Kolzig, Driesell, & Holliday elected to D.C. Sport Hall of Fame
By Matthew Laux
The long list of Washington area stars goes on and on, but Washington sports wouldn’t be what it is today without the names of Olaf “Olie” Kolzig, Charles “Lefty” Driesell, Johnny Holliday, Ted Lerner, George Solomon, Michael Weiss, and Chris Weller. These seven stars illuminated the Washington sports scene for numerous years and have now been elected to join the prestigious Washington D.C. Sports Hall of Fame. Each of the new inductees will be celebrated prior to the April 27th baseball game between the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres.
Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Olie the goalie as he became known in the Washington D.C. area led the Capitals to their first and only Stanley Cup appearance and was a stalwart for the Capitals between the pipes. Lefty Driesell was the Maryland Terrapins Men’s basketball coach for 17 years leading them to two ACC regular season titles and a conference tournament championship as well. While Driesell was leading the Terps on the court, Holliday became the voice of the team off of it and quickly became recognized as one of the best radio voices in college sports. On the other hand, Lerner is the Washington Nationals managing principal owner and was integral building the team.
Solomon, Weiss, and Weller may go a bit unrecognized for their contributions to Washington sports, but after their election to the Hall of Fame this should not be the case. Solomon became famous for what he could put down on paper and was one of the premier sports columnist for the Washington Post. Weiss was an American figure skater that eventually went on to be an two-time Olympic team member. Finally, last but not least, Weller led the Maryland Terrapins Women’s basketball team for 27 years before retiring in 2002. Each of the aforementioned members of the Washington sports communities has contributed to creating one of best sports cultures in America. Congratulations to all seven who have been elected to Washington D.C. Sports Hall of Fame!