Nearly a year ago, a committee was established with the intent of shining a light on the rich athletic tradition at Merrimack Valley High School.
On Saturday, the school will usher in its very first hall of fame class.
Headlined by former MLB All-Star Bob Tewksbury, legendary coach Dave Anderson and the first basketball player to reach 1,000 points in Laurie Steckel, the Merrimack Valley High School Athletics Hall of Fame is ready to enshrine three of its biggest sports figures from the small school in Concord.
Established in the spring of 2017 in conjunction with the school’s 50th anniversary, MV’s Hall of Fame Committee immediately went to work on poring through nominations and getting the word out.
That committee, which includes district-level staff, students, parents, coaches and community members, settled on three names for the inaugural class based on the criteria that the nominee must have graduated from Penacook or Merrimack Valley High School, must have graduated 10 years prior to the nomination, must have displayed outstanding athletic abilities, talents and achievements, and must have played a minimum of two years on at least one varsity team.
Tewksbury was seemingly a lock to be inducted following his wide-ranging career in baseball.
The 57-year-old Concord native played on the Pride’s varsity baseball team from 1975-1978 before being drafted by the New York Yankees out of Saint Leo University in 1981.
Tewksbury’s major league career spanned 13 seasons and he pitched to a career record of 110-102 with a 3.92 ERA and 812 strikeouts.
Anderson coached varsity basketball (1967-1983) and baseball (1967-1987) at MV, leading the Pride to state championships on the diamond in both 1979 and 1980.
He was also named the New Hampshire Sportswriters Broadcaster Coach of the Year in 1978, won a National Federation Distinguished Service Award for New Hampshire in 1989 is a member of the NHIAA, Walter Smith Coaches and Plymouth State University Hall of Fames.
Steckel earns the nod after finishing up her career was one of the most dynamic three-sport athletes in school history.
Steckel played softball and was an All-State athlete in both field hockey and basketball. She appeared in the New Hampshire vs. Vermont All-Star Game and continued her basketball career at the next level at the University of Tampa.
The Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday at Merrimack Valley High School.