Class of 2019
Joseph Echols
La’Keshia Frett
DeAngelo Hall
Matt Kelchner
Gary Lavelle
Buster O’Brien
From his days as a Negro League baseball player to the time he spent scouting football talent for coach Vince Lombardi, JOSEPH ECHOLS made a big impression on people in the sporting world. At Norfolk State University – where the campus arena bears his name – he was a visionary who left an indelible mark on the school and the athletic program.
A New Jersey native and a U.S. Air Force veteran who rose to First Lieutenant, he arrived at NSU as head football coach in 1955, and as athletic director he dramatically expanded the scope of the school’s entire athletic program, adding varsity teams in baseball, track and field, wrestling, swimming, tennis and golf. He served as an official in many sports, even rising to the title of president of the International Association of Approved Baseball Officials. Echols died in 1977.
Hampton’s LA’KESHIA FRETT was the nation’s top prep girls’ basketball player during her senior year at Phoebus High School and went on to an outstanding career in college, international play and professionally. In four years at Phoebus she scored
3,284 points, still a state record that has not been challenged. She averaged 28.1 points for her career and led her team to a record of 110-8. As a senior, she was recognized as the nation’s top player by Gatorade, Kodak, USA Today and others.
In her career at University of Georgia she averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds and helped lead the Bulldogs to two appearances in the Final Four. Internationally, she won gold medals with the U.S. team at the 1994 Gold Cup in Taipei, Taiwan, and at the 1997 University Games in Marsala, Italy. After a nine-year professional career in the ABL and the WNBA, Frett began a college coaching career. She is currently an assistant at Auburn.
Chesapeake’s DEANGELO HALL was an electrifying athlete from Deep Creek High School who went on to NFL stardom, most notably with the Washington Redskins. An elite sprinter in track, he put his speed to use on the football field as a two-way standout. As a senior he averaged 10 yards per carry, scored 30 touchdowns, registered more than 100 tackles and intercepted nine passes in leading the Hornets to the state championship game.
He earned All-American honors at Virginia Tech and ran the fastest 40-yard dash in the football program’s history (4.15 seconds). Hall was a first-round draft pick (8th overall) by the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons in 2004. He played four years with Atlanta, and then one year for the Oakland Raiders and 10 years for the Redskins. He was selected to three Pro Bowls and was named MVP of the Pro Bowl in 2010. He finished his career with 43 interceptions, including a record-tying four in one game.
Pennsylvania native MATT KELCHNER will always be remembered as the man who launched Christopher Newport University’s football team and almost instantly catapulted the Captains to national prominence. He began his coaching career with brief assistant positions at Mansfield and Dickinson colleges. In 1984 he came to the College of William and Mary as an assistant to Jimmye Laycock, a position he would hold for 17 seasons. By the end of his run at William and Mary he was assistant head coach and also recruiting coordinator.
Looking to relaunch its dormant football program, Christopher Newport University hired Kelchner in 2000. He quickly returned CNU to the national scene, with a winning record and an HCA Div. III playoff berth in his first year. By the time he retired in 2016, Kelchner had a record of 109-60 with 10 conference championships and seven USA South Coach of the Year honors.
Pennsylvania native GARY LAVELLE has had a long and successful career as a baseball coach in Hampton Roads, but only after his long and successful career pitching in the major leagues. Pitching mostly for the San Francisco Giants, Lavelle appeared in 745 games, winning 80 and saving 136 with an outstanding career earned-run average of 2.93. He was chosen for two All-Star Games. He retired in 1987 and shortly thereafter settled in Virginia Beach.
In Hampton Roads, he has had a coaching career that has included team titles and recognition as a pitching guru who has mentored talented young arms for more than three decades. As head coach at Greenbrier Christian he won 12 state titles and 556 games. In 2016 he started the new program at Bryant and Stratton College in Virginia Beach and led the program to a winning record in its second season.
BUSTER O’BRIEN (and his coaches) were ahead of their time. During an era of football when offenses at all levels were using formations and playbooks that relied almost exclusively on running plays, O’Brien was airing the ball out in a manner that more closely resembles the contemporary game. As such, his statistics at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach and later at University of Richmond stood out
for decades.
His 5,435 career passing yards at Princess Anne stood as the top figure in Hampton Roads for 40 years. Those who attended his final game – when PA wrapped up a 9-1 season and the Eastern District title – saw him throw for 538 yards and seven touchdowns. He went on to set passing records and earn all-conference honors at the University of Richmond. O’Brien later earned a law degree and spent several years as a circuit court judge in Virginia Beach.