On Oct. 6, 2007, a second class was inducted into Thornton Academy's Athletic Hall of Fame. The annual event celebrates the long and distinguished history of sports at Thornton, which was founded in 1811.

Pictured from left to right are Eleanor Mahaney Zdanowicz '48, daughter of inductee Hilary Mahaney '21; James McGaffin, coach and athletic director; Richard Grant '54; Robert Tims '53; Donald Lester '53; and Robert McAvoy '46.

The Thornton Academy Athletic Hall of Fame was founded by the Alumni Association and Board of Trustees in 2006 to honor and recognize athletes, coaches, teams and others affiliated with the school who have excelled at or contributed greatly to athletics at TA.

Richard H. Grant, Class of 1954
Dick Grant starred in both baseball and basketball star. He was a captain of the basketball team for Coach Francis Mear in his senior year and was consistently one of the top scorers in the box score. Grant was also captain of the baseball team in his junior and senior years and was a three-time All Telegram Team pitcher. He pitched in the longest baseball game in TA history, a 16 inning affair vs. Portland's Willy Greenlaw, a game that Thornton lost 1-0. He also once struck out 19 batters in a 13 inning game against South Portland. Those are just two of the many memorable pitching outings during his career at TA. Legend has it that he threw the ball so hard, he forced his catcher, Don Lester, to resort to using a piece of steak to help minimize the sting in his hands.

One reporter wrote: "The local Chamber of Commerce owes Dick Grant, Thornton Academy pitcher, a note of thanks. Local hotels and restaurants have reaped a handsome reward from the Thornton youngster's baseball talent for there have been as many as five scouts in town simultaneously and their expenses add up." After graduation, he began his professional career in the Chicago White Sox organization by heading to Edmunston, New Brunswick, Canada before settling back here in Saco for many, many years.

Donald D. Lester, Class of 1953
During his years at Thornton Academy, Don Lester excelled in football as a halfback, in baseball as a catcher and in basketball as a guard and forward. During the 1952 baseball season, his junior year, he was crowned Telegram League batting champion as he batted .400 with 26 hits - 23 of which were singles - in 65 at bats. The team's record that year was 10-6; it tied for first place in the Telegram League and made it to the state tournament. Lester was named to the All-Telegram League as a catcher both in his junior and senior years and is arguably the best catcher in Thornton's history. The day after graduation from Thornton Academy, he joined the Marine Corps, but later came back and settled in Saco and was active in the community, including serving on the town council.

Hilary F. Mahaney, Class of 1921
As an athlete at Thornton Academy, Mahaney was a center on the basketball team and a first baseman on the baseball team. But his athletic excellence was mostly displayed on the gridiron. Mahaney was a captain of the football team in his senior year and a member of three prep school state football championship teams. He was an All-Conference fullback for two years and was named to the All-State team his senior year.

After graduating from Thornton, Mahaney continued his football career at Holy Cross as a right end. Eventually, he became a captain of the football team at Holy Cross and was named to numerous All-American and All-East teams, one of which was Liberty magazine's All-America Football Team along with Red Grange of Illinois. In the early 50's, he was selected to the Boston Post All-Time All-America team along with, among others, Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, George Gipp, and Doc Blanchard.

Mahaney went on to Boston University Law School and was assistant coach while in school there and head coach for the 1930 and 1931 seasons. He later returned to Saco where he was an attorney and later a municipal judge. He continued his love of football by officiating Southwestern Maine high school games for many seasons. Mahaney passed away in 1969.

Robert E. McAvoy, Class of 1946
McAvoy was twice selected to the all-state football team as an end in 1944 and 1945. After playing 2 ½ years as an end, he took his talents to the backfield. In one 1944 newspaper article, he is described as follows: "Bob McAvoy's end play against Portland Saturday afternoon at the Stadium was as good as any we have seen this year. The big Maroon end turned back everything directed at his flank, and he did a fine job on offense, too. He is as good, if not the best, wingman we have looked at this year."

McAvoy was also a starter on the varsity basketball team his junior and senior years. Additionally, he starred on the 1945 and 1946 track teams, especially in the high and low hurdles, including a win in the Portsmouth Clipper Relays in which 13 schools from four New England states competed. After leaving Thornton, Bob spent one year playing football at Michigan State, but transferred to Bowdoin College where he was named to the Little All-American team in 1949 under Bowdoin's storied coach Adam Walsh. McAvoy enjoyed a long career as a leader in the paper industry, eventually becoming the first native Maine president of S.D. Warren.

Robert E. Tims, Class of 1953
Also known as "Big Bob"and "Red" Tims was nominated by three different people for this award. His distinguished career at Thornton began during his freshman year as he was quarterback of the undefeated and untied football team. Later that year, he was chosen as the MVP of the York County Freshman Basketball Tournament. In his junior and senior years, Red lettered in football, baseball, basketball and track. He received honorable mention in the Fifth Annual National High School All-America Football Team and was invited to play in the Fifthth Annual High School Blue/Gray game in Memphis, Tenn., a game in which Bart Starr was the first team quarterback. In his senior year, on a football team which, at the time, set the State of Maine scoring record and had total yardage of 4,058 yards, Tims had 1,285 total yards and was selected All-American honorable mention by Scholastic Coach magazine.

He was twice selected to the All-Telegram League team for his efforts on the baseball diamond and also won a Golden Glove. In his junior year, Tims was the only player in the Telegram League to hit safely in every game. Additionally, he was the captain and high scorer on the basketball team. Although offered a scholarship to play football at Yale, Red chose an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy instead.

James McGaffin, Coach and Athletic Director
Jim McGaffin began his career at Thornton in 1956 as head baseball coach, assistant football coach and assistant basketball coach. After one year, he became head basketball coach and coached for 15 year, from 1956 until 1970. At a school with a reputation as a football school, he was instrumental in putting basketball on the map. The basketball team hadn't been to the state playoff tournament for 12 years; after McGaffin took over, the team went five of his first six years and nine out of the next 13 years.

As a jack of all trades athletic director, McGaffin's duties included scheduling, mentoring, selling tickets, and mopping floors. When basketball games outgrew Emery Gymnasium, and before the construction of Linnell Gymnasium, he took his teams to various venues to play their games in order to accommodate the crowds that followed the team. His teams were often referred to as the aptly named "orphans."

McGaffin served for more than 27 years at TA, more than half as submaster. In a newspaper article covering his retirement, one of his former players had this comment: "I think he instilled in those who played for him a feeling of respect for the system and the meaning of playing on a team, and those things are valuable."