Peabody High School Athletic Hall of Fame committee co-chairmen Phil Sheridan and John Goulos are proud to announce the 20 members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
Representing a wide range of generations, sports, and eras of Peabody High’s century-plus of Tanner Tradition, this class will be formally inducted at a Hall of Fame dinner and ceremony this fall on Friday, November 29 at Danversport Yacht Club. Ticket information will be forthcoming.
The Hall of Fame is also proud to announce the release of its new website at www.peabodyahof.com This site will be the home of all things Hall of Fame as the institution celebrates its 30th anniversary and prepares to induct its 16th all-time class. Biographies of all previous inductees and sponsorship information will all be available at the website. Also, please follow the Peabody Athletic HOF on Instagram at @peabodyathletichof
Being inducted in the Class of 2024 are:
From the Class of 1977, Dave Panopoulos, the Tanners’ lead running back who led the GBL (Greater Boston League) in scoring during the famed 1976 unscored upon “Leather Curtain” defense season.
Mitch Abbatessa is another football and track standout from the Class of 1991, who anchored a dominant offensive line for the undefeated Division 1B Super Bowl champions of 1990.
Being inducted posthumously as a player and coach is Lee Miller of the Class of 1988. Aside from being the blocking back for the 1986 Super Bowl team and running for more than 1,000 yards as a senior in 1987, Miller returned to Peabody as an assistant coach in the 1990s and 2000s, mentoring countless players and contributing to many Greater Boston League championships.
Another of the school’s foundational coaches being inducted is Kevin Houlden, who helmed the boys lacrosse program to tremendous success from 1994-2011, winning nine league titles in four different leagues: the North League, Middlesex League, Greater Boston League, and Northeastern Conference.
Football star Al Surman of the Class of 1942, one of the Tanners’ most highly-decorated football players in school history, having been named all-scholastic by multiple Boston papers in both his junior and senior years, will also join the Hall of Fame posthumously.
Dennis Buckley of the Class of 1964 is a two-sport standout who starred for the Tanners in football and baseball. Dennis was renowned for his “glue-like fingers” as a receiver and starred in the last Polio Bowl on Salem’s Bertram Field.
Another gridiron great from that era, Ronnie Kerr of the Class of 1963 was an outstanding lineman who was an All-Scholastic and later achieved little All-American status at Northern Michigan University.
The MVP of the MA State Lacrosse All-Star Game in 1990, Chris Andre, is another new Hall of Famer. Chris also held the record for most touchdowns thrown in a game with four.
Mark Shorey of the Class of 2002 gets the call to the hall after an incredible baseball career that saw him win several Greater Boston League batting titles and reach the North final in 1998 and 2000.
Sisters Emily Judd-Carter and Kalie Judd-Jowders, Classes of 2003 and 2006, respectively, enter the hall together and were two of the pioneering players in the early days of the Tanner girls lacrosse program. Each were also tremendous point guards in basketball, as well as field hockey All-Stars.
A pair of 100-point career scorers and soccer teammates also enter together as Alyssa Manoogian and Erika Digiacomo-Pereira, from the Class of 2009, take their place in the Hall of Fame.
Sticking with Peabody’s girls soccer dominance of the 2010s, the Tanners’ all-time leading scorer, 2011 Gatorade Player of the Year and All-American Hayley Dowd was a member of the Class of 2013. Hayley played professional soccer in Europe for many years.
Two teammates who helped Peabody win the Division 1 cross country championship in 2012 enter the Hall of Fame together: Catarina Rocha and Heather MacLean of the Class of 2013. A seven-time state champion, cross county All-American and Gatorade Runner of the Year, Rocha holds five school records to this day. MacLean, a member of the United States Olympic team in Tokyo, still holds four school records.
Versatile track performer Andrea Saccardo-Benson from the Class of 2010 will be inducted after scoring handfuls of points for the Tanners and helping them defeat Beverly for the first time (ending a 134-meet winning streak). She was Northeastern Conference track and field hockey league MVP.
Another of the school’s best-ever track performers being inducted is Cal Greene of the Class of 1975, who graduated with numerous records. Cal was a state champion in the triple jump and a key contributor on two state championship teams.
Carolyn Scacchi is inducted from the Class of 2014 as one of the school’s most decorated two-sport athletes. Not only is she the volleyball program’s all-time leader in kills, she is one of only seven members of the girls basketball 1,000-point club.
Jean DePlacido will also be inducted posthumously as a contributor. A sportswriter for The Salem News for more than 40 years, DePlacido chronicled the success of just about every memorable Peabody High team from the mid 1970s to 2023. Her words hung on countless refrigerators in the city and she was, probably, the first person to ever interview the majority of this Hall of Fame’s members. She also served on the Hall of Fame committee for three induction classes.
The Peabody High School Athletic Hall of Fame induction will be held on Friday, November 29 at 5 p.m. The induction ceremony will be held at the Danversport Yacht Club and tickets will go on sale after Labor Day. Questions regarding ticketing can be answered by calling the Peabody HS Athletic Department at (978) 536-4752.
