SPRINGFIELD, Pa. - Legendary Swarthmore College Tennis coach
Michael Mullan was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Delco Chapter on June 26th. A reception was held at the Springfield Country Club welcoming ten members into the 40th class of the hall of fame.
Joining Mullan in the 2022 Hall of Fame class was basketball referee Mike "Duke" Callahan; basketball players Charles "Buff" Kirkand, Wilbur Kirkland and Maureen Logan; lacrosse player Jill Davis; lacrosse coach Michele Doyle; multi-sport athlete and coach Harry Jones and multi-sport athlete Brett Moyer; and former basketball coach and equipment manager the late John DiGregorio Sr.
Mullan began coaching at Swarthmore College in 1978 and retired after the 2017-18 season. In 1986, he was named the NCAA Division III Coach of the Year. One of the winningest coaches in college tennis history, Mullan tallied a 441-380 record with 27 appearances in the NCAA Division III National Championships. At the helm of the men's program, he led the Garnet to three national titles (1981, 1985, 1990), and five other top five finishes (1989 - runner-up; 1988, 1986, 194 - third place; 1991 - fourth). In his 36 seasons of coaching, Mullan has coached 52 Division III All-Americans. From 1984-88, he was the head coach of the Swarthmore College Women's Tennis team. In 2000, the three-court indoor tennis facility was built and named in honor of Mullan. Throughout the years, the Garnet have hosted regular season and Centennial Conference Tournament matches at the
Michael Mullan Tennis Center.
As a player, Mullan played #2 singles and #1 doubles at the University of California at Berkeley before playing international tennis. The highlight of his playing days was earning a spot in the U.S. Open. A noted clinician, he has conducted tennis teaching programs in Afghanistan, Burma, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, Singapore and Thailand. He was a two-time Pennsylvania high school singles champion.
The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1962 with only three regions or chapters, representing basically the Philadelphia, the Pittsburgh and the Harrisburg Carlisle areas.
The first induction banquet was held in 1963, and the Hall of Fame was incorporated as a non-profit in 1965. That first induction ceremony included some of the greatest athletes ever produced in Pennsylvania. Athletes such as: Chuck Bednarik, Glenn Killinger, Connie Mack, Stan Musial, Arnold Palmer, and Jim Thorpe were a part of that inaugural group.
Paul Boltz, a past president of the Hall of Fame, said, "Five men served as the nucleus of the organization during its first seven years." Boltz became president in 1969, and under his direction, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame expanded into 28 chapters with a membership of 6,000 covering the four regions of the state.
Charlie Tomasco was on hand when the idea to kick-start the Delaware County Chapter took shape back in 1968. Tomasco, who coached football at Clifton Heights High School for many years, was a vice-principal at Bartram High when he established the Delco Chapter.
