Article written By Ben Shlesinger
The Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame will add six local sports stars to its roster on May 4 at the Silver Spring Civic Building. That is when Paul Rabil, Haley Skarupa, Oguchi Onyewu, Thea LaFond, Bob Windsor and Al Thomas will have their names added to the 29 previous members of the hall, including such luminaries as Katie Ledecky, Dominique Dawes, Scott Van Pelt and Steve Francis.
“It’s a huge honor being named to the Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame, especially amongst such great company with the rest of the honorees,” Skarupa said. “I grew up surrounded by such amazing coaches, teammates, mentors, friends and family that allowed me to achieve my dream of representing my country on the Olympic stage for ice hockey. I couldn’t have done it without them. Montgomery County is a special place.”
The induction ceremony is open to the public and free to attend. It normally has a silent auction and some previous inductees will attend. Continue reading below to learn more about each new member of hall of fame.
Paul Rabil: Rabil is currently president of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL), which he founded with his brother, PLL CEO Mike Rabil in 2018. Paul Rabil started his lacrosse career at Watkins Mill High School before starring at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville. Rabil was a two-time All-American at DeMatha and continued playing in college at Johns Hopkins University. While at school in Baltimore, Rabil was named first team All-American three consecutive years and helped the Blue Jays win two national championships. Rabil played professionally with Major League Lacrosse where he won two titles, and several MVPs before founding PLL.
Haley Skarupa: Skarupa, who was raised in Rockville and graduated from Wootton High School, most notably won gold with the United States Women’s Ice Hockey at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. She also helped the U.S. win gold at three straight world championships from 2015-17. Skarupa played her college hockey at Boston College where she was the second highest scorer in school history. She then embarked on a five-year professional career playing in the National Women’s Hockey League and the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association.
Oguchi Onyewu: Onyewu currently serves as Vice President of Sporting for the United States Soccer Foundation but is best known as a defender for the U.S. National Men’s Soccer team. He earned 69 caps with the squad and played in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. Onyewu played soccer for one year at Clemson before beginning his 15-year professional career. He has 247 caps in his professional career, more than half with Standard Liege in Belgium. Onyewu grew up in Silver Spring and Olney, and graduated from Sherwood High School.
Bob Windsor: Windsor helped Blair High School win the 1961 boys basketball state title with an undefeated season. He was best known for success on the gridiron though. Windsor was a junior college All-American for his play at Montgomery College. Windsor then moved on to the University of Kentuckybefore being drafted as a tight end in the second round of the 1966 NFL Draft. He played a total of nine seasons in the NFL, five with the San Francisco 49ers and four with the New England Patriots. Upon retiring from football, Windsor an a sporting goods store and taught at a few county schools.
Thea LaFond: At the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris, LaFond won gold in the triple jump. The victory made her the first-ever medalist for Dominica, and also the first University of Maryland alum to win gold. LaFond also won gold at the 2024 World Championships, which preceded the Olympics. LaFond, a Silver Spring resident, is a graduate of Kennedy High School and also a former MCPS teacher.
Al Thomas: Al Thomas is the most successful football coach in MCPS history. His career spanned 47 years, and Thomas won a record eight state championships, five with Seneca Valley, two with Damascus and one with Sherwood. He finished coaching with a 242-47 record (an 84% winning percentage), and four undefeated seasons. Thomas was inducted to the Maryland Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 1997.