GOUVERNEUR – The Gouverneur High School Athletic Wall of Fame this year honored new members, four individuals and three teams, which bridge 40 years of standout athletic achievement.

• Thomas Chilton, Class of 1964

Beginning in 1961, Tom Chilton, a three-sport athlete competing in football, wrestling and baseball, proved to be a tough and reliable competitor for the Wildcats during his days at GHS.

As a Wildcat gridder from 1961 through his senior year of 1963, Chilton would anchor both the Wildcats offensive and defensive lines, opened holes for Wildcats running backs and anchored a defense that would hold opponents to a total of 92 points over a three-year span. On two Wildcat Northern League Championship teams and undefeated seasons in 1961 and 1962, Chilton would be named to the All-Northern Team in his senior season and would help Gouverneur to a three-year record of 20-1 from 1961 through 1963.

Tom also excelled in wrestling for the Wildcats. Over the course of his wrestling career, Chilton would compile a record of 25-1-8 and win both the Sectional and Inter-Sectional Heavyweight Championship in his senior season, and helped the grappling squads to a two-year record of 25-2 and two Sectional Championships.

Chilton also played baseball as a senior.

Chilton went on to prep school at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia, playing football for the Virginia State Military Champion Blue Devils and wrestled. He went to New Mexico State University to play football and wrestle before leaving to enter the United States Navy where he retired after 30 years.

• Doug Gardner, Class of 1976

A 1976 graduate of Gouverneur High School, Doug was a two-sport athlete competing in football and track and field.

As a member of the 1974 and 1975 Wildcat football teams, he played tight end and defensive back, and was a captain of the 1975 team.

Track and field was Doug’s forte and some of the marks he set in the sport still stand -- 400 meter sprint, 50.3 seconds, and 800 meter run, 1:56.01. He and teammates Chris Sadler, Lee Jones and Larry Woodward set the school record in the two-mile relay of 8:20.6.

Doug served four years in the United States Army as a Combat Engineer stationed in Germany. After his military service, he returned to Gouverneur before settling in the Rochester area where he has worked for 33 years with a local utility company.

• Tim Walton, Class of 1980

Tim was an athletic standout in the Wildcat football and wrestling programs.

Tim was captain of the football team and MVP his senior year. From his position as a pulling/trap-blocking offensive guard, he was the lead blocker for the league-leading Wildcat backfield for which he earned All-Northern Honorable Mention. On defense, switching to defensive end as a senior after three years at linebacker, saw him nominated for Defensive Player of the Year, leading in sacks, fumble recoveries, and tackles for lost yards.

As a wrestler, he was a captain, MVP, All-Northern, North Country Invitational Tournament Champion, and Division 1 Champion in his junior and senior years. He was also the Sectional Champion his junior year with only a severe injury keeping him from repeating in his dominant senior year.

Tim served his country in the United States Army. A decorated veteran, he counts being instrumental in stopping a Russian hijacking in Turkey as one of his more memorable achievements.

Post service, he became the youngest supervisor at the largest U.S. defense contractor for 14 years before joining his wife, Joni, as business owners of a successful medical supply company. Personal endeavors include youth sports coaching, earning his college degree, becoming certified as a personal trainer, and more recently earning pro status as an All Natural Bodybuilder.

• Elliot Smith, Class of 2004

As a three-sport athlete during his career at GHS, Smith would excel in football, wrestling and baseball.

In football, Smith, playing as an offensive lineman and linebacker, would earn Section X First-Team All-Northern honors as a junior and senior. Elliot was named to the Watertown Times an All-Northern First-Team player as a senior.

In baseball player, Smith would make the varsity baseball team in 8th grade, playing a significant role on a Section X Class B runner-up squad before becoming the starting catcher as a 9th grader. In his five-year career, Smith was an over-.350 hitter, a Section X All-Northern First-Team catcher in his junior and senior seasons, a Watertown Times 1st-Team All-Northerner in his senior season, and a winner of the Jim Pinkerton Award, given by the Massena Chapter of New York State Baseball Umpires Association recognizing the Section X player possessing the most outstanding qualities of athletic ability, academics, sportsmanship, leadership and citizenship.

Beginning in 1999, as a 7th grader, Elliot would wrestle to a record of 147-32, which included 43 wins as a senior. He would win Section X Championships in 2001 (135 lbs.), 2002 (145 lbs.), 2003 (171 lbs.) and 2004 (189 lbs.). In 2003, he would wrestle to a second-place finish in the NYSPHSAA Wrestling Tournament, before taking third place in 2004 as a senior and finishing his GHS athletic career as one of the most decorated athletes in school history.

Upon graduating from GHS, Smith would go on to wrestle four years at Springfield College, qualifying for the NCAA Division III Tournament twice and earning All-American honors his senior year.

• 1967, 1968 and 1969 Golf Teams

The 1967, 1968 and 1969 Wildcat golf teams may have possibly put together the best three consecutive years in program history. Led by Mike Whalen, Sandy Kraker, Richard McAllaster, Ron Reddick, Ted Totten, Ed Moses and Dave Appleby, the teams combined for a record of 24-1-1 over three seasons, winning the Northern League and Sectional Championship each year.

In 1967, they were declared Northern League Co-Champions with Massena and Potsdam as all three teams finished with an 8-1-0 record. But Gouverneur would get the first of three successive Sectional Championships after beating Potsdam in a sudden-death shootout by winning two holes and tying two holes. Dave Appleby would lead the charge with a sectional tournament record of 70 on the Tupper Lake layout, taking medalist honors.

The 1968 team would not need such heroics, as they finished the season with an 8-0-1 record to snare the Northern League title, and then stroking a team score of 345 for a 5-shot victory over Massena to grab the Sectional Championship as well.

In 1969, with McAllaster, Whalen and Kraker to provide the senior leadership, the team stormed through the season to an undefeated 8-0-0 record. The prohibitive favorite heading into the Sectional Tournament, the Wildcats would hold off the surprising charge of the St. Lawrence Central Larries to take the title, with tournament medalist Mike Whalen sinking the 18-foot pressure putt for the one-shot victory.

The 1967 and 1968 teams were coached by Al Douglass and the 1969 team was coached by Abby Leonard.