to play at a number of colleges in New England and went on to Bowdoin College where he competed as a running back, kick return specialist and defensive back. Mike was chosen as the first RDHS scholar athlete to the Maine Chapter of the College Football Hall of Fame. Mike’s breakup of a pass play in the last game of the season at Colby secured the 2006 CBB championship for Bowdoin. His 6 kick returns at Trinity totaled 142 yards and was good enough for fourth all-time at Bowdoin. While in high school he was named to the all academic KVAC football and baseball teams. Mike was an outstanding baseball player. He played second base, was the Tigers lead-off hitter, led the team in steals and was always a threat on the bases because of his outstanding speed. Mike could also hit for power and hit three homeruns his senior year. He served as team captain his senior year and was second team all KVAC at second base. He was also selected for the Courier Gazette all star baseball team. As a 15 year old, Mike was an integral member of the Knox County State Champion Babe Ruth team .

Mike was also a member of the state champion theater team his freshmen year and played in the band. He enjoyed his time coaching younger players at Tiger football camps. Mike’s dedication to football was on display when as an eight year old, Tiger football was in financial trouble as the school board did not fund it. Mike got in the dunk booth at the Lobster Festival to help raise money for the program, showing his lifelong commitment to the sport and his community.

Keenan Flanagan

Keenan Flanagan, a 1980 graduate of Rockland District High School was a star athlete in both basketball and golf. He helped lead Rockland to the first of six state golf championships from 1980 to 1988.

After a year at Maine Maritime Academy, he decided to follow his passion and make a career in golf. He started as an assistant golf professional at the Augusta Country Club in 1982. Four years later he became the head golf professional at Springbrook Golf Club. He married his wife Marsha the following year and they recently celebrated their thirty-fourth wedding anniversary. They have two children, Riley and Kendra.

In 1993, he was hired as Director of Golf at Riverwood Golf Club in Port Charlotte Florida, staying six years. In 1998, Keenan was offered the pro job at the Rockland Golf Club as the successor of Peter Hodgkin. His roots lured him back to his hometown and closer to his family. It should be mentioned that he was the fourth Flanagan pro at Rockland, his grandfather James, His great Uncle Arthur, and his Uncle Jim.

Keenan’s 40 years in the golf profession include many accomplishments. Here are a few. He was inducted into the Maine Golf Hall of in 2019, Maine Chapter PGA Golf Professional of the year in 2019, twenty seasons as the golf coach at Ocean Side, 3-time KVAC coach of the year, KVAC golf champions multiple pro junior championships, multiple pro-lady championships, director of the First Tee Program at Rockland, director of Mid Coast Junior golf promoting junior golf on the coast of Maine, Maine Chapter PGA Pro-am Champion, Maine Chapter PGA Pro-Pro Champion, and over 3500 golf lessons given throughout his career.

Keenan’s greatest accomplishment might be his versatility to guide his hometown course in good times and bad. His ability to expand his job to both golf pro and grounds superintendent, he has guided Rockland from the booming popularity of golf in the early 2000’s with its 600 members and through the tough times in the early 2010’s to present with its membership in the 100’s. Through the bad times with a drastically reduced budget, the quality of a well maintained golf course has remained constant. Rockland Golf Course was named the second best municipal golf course by Golf Advisor in 2018 and twenty first in New England. His staff has worked hard to accommodate and give its members and visitors a quality course to play.

Walt Gorneau

Walter Gorneau was a three sport athlete at Hallowell High School, participating in football, basketball and baseball and captaining all three teams. At the University of Maine at Presque Isle, he was involved with a very competitive intramural program in football, basketball and softball, receiving the outstanding intramural athlete award his senior year. Walt's teaching career included assignments at high schools in Lubec, Gray-New Gloucester, Boothbay Region, and Wiscasset where he taught physical education, health and driver's education. He also coached a variety of sports including basketball, baseball, golf, and softball, and served as athletic director at Boothbay Regional High School.

Since 1967, Walter has been involved with the Western Maine Board of Soccer Officials, the Mid-Coast Board of Soccer Officials, and the Central Maine Board of Soccer Officials, as president, interpreter, and state examiner. Similarly, he is a member of the Central Maine and Western Maine Board of Basketball Officials and the Central Maine Board of Baseball umpires.

Walter has officiated soccer for fifty years, basketball for forty-six years and baseball for thirty-two years. In addition to high school games, he has officiated in summer soccer leagues, men's league games, and summer baseball programs such as Babe Ruth and American Legion as well as others.

In addition to his high school teaching and coaching career for thirty-five years, Walt's service to the many athletes and communities with whom he has come in contact through his fifty plus years of officiating is certainly worthy and deserving of his election to the Mid-Coast Maine Sports Hall of Fame.

Emilio Mazzeo

One of 10 children born to Italian immigrant parents in 1920, Emilio attended Rockland High School from 1937-1940. He lettered in football, hockey and track, captaining the football team. In 1940, he won the State Class B mile run. During one Knox-Lincoln Meet he won 5 running events. While still in high school he beat the entire University of Maine JV squad in a race. Just before enlisting in the service in 1941, he won the Portland Boys Club 5 miler, which was the most prestigious race in the State at that time. While in the military his running tapered off a bit, but while taking Army Ranger training, he had to do some running and the desire to run was rekindled. Just before getting out of the service in 1945, he entered a 10 miler in Hawaii, where he was stationed, and another in Old Orchard Beach, winning both of these races.

Emilio started accompanying his older brother Bruno, to some races in Massachusetts. During this time, his interest in marathon running began, competing in his first Boston Marathon in 1946. He came in 19th place, finishing 6 spots ahead of his brother Bruno. In 1947, Emilio ran his best Boston Marathon ever, finishing 7th with a time of 2:38:03 and being the 2nd place American finisher. In 1948, Emilio finished 9th in the Boston Marathon, being the 4th place American finisher. Since this marathon was the official trials for the Olympic Team, he earned a first alternate position on the Olympic Team. Unfortunately, in those days, Olympic athletes had to pay their own way to attend the Olympics and Emilio could not afford to pay his way to London. There was some consolation though, because just before the Olympics that year, there was an exhibition marathon in Los Angeles. Emilio was invited with all expenses paid by the AAU. Even though the smog caused him issues, he still finished 4th among some of the top marathoners in the world. The race finished in the Los Angeles Coliseum in front of 100,000 cheering spectators.

The Mazzeo Brothers, Bruce and Emilio are known as some of the greatest runners to come out of the midcoast area and now both inducted into our Hall.

Chris McKenney

Chris was a 1989 graduate of Lincoln Academy where he was an outstanding athlete in soccer, basketball, baseball and track. He is regarded as one of the best athletes to come out of Lincoln Academy by those who followed his progress. His legacy will be how he challenged himself as a players, and how he in turn challenged those who he coached to perform at a high level. In his youth, he gravitated to the YMCA in town and turned to athletics as his outlet. Whatever the YMCA offered for programming he excelled in, notably soccer, basketball, and baseball. Once he got to high school he contributed right off. He was a lynchpin of a competitive era in Eagle sports: As a soccer player Chris helped his team win the State Class B Championship in 1987 and State Runner-ups in 1988. He was voted All State his junior and senior years and selected as the Maine Sunday Telegram Player of the Year in 1987. In basketball, Chris was the Lincoln Academy all time leading scorer with 1,157 points. His Lincoln Academy teams appeared in three consecutive state tournaments, highlighted by a Western Maine runner-up finish in 1988 and a State Class B title in 1989, in which Chris scored 45 points in the championship game versus Rockland. He played varsity baseball his first three years, being the starting shortstop. During his junior year he finished in the top five for batting average in Western B baseball and 1st in stolen bases. During his senior year, Chris ran track in the spring, becoming the team MVP. He won the Western B regional 200 meter and was a member of the Western B regional 4 x 100 relay team.

After high school he prepped at Bridgton Academy. After Bridgton, he joined the US Army becoming a member of the famous hard charging troop of the 101st airborne. This assignment found him serving during combat in the Middle East. After his discharge, he enrolled and played for Coach Graffam at Westbrook College for one year. The next year Westbrook merged with UNE and Chris played one year for the Nor’easters. Coming back home, he coached at Lincoln Academy for several years becoming the varsity coach for three. He engineered one of the greatest upsets in Class B tournament history with a satisfying win over powerhouse Greely. He has coached many AAU basketball teams, both boys and girls. While winning was important, Chris used this platform to teach life long skills. Because of this approach his players are incredibly loyal and seek his advice to this day. Today, Chris is a successful contractor with a wonderful family; wife Anniepat, son- Patrick and daughter- Catherine.

Dennis Pratt

Coach Pratt is the 6th Islander to be inducted into the Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame. Dennis was not a native of Vinalhaven, but now after living there for over 40 years, considers it his home. In high school and college, Dennis was a three sport athlete in soccer, basketball, and baseball. Coming to an island as a teacher and coach in 1978, Dennis probably had no idea what life was going to be like. He quickly found out no island baseball had been played in 12 years, since Coach White had left the program. Also, soccer was never an island sport and basketball had not featured a competitive team since 1966. When Dennis took over as school AD, these three island sports were at the “bottom of the barrel.” Now some 40 years later Mr. Pratt is the winningest coach in island sports history. He never bragged about accomplishments or complained about having to coach all three sports. Dennis Pratt, as AD, teacher and coach made Vinalhaven a place where all kids could excel, not only in the classroom, but in a variety of sports. For example, island cross country teams, little league softball and baseball, along with junior high soccer and basketball all became positive feeder programs for future high school teams. This year, 2021, a very young baseball team called the Little League Raves completed an undefeated season against mainland competition, so the current high school program has a bright future.

A few years ago the people of Vinalhaven dedicated it’s brand new school gym with the name “The Pratt Gym” to honor Dennis and his 33 years of service to the school.

Finally, dedicated past players such as Traci Littlefield, Krissy Davidson, Kyle Genevicz, Joe Pratt, and of course Raymond Alley would want this audience to know the following: for 7 straight seasons, Coach Pratt coached both the varsity boys and girls teams, a rare feat in Maine basketball history. During that time, his teams won 172 games, an average of 25 combined wins per season. To top this off, he coached the boys team for another 15 years until 2002 while also teaching and serving as the Athletic Director.

His wife Tori also played and coached at Vinalhaven for 16 years, so the Pratt family has truly cemented their dedication to island sports for over 40 seasons.

Once again, as a teacher, athletic director and coach, Dennis was no menace, but a great role model for island kids to admire. His induction is a very proud moment for the people of Vinalhaven.

Gary Woodcock

Gary graduated from Thomaston/Georges Valley High School in 1966. He was a two sport athlete in basketball and baseball, and was voted Outstanding Male Athlete at Georges Valley his senior year. Gary was most noted for his baseball accomplishments as a pitcher. He had tremendous success in Little League, Babe Ruth and American Legion baseball, pitching no hitters on several occasions. During his high school career he was the ace of the staff, having two stretches of 21 and 25 scoreless innings. Gary went on to Colby College, having a very successful college career. His sophomore year was probably his best at Colby, pitching 66 innings, with 45 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.043. During his junior year he had an impressive win over perennial powerhouse, Miami Dade, allowing only 5 hits in a 4-1 win. Gary developed arm problems late in his junior year and was never able to pitch again. This arm issue probably cost him a chance at a professional baseball opportunity. After graduation from Colby, Gary embarked on a 37-year baseball coaching career at various levels, culminating in being the varsity baseball coach at Wiscasset High School.

Carl Woodman

Carl grew up in Owls Head and graduated from Rockland District High School in 1964. He graduated from Maine Maritime Academy in 1968 with a degree in Marine Engineering. After graduating MMA Carl shipped out in the Merchant Marines for two and a half years. He then became a self employed lobsterman. In 1987, he became owner and operator of the White Gates Motel in Rockport. In 1998, he sold the motel and returned to lobstering. Carl and his wife Linda have a daughter Dawn, a son Jeffrey and five grandchildren.

During his school years, Carl played Rec League basketball in grades 5 and 6, and Busline League basketball in grades 7-8. As a student at Rockland District High School, he played J-V basketball his freshman year and varsity basketball his sophomore, junior and senior years. He also played varsity baseball for three years and track for one year. Carl was an outstanding shooter and led the Tigers basketball team to a number 2 ranking in the Eastern Maine LL division his senior year. Because of his efforts, he was named to the Eastern LL tourney all star team and all state second team.

At Maine Maritime Academy Carl played varsity basketball all four years. He still had a great “shooting eye” and was named all conference and MVP his sophomore, junior and senior years. He also played baseball at MMA his freshmen year.

Carl returned from shipping out and enjoyed playing at the Rockland Recreation (Flanagan) Center for the next 17 years in the adult basketball league. Over the years Carl has enjoyed coaching basketball teams of various age groups. In the Rockland system he coached seventh grade boys’ basketball for eight years, freshmen boys’ basketball for four years, girls’ summer varsity basketball for one year, JV boys’ basketball for four years and was a varsity boys’ basketball assistant coach for five years during which the Tigers won their only state championship. In the early 70’s, he coached Rec League Boys’ basketball for four years. In recent years he has assisted his son in coaching Rec League basketball teams, both boys and girls. He also has assisted his son in coaching seventh grade boy’s and girl’s basketball.