WASHINGTON, DC.- Ave Maria University head cross country, track, and swimming coach Alan Webb was inducted into the Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Nationals Park in Washington Sunday afternoon.
Webb was part of a class that included Washington Nationals managing principal owner Mark Lerner, Maryland basketball greats Len Elmore and Christy Winters Scott, high school basketball promoter Bob Geoghan, boxer Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson and the 2021 NWSL champion Washington Spirit.
"This distinguished group of honorees elevates the honor roll of the DC Sports Hall of Fame, especially with inductions of its first track athlete, one of the area's greatest-ever boxers, three significant contributors to basketball, and an impactful sports and community leader," Hall of Fame selection committee chairman Bobby Goldwater said. "Individually and together, they represent excellence in sports in the nation's capital."
With his induction on Sunday, Webb became the first track athlete honored by the Hall of Fame. Webb was a three-time United States champion in the 1500-meter run, and represented the United States in the event in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. In 2007, he ran the mile in 3:46.91, a mark that still stands as the fastest mile ran by an American runner.
The Hall of Fame also honored him for his exploits as a high schooler in the DC area, where he attended South Lakes High School in Reston, Virginia. During his senior year at South Lake in 2001, he set the record for fastest mile run from a high schooler, clocking in at 3:53.43 in the 2001 Prefontaine Classic. He was also the first high schooler ever to run a four-minute mile indoors, which he did earlier that year.
The DC Sports Hall of Fame began in 1980 when Robert (Bob) Sigholtz created the Hall of Stars in RFK Stadium to honor DC's top athletes and sports personalities. Since then, the Hall of Stars has honored over 100 figures ranging from players to coaches to executives to journalists. Each year, the Hall Selection Committee selects new figures to be added based on their past accomplishments and contributions to the DC sports scene.
