BANGOR – When becoming as extensively involved as they were in certain sports comes as a huge surprise, being inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame for that involvement is simply shocking.

The theme for Sunday evening’s 31st annual MSHF Induction/Awards Banquet seemed to be finding success via unlikely career paths. Six of the seven inductees wound up making their names in sports they either had no prior involvement or primary interest in.

Only Hampden Academy and University of Maine graduate Mike Bordick – the other inductee honored as the MSHF grew to 233 members – earned accolades and honors in a sport he’s always excelled in or loved for most of his life.

Now consider the backgrounds of Maine high school coach Richard “Dick” Barstow, University of Maine-Presque Isle alumnus James “Chico” Hernandez, Brian Higgins of Hampden, the late Irving Kagan of Bangor, Roger Reed of Frankfort, and Peter Webb of Houlton.

. Barstow is a Maine high school basketball coaching legend who was NFL and NCAA Hall of Fame member Jim Brown’s backup on Syracuse University’s football team.

. Hernandez grew up playing traditional sports only to find unparalleled success and honors in certain wrestling disciplines (one of only two masters division wrestlers in the county who has won gold medals in Sombo, Greco-Roman and freestyle) he didn’t become seriously involved with until his 30’s.

. Higgins is a legendary high school soccer coach who never even played or coached the sport before coaching his first game.

. Kagan became the “father of freestyle World Cup skiing” despite never putting on a pair of skis until he was in his late 30’s.

. Reed was a multi-sport athlete who had his coaching sights firmly set on baseball before becoming arguably Maine’s most successful high school basketball coach.

. And Webb is a lifetime baseball fan who became synonymous with basketball as Maine’s basketball commissioner.

“My greatest love is baseball and I always expected to be a baseball coach,” said Bangor High basketball coach Reed, who has almost 500 wins.

Reed, a co-finalist to become the head baseball coach for Bangor High along with fellow Rams coaching legend Bob Kelley before Kelley got the nod, eventually got his head coaching job – in basketball – at Bangor in 1985. He’s still there 365 wins, seven Eastern Maine titles, and six state championships later.

“That just goes to show you how things can go totally opposite of how you think they will,” said Higgins, who initially applied for Ellsworth High’s boys varsity basketball coaching position before taking the boys soccer job instead. “You just never know what opportunities will present themselves.”

Higgins, who played with Reed on a semi-pro baseball team, has never had a losing season over 32 seasons as the Eagles’ soccer coach, never cut a player, and had all but one of his classes win at least one regional title. Despite never playing the game, Higgins has 418 career coaching wins against just 84 losses and 38 ties plus 14 Eastern and four state titles.

“Baseball’s really my true love,” admitted Webb, who has been a certified basketball official for 42 years, officiated 2,073 high school, college and professional games, including 50 Maine state tournament and championship games, and been Maine’s hoops commissioner the last 16 years. “One of my most prized possessions is a ball signed by all the members of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers team.”

Kagan, who had never set foot on mountain to ski until he was 38, only got involved with skiing because daughter Candace had an interest in it. Son Dan, who accepted the induction award for his father, who died last year at the age of 76, talked about how his father became so enthused by skiing that he built a family home at Sugarloaf/USA before going on to become chairman of the Eastern Freestyle Competition Committee, National Freestyle Competition Committee, and USSA Board of Directors as well as the USSA’s chief executive officer.

Bordick set two Major League Baseball records, played 14 big league seasons, replaced Hall of Fame player and MLB iron man Cal Ripken Jr., at shortstop, and played in numerous World Series games and one All-Star game .

“I didn’t realize there were so many people from down over on my side of the Penobscot River,” said the Michigan-born Bordick, referring to Hampden-born Higgins, Frankfort-born Reed, and Bangor-born Kagan.

One thing all the inductees had in common was their pride and awe at being chosen.

“I am really honored, overwhelmed and speechless,” said Barstow, a Worcester, Mass., native who has accumulated 646 Maine high school basketball coaching wins in a 46-year athletic career that also saw his teams reel off 84 consecutive wins, lose once, and win 28 more. “This is just great for me and I’m particularly honored to be part of this class.”

Other honorees Sunday were MSHF director Wayne Lawton, who was given the organization’s president’s award, and 10 graduating high school seniors who each won $1,000 scholar athlete awards. They were: Brewer’s James Ecker, Central of Corinth’s Traci Underhill, Dexter’s Sabrina Cote, Samantha Allen of Lake Region, Taryn Flagg from Livermore Falls, Kelly Johnson and Benjamin Roy of Bonny Eagle in Standish, Windham’s Matthew Sherburne, Gorham’s Max Bass, and Massabesic of Waterboro’s Ryan Knight.

The event drew 200 people to the Bangor Banquet and Conference Center.