National Hockey League and former Rensselaer hockey star Adam Oates was selected as one of seven past RPI student-athletes to be inducted to the RPI Athletic Hall of Fame this October.

Oates, along with Bridget LaNoir, Dave Lohrman, Dan McGovern, Cathy Moran, Bill Snyder, and Jen Swiderek received the honor after being selected by Rensselaer’s Hall of Fame selection committee.

Oates, who was a member of the Engineers’ 1985 Championship run, set career marks in assists with 150 in just three seasons at RPI, and in the 1985 title year tallied single season records in both points and assists with 91 and 60, respectively.

The two-time All-American and All-League selection led RPI every year in assists, aiding the Engineers to an 85-19-1 mark over his stay.

This fall will most likely not be Oates’ last Hall of Fame induction as the Weston, Ontario native proved to be just as dominant in the NHL as at the collegiate level.

Oates, who recently retired after 22 grueling NHL seasons with seven different teams certainly left his signature on the game. He climbed to fifth on the all-time NHL assists list, finding teammates on 1,079 occasions while his 1,420 points rank him 13th on the NHL points list.

However, Oates is not the only member of this class that deserves note.

LaNoir’s collegiate accomplishmetns are certianly the equivilant, if not more impressive than the NHL star’s.

The 1999 graduate was unstoppable on the field and on the ice. She chalked up 46 points in a 62 game field hockey career while reaching 126 points in 96 contests on the ice.

LaNoir, who continues to extend her RPI legacy as she serves as the Rensselaer field hockey coach, was a three time All-League and All-State selection in field hockey and a four time All-League and two time All-American selection in ice hockey.

But then again this group of Hall of Famers was never lacking national recongnition as the seven members combined to recieve 14 All-American honors, four of which were earned by Moran in both cross country and various track events.

Lohrman and Synder, members of the first RPI baseball team to advance to the NCAA World Series, were classmates as both left RPI in 1997 after stellar careers on a deadly Red Hawk staff.

The teammates were part of an RPI team that boasted the NCAA’s stop pitching staff, a staff anchored one season by Synder’s national best earned-run-average.

Synder turned out a 2.27 ERA and a 19-10 record with 267 strikeouts in 43 apperances while Lohrman holds school record in wins (25), winning percentage (.862), no-hitters (2), consecutive wins and strikeouts in a game (18).

Lohrman became the first RPI baseball player to advance to AAA baseball. The East Amherst, N.Y. native joined the major leagues when he was taken by the New York Mets in the 1997 MLB entry draft.

McGovern holds four school records of his own on the gridiron.

A local out of South Glens Falls, N.Y, McGovern’s 3,959 rushing yards, 713 carries, 48 touchdowns, and 292 points established him as Rensselaer’s most prominent running back of all-time.

Rounding out the 2004 Hall of Fame class is Swiderek, a standout in women’s soccer.

Swiderek finished her career with 58 goals and 22 assists and was the captain on the most succesful women’s soccer team in Rensselaer history.

The team’s senior captain and Most Valuable Player led the 1996 club to a 16-1 mark while scoring a single season record 27 goals.

During homecoming weekend, October 2 and 3, LaNoir, Lohrman, McGovern, Moran, Snyder, and Swiderek will be inducted at Rensselaer’s Annual Hall of Fame Banquet while Oates will receive a special ceremony at a currently undetermined 2004-2005 RPI men’s hockey team home weekend.