Six people who carved their own special niche during their time at the University of Maine and brought considerable recognition to the school will be inducted into the institution’s Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 25.

Two of them, former 17-year Black Bear hockey coach Shawn Walsh and 32-year trainer Wes Jordan, died of cancer within the past 11 months.

The others are former three-sports stars Nat Crowley (Class of ’42 and ’66) and Ann England Maxim (’84 and ’86), football wide receiver Sergio Hebra (’88) and soccer goalie Jeff Spring (’87).

Walsh took a struggling program and turned it into one of the nation’s elite.

He compiled a record of 399-215-44 during his 17-year tenure and led the Black Bears to two NCAA championships, seven NCAA Frozen Four appearances and 11 NCAA Tournament appearances. His 20 NCAA Tournament victories rank him fourth among coaches in all-time wins; he is tied for fifth in NCAA tourney appearances and tied for seventh in Frozen Four appearances.

Jordan was a former football lineman and student-trainer at Maine before becoming the full-time trainer. He has been inducted into three Halls-of-Fame including the National Athletic Trainers Association’s hall. He taught athletic training at Maine and launched the career of several trainers. Jordan was an institution at the Eastern Maine basketball tournaments.

Crowley, a graduate of Bangor’s John Bapst High School, was an exceptional athlete who starred in football, basketball and baseball in the early 1940s. He led the Black Bear baseball team in hitting in 1940 (.351) and ’41 (.328). He went on to play both semi-pro basketball and baseball and was a highly successful high school baseball, basketball and football coach in the state.

Hebra led the Black Bears in receiving for three consecutive years and his 189 receptions and 2,612 yards are both school records. He is the only Black Bear to ever catch 50 or more passes in three straight seasons as he hauled in 57 in 1985, 56 in 1986 and 70 in 1987. He was a first team All-Yankee Conference selection in 1987 and won the Woody Carville Senior Achievement Award that year.

Spring holds the career record for shutouts at Maine with 27 and is tied for the single season mark with eight. He guided Maine to a 38-27-5 record and four straight New England top 10 rankings. He is one of just 13 student-athletes at Maine to have their number retired.

England Maxim accumulated 12 varsity letters at Maine as a member of the cross country, field hockey and track and field teams. She won New England titles in the 1,000-meter run in ’84 and ’85 and holds the school records in the mile (4:55.4), 1,000-meters (2:53.34) and 1,500 meters (4:37.29). She served as a cross country and track coach at Maine for eight years.

Hall named UMaine assistant

The University of Maine has named former Eastern Washington University standout Angela Hall as an assistant volleyball coach.

Hall, who had been the coach of the Spokane Splash Volleyball club, is a former Academic All-American and Big Sky Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

She graduated from Eastern Washington University in 2001.

Bowdoin picks lacrosse coach

University of Vermont graduate Liz Grote, who led The College of Wooster’s (Ohio) women’s lacrosse team to a school-record 12 victories last spring, has been named to a similar position at Bowdoin College. She is a two-time regional and conference coach of the year.