'I'll carry the memory with me forever': Dartmouth alumni, coaches inducted into Athletic Hall of Fame

Pioneers, history-makers, record-breakers and all-around talented athletes were among those most recently inducted into Dartmouth High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Gathering at the Century House in Acushnet on Saturday, June 27, 11 athletes and three coaches were honored at an induction ceremony, surrounded by coaches, old teammates, friends and family.

The athletes inducted into the Hall of Fame are as follows: Nancy (Devlin) Edwards, Class of 1962; Dennis Allen Aguiar, class of 1974; Darby Ann Lytle, class of 1985; Jay Zwirblis, class of 1999; Ben Taylor, class of 2000; Trish Gardner, class of 2005; Lauren Goyette, class of 2005; Arthur Lynch, class of 2009; Amy Wheaton, class of 2010; Nicholas Simonett, class of 2014; and Christopher Martin, class of 2016.

Each athlete and coach inducted into the Hall of Fame spoke at the ceremony, recounting their stories and thanking those who stood with them throughout the journey.

This included Nancy Edwards, who, over 60 years ago, joined the new varsity tennis team just to be told that since she was a girl, every match she competed in would count as an automatic loss.

Edwards competed on the team regardless, and on Saturday, June 27, she was not only inducted into the Hall of Fame but also received a varsity letter for her years spent playing tennis.

“I was able to play a few matches, and suddenly some people approached me … and someone decided ‘you’re disqualified from playing because you’re a girl,’” Edwards recalled during the induction ceremony.

She added, “We had a great coach, but that’s what happened in those days.”

Ed Pereira, the master of ceremonies, said that Edwards competed in a time where there were "significant restrictions on female participation" and noted that her presence helped "advance includion and growing opportunity in interscholastic athletics."

Arthur Lynch, who went on to play football at the University of Georgia and was drafted to the NFL, said that he’s proud of every chapter in his life, but when he looks back at his fondest memories, “it is wearing the green and white, representing this town and carrying with me the deep sense of Dartmouth pride.”

Lynch, who is the grandson of longtime coach Carlin Lynch, highlighted the coaches, teachers and friends who he said make Dartmouth special.

“Many of these people grew up right here in Dartmouth, and they chose to stay, not because there was an easy path, but because they knew what this place was, and they understood it was their responsibility to make sure it stayed that way for the next generation,” he said.

Some of these coaches include Thomas McDermott, who coached football, baseball and lacrosse and was also the athletic director; William Kavanaugh, who coached football and track; and Mark Poirier, who coached boys soccer, girls soccer and golf. All three coaches were inducted into the Hall of Fame for their decades of coaching at Dartmouth High School.

To be inducted into the Hall of Fame, the coaches had to coach a single sport for at least seven years or multiple sports for at least four years.

Poirier helped found Dartmouth’s girls soccer program in 1987 and coached the team for three decades.

He highlighted t-shirts he had printed in the 2013 season that said “surrender the me for the we,” as a way to remind the girls where to keep their focus and noted that the message also applies to being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“As humbled as I am by this individual honor and the part that I play, I hope it is obvious that it took the 'we' to achieve the program success over the past 31 years in order for me to be recognized here this evening,” he said.

Kavanaugh was a coach, educator and mentor at Dartmouth High School for more than five decades who has “remained a lifelong influence on student athletes across generations,” Pereira said.

At the ceremony, Kavanaugh’s son read the speech his father wrote for the event. In it he noted that he “cherishes every chance to get to be amongst so many old friends, colleagues and athletes.”

“The world has changed so much since my time at Dartmouth High School, but I’ll carry the memory with me forever,” Kavanaugh’s son read. “I am proud and humbled to be recognized for the work and the relationships I hold so dear.”