FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 18, 2008


Dagostino, Hofman, Marshall highlight Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame’s 2008 induction class

GAINESVILLE – Berkeley Preparatory School girls volleyball coach Randy Dagostino, Piper High School baseball coach Rich Hofman, and former Olympic swimmer Ann Marshall front the list of 8 individuals selected for induction this year into the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Joining them in the Class of 2008 are: former Bartow High School head cross country and track & field coach J.J. Corbett; former Wewahitchka High School softball coach Charles Fortner; Orange County athletic director Trish Highland; former Freeport High School cross country and track & field coach Aubrey Rentz; and former Tivoli High School football coach Arthur Woodard.

This is the 17th group to be inducted into the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame, formerly the FHSAA Hall of Fame. Founded during the 1990-91 school year, the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame keeps alive the tradition and spirit of high school athletics, and honors each year those persons who through distinguished achievement have excelled in one or more high school programs sponsored by the Association and its member schools. This year’s 8 inductees bring the number of deserving individuals who have been enshrined in the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame to 119. They include student-athletes, coaches, administrators, contest officials and other contributors, such as sports writers, who have raised the level of awareness of high school activities through their efforts, achievements and dedication. The 2008 Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Awards Banquet will be held April 6 at the Best Western Gateway Grand Hotel in Gainesville.

Dagostino, 57, is in his 26th year as the head girls volleyball coach at Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa, where he has established a 710-150 record and won 12 state championships. During his tenure at Berkeley Prep, 45 of his volleyball players have received NCAA Division I scholarships. Dagostino has received Coach of the Year honors seven times, and he appeared in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" column on the occasion of his 500th victory. He was chosen as the inaugural Mizuno National All-Star Match coach in 1992, and organized the FACA All-Star Match for seven years. Dagostino is credited with starting the first club volleyball program in Florida in 1984.

Hofman, 63, served as the head baseball coach at Westminster Christian School in Miami for 31 years, winning eight state championships and two national championships. He then moved to Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, where he added two more state titles. Hofman is currently the head baseball coach at Piper High School in Sunrise and holds a career record of 953-234-16, winning 80 percent of his games. He sent more than 200 players to college teams, and 40 players have been drafted by professional teams, including New York Yankees All-Star third baseman Alex Rodriguez. Hofman is a seven-time National Coach of the Year and a 10-time State Coach of the Year, and was named Baseball America High School Coach of the Decade for 1990-2000.

Marshall, 51, was an All-American swimmer at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale. She was recognized in 1975 as the Most Acclaimed Swimmer in school history. Marshall won five individual FHSAA state titles from 1972-75 in the 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle events and was a member of four state champion 400-yard freestyle relay teams. She went on to become the first female swimming scholarship recipient at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and was an 18-time first-team All-America selection. Marshall was a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic Team and placed third in the 200-meter freestyle, breaking Olympic and world records in the preliminaries. She was also a member of the world record-setting 800-meter freestyle relay team. Marshall was named one of the 50 Greatest Women Swimmers in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2003 and is a member of the Broward County Sports Hall of Fame.

• J.J. Corbett. Corbett, 85, served as the head track & field coach at Bartow High School from 1970-1980 and as the cross country coach from 1973-1980. He was the director of the Bartow Invitational Track Meets from 1971-1980, and the event is now named for him. Previously, he was head track & field coach at Union Academy in Bartow, leading the team to two state championships. Corbett was a track & field contest official in Polk County for 14 years, and was a member of the Polk County School Board for 12 years. He has assisted at the FHSAA Basketball Finals in Lakeland for many years.

• Charles Fortner. Fortner, 59, was the head softball coach at Wewahitchka High School for a total of 28 years. He coached the Gators to a state title in 2007, state runner-up status in 2003, six total FHSAA Finals appearances and 12 district titles. Fortner retired in 2007 with a career record of 542-171. He is a two-time All-Big Bend Softball Coach of the Year and was the Dairy Farmers Coach of the Year in 2006.

• Trish Highland. Highland, 59, has been the athletic director for Orange County Public Schools since 1996. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Florida Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and has served on several FHSAA committees, most recently the Athletic Directors Advisory Committee and the Handbook Revision Task Force. Highland has been a driving force behind hosting several state championship events in the Orlando area, including football, swimming & diving, bowling, tennis, track & field and boys volleyball.

• Aubrey Rentz. Rentz, 70, spent 41 years as the head boys and girls track & field coach at Freeport High School before retiring in 2003. He coached his girls team to a state title in 1986 and went undefeated in regular-season meets for seven years in the 1980s. Rentz also coached the boys and girls cross country programs for 25 years, the girls basketball team for 18 years and the boys basketball team for 11 years, winning a state title in boys basketball in 1968. He started both the football and softball programs at Freeport and was the first head coach for each program. Rentz was named Coach of the Year for boys basketball in 1968 and girls track & field in 1986. The Freeport High School gymnasium is named for him.

• Arthur Woodard. Woodard, 79, served as head football coach at Tivoli High School in DeFuniak Springs, a member of the Florida Interscholastic Athletic Association, from 1956-1967. He compiled a 110-6-4 record, winning the Northwest Florida Big Bend Conference title 11 times. Woodard was named Coach of the Year in 1962-63. He went on to become athletic director at Miami Central High School and principal of Miami Douglas MacArthur High School North.

Two separate committees comprised of active and retired administrators, coaches, officials and news media representatives evaluated the nominations of the 8 individuals selected for induction to the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame this year. A seven-member screening committee first reviewed all nominations received and determined which nominees were viable candidates for induction into the Hall of Fame. The nominations of those candidates then were forwarded to a 16-member selection committee, which rated the nomination of each candidate to determine the candidates who would be inducted.

The Florida High School Athletic Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletic competition in Florida. It has a membership of more than 750 middle and senior high schools.

Contact:
Laurel Ring
Director of Special Programs, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 350
lring@fhsaa.org