Each year, five alumni are inducted into the Mount Carmel Hall of Fame. While head varsity football coach Jordan Lynch ’09 may be one of the youngest inductees ever, this year’s class has a wide range dating all the way back to the Class of 1966 alumnus Jack Hermanski.
Joining Lynch and Hermanski are Erik Pappas ’84, James Farr ’85, and Dan LaCount (H).
The selection process was led by the Director of Alumni Engagement Mr. Craig Ferguson ’79. The process for selecting candidates started back in November of 2024 and finished last week after a busy final voting round in late January. Recognized alongside these five men will be the Humanitarian of the Year, Man of the Year, and a new class of honorary alumni, all three of which are yet to be decided on.
The selection process was organized differently this year, led by a smaller group of voters.
“This year, we formed a committee of ten people–five employees and five alumni–who voted on the nominations,” Mr. Ferguson said. “We sent out an email to all alumni in November and gave them until December 1st to nominate someone they want.”
In order to be nominated as a potential Hall of Famer, one must be either an alumnus or an honorary alumnus, and one must have graduated at least fifteen years prior. Usually, around twenty to thirty alumni are selected to be voted on.
The committee went through two rounds of voting.
“In round one, [we] vote for ten people,” Ferguson said. “You need sixty percent of the vote to move on to the second round, and you need seventy percent to be inducted.”
Ferguson felt very pleased with this year’s class, the oldest of which is Hermanski.
“He was really endorsed by his classmates, which says a lot about him, especially after [he] graduated fifty-nine years ago,” he said. “He played basketball here and was a long-time coach at Romeoville High School. Then he was the assistant coach at the University of St. Francis for [over] twenty-five years.”
Hermanski was also recently inducted into the University of St. Francis Hall of Fame and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Pappas, the second-oldest inductee, was a decorated football and baseball player during his time at MC who went on to play for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. He also briefly played for the Greek National Baseball Team. His impact on MC has been big.
“He had coached St. Barnabas football and was instrumental in pushing a lot of young men towards Mount Carmel,” Ferguson said. “Both of his sons are alums, and in my opinion, it is long overdue that he is a member of the Hall of Fame.”
Farr is a legendary name in school history, especially for his performance in the 1985 Basketball State Championship where he led the Caravan with 30 points to seal the deal against Lanphier High School, and he later played at Creighton University. He most recently coached at Chicago State University. Farr’s jersey number 23 will be hung up in the school rafters at the Brother Rice basketball game on February 14th.
Coach Lynch was an obvious choice for the committee despite his young age. On top of his success as a quarterback at MC and as a Heisman Trophy finalist, in his seven years of coaching at MC, he has won four state championships. His recent title last November earned the program a three-peat, being one of the most successful athletic runs in school history.
“Winning championships are great, but the biggest thing is just developing these young men,” Coach Lynch said. “I had a lot of great mentors and teachers when I was a kid here, so I just [focus] on leaving [the school] better than I found it.”
Lynch has much Hall of Fame experience in his career, but this one resonates differently with him.
“I’ve been in the NIU Hall of Fame and the MAC Hall of Fame, but this one means way more to me than the other two,” he said. “This is where the foundation all started for me.”
The final member of this year’s class is Mr. LaCount, the only honorary alumnus.
“It was kind of overwhelming just thinking about all the people [in] this class,” Mr. LaCount said. “It’s hard to get elected, and it’s an immense honor. I was initially given an opportunity here as an outsider, so I’m just so grateful.”
After spending time in the Development Office, LaCount was the Athletic Director for thirteen years, most notably bringing about the construction of Barda-Dowling Stadium. Now, he is midway through his second year as a freshman counselor.
These men have given their lives to the school and are more than deserving of this honor.
“This school has been a blessing in my life,” LaCount said. “The people I’ve met have formed me as an adult, and the rich diversity here has made me a better person.”
The new inductees will be celebrated at the Hall of Fame Dinner on April 25th at Ridge Country Club.
