Gary Sports Hall of Fame class includes former pitcher, gymnast

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A former Major League Baseball pitcher and national gymnastics champion are among six new inductees to the Gary Sports Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2023 inductees are college basketball coach Vic Bubas, track and field coach John Campbell, gymnast Dianne Durham Drahozal, MLB pitcher LaTroy Hawkins, NBA star Davage Minor and the longtime schools coach Gary Earl Smith Jr.

The induction ceremony will be held July 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Indiana University’s Northwest Arts and Sciences Building, 3415 Broadway. The cost is $25 per person. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.

“It’s a very important moment and one that we’re proud of,” Hall of Fame Vice President Chuck Hughes said at a press conference Wednesday.

FILE – In this June 5, 1983 file photo, Dianne Durham, right, of Gary, Ind., gives autographs after winning the women’s title at the McDonald’s USA Gymnastics Championships at the University of Illinois at Chicago . Durham, the first black woman to win a national gymnastics championship in the United States, died on Thursday, February 4, 2021, at the age of 52. (AP Photo/Lisa Genesen, File) (Lisa Genesen/AP)

He credited the late Lake County Commissioner Roosevelt Allen Jr. for helping design the plan for the Hall of Fame where photos of honorees line a wall on the ground floor of the Arts and Sciences building.

Hughes said the Hall of Fame is working with Gary High Schools to organize tours for students so they can learn about the city’s rich sporting history.

“We are built on the strong foundations of our past,” said IUN Chancellor Ken Iwama. “We are also thrilled that the Hall of Fame is housed here in our state-of-the-art Arts and Science building.”

Iwama said the university is committed to promoting and supporting the Hall of Fame.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed back the 2021 Hall of Fame inductees who joined the Class of 2022 last year when the group unveiled its first classes.

Chicago Cubs reliever LaTroy Hawkins pitches against the Houston Astros at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Wednesday, June 2, 2004. ...OUTSIDE THE TRIBUNE CO.- NO MAG, NO SALES, NO INTERNET, NO TV .. Tribune Photo by Phil Velasquez 00225913A Cub0531 (baseball teacher)

Chicago Cubs reliever LaTroy Hawkins pitches against the Houston Astros at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Wednesday, June 2, 2004. …OUTSIDE THE TRIBUNE CO.- NO MAG, NO SALES, NO INTERNET, NO TV .. Tribune Photo by Phil Velasquez 00225913A Cub0531 (baseball teacher) (ChicagoTribune)

Last year, the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation pushed the Hall of Fame past its initial fundraising finish line with a $10,000 gift and a $10,000 matching gift from Bruce and Beth White.

Here is an overview of the inductees:

Vic Bubas was a 1944 Lew Wallace graduate who later became a basketball coach at Duke University. He is credited with moving Duke from a regional program to a national program and pioneering the art of recruiting. He died in 2018.

John Campbell led Gary Roosevelt to 20 track and field championships in Indiana.

Dianne Durham Drahozal became the first black national gymnastics champion in 1983.

The Troy Hawkinsgraduated from Gary West Side in 1991, served as a relief pitcher for 11 MLB teams, including the Chicago Cubs, until his retirement in 2015.

minor davage, a 1941 Froebel graduate, led the school to its only state title appearance. In 1951, when he joined the Baltimore Bullets, he was one of five blacks to play in the NBA and was Gary’s first. He died in 1998.

Earl H. Smith Jr. speaks during the Gary Sports Hall of Fame press conference at the Northwest Arts and Sciences Building at Indiana University in Gary on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (Vincent D. Johnson/for the Post-Tribune).

Earl H. Smith Jr. speaks during the Gary Sports Hall of Fame press conference at the Northwest Arts and Sciences Building at Indiana University in Gary on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (Vincent D. Johnson/for the Post-Tribune). (Vincent D. Johnson/Chicago Tribune)

Earl H. Smith Jr., graduated from Roosevelt in 1952, coached at five Gary high schools and athletic director during a 56-year career.

For more information, see the band’s website, garysportshalloffame.org.

Carole Carlson is a freelance journalist for the Post-Tribune.

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