SECAUCUS, N.J. - Metrostars forward John Wolyniec will join the likes of Vince Lombardi, Wellington Mara, Frankie Frisch and Vin Scully when the Staten Island, NY native is inducted into the Fordham University Athletics Hall of Fame on Sunday, January 16, at the McGinley Center on the University's Rose Hill campus in the Bronx. Fordham President Fr. Joseph McShane and Executive Director of Athletics Frank McLaughlin will preside over the inductions.
Wolyniec was selected in the first round (seventh overall) by the MetroStars in 1999, and has been a contributor on the MetroStars squad the past two seasons (2003,2004). After completing the 1999 season with the Metros, Wolyniec bounced around the league, playing with the Chicago Fire and New England Revolution, and finally settled down with the MetroStars again in 2003. Wolyniec was a steady and important contributor for the "Red and Black" in 2004. He was the only player on the MetroStars to have appeared in all 30 games, scoring 10 goals and 3 assists, five of those goals being game winners. Because of his contributions on the field, Wolyniec won the 2004 MetroStars Unsung Player of the Year award.
Wolyniec is Fordham's all-time leading scorer with 184 career points and the all-time leading goal scorer with 75. He closed out his senior year at Fordham by being named the 1998 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Player of the Year. He led the A-10 and NCAA Division I in scoring that year with 25 goals and 10 assists for 60 points. His 25 goals that season is a Fordham single season record, surpassing his own mark of 24 that he set in 1997. In addition, Wolyniec excelled in the classroom and was named First Team GTE/CoSIDA Academic All- America in 1999 after Third Team honors as a junior in 1998. He received the 1998 and 1999 Vincent T. Lombardi Award as Fordham University's Top Male Athlete.
The ceremonies will take place at 12:45 pm on January 16, prior to the men's basketball game when the Rams tip off against Xavier (2:00 pm game time). Joining Wolyniec in the "Class of 2005" inductions will be Paul Delo (Swimming & Diving '98), James McDermott (Baseball '93), Kevin Motsch (Rowing '94), Charles Spinelli (Football '85), and Rick Sweeney (Water Polo, Swimming & Diving '88).
