Hampden-Sydney College Hall of Fame

Thacher Worthen, Water Polo, Lacrosse, 1990-93
2004 H-SC Hall of Fame
Worthen earned All-America and Southern Conference Co-Player of the Year in water polo in 1993. He led the Southern Conference in goals despite the fact the Tiger team finished 1-16 in conference competition, which included scholarship programs like Richmond, Arkansas and Dayton, along with non-scholarship Washington and Lee. Worthen played "hole man" which was toughest position to play in water polo as the center of the offense. A four-year starter as a defenseman in lacrosse, he earned USILA Honorable Mention All-America honors and All-ODAC honors in 1993. His forte was "full-field transition" as he was virtually impossible to stop. He once single-handedly cleared the ball through defending national champion Princeton’s "ride" or press nine times. Worthen went on to receive his MBA from Vanderbilt University. He is now a Corporate Director of Marketing for Coca-Cola, Inc., in Birmingham, Alabama.

Rob Bonaventura, ’83
2002 H-SC Hall of Fame
Rob Bonaventura is the fifth all-time leading scorer in Hampden-Sydney lacrosse history and he rates in the top-six in goals scored and assists for his career. From 1980 to1983, Bonaventura racked up 104 goals (sixth-best all time) and recorded 70 assists (second-best all-time). In 1982 he registered career numbers with 42 goals and 36 assists (second-best all-time in single season) for 78 points, and is regarded as one of the best all-around individual seasons in Hampden-Sydney lacrosse history. He still holds the Hampden-Sydney record with 11 goals against William and Mary in 1982. He earned Honorable Mention All-American honors in 1983 and was a First Team All-ODAC honoree in both 1982 and 1983.  Bonaventura, a political science major while at Hampden- Sydney, is a Vice Chairman for Sands Brothers and Company, Investment Bankers in New York City. His wife, Linda, graduated from Fairfield and they have three children, Christian (10), Kelly (8), Daniel (5).

Rob Bonaventura accepts his Hall of Fame award from Hall of Fame football player and Board of Trustees member Joe Viar, ‘63 (left), and President Walter M. Bortz III (right)

John Gibson ‘82
1994 H-SC Hall of Fame
The top scorer in Hampden-Sydney’s lacrosse history, John Gibson was the first lacrosse player to be inducted into the H-SC Hall of Fame. Sixteen seasons after his graduation, Gibson still holds the H-SC scoring record with 202 career goals and 266 total points. He also ranks third on the Tiger career list with 64 assists.
     As a senior in 1982, Gibson set a school record with 56 goals, leading the Tigers to a 12-4 record and the College’s first appearance in the NCAA Division III Lacrosse Championships. He earned All-ODAC honors in 1981 and 1982, and was an All- America in 1982. Gibson was also selected to participate in the prestigious North-South College All-Star Game.
     Gibson is currently the Executive Vice President for the Ellis-Gibson Development Company in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Jack Barber ‘89
2000 H-SC Hall of Fame
One of the top defensive backs in H-SC’s football history, Barber was a three-time first-team All-ODAC selection on the gridiron. His 16 pass-break-ups as a freshman in 1985 is still a H-SC record, as are his 35 career break-ups. He was in H-SC’s top ten in tackles all four years, including a career-best 66 as a senior. Barber returned punts and kickoffs all four years as well, and his 94-yard kickoff return in 1987 against Guilford is still a record. As a lacrosse player, he was a first-team All-ODAC midfielder in 1989, helping the Tigers to an 11-3 record and NCAA berth. In addition, he was named an alternate for the North-South All-American game and an All-State selection. His senior year lacrosse stats included 17 goals and 7 assists.

Ted Chambers ‘83
2000 H-SC Hall of Fame
Although he never played varsity lacrosse at his prep school in Baltimore, in his lacrosse career at Hampden-Sydney Ted Chambers started all four years on the squad. Like his team, never before recognized as a national lacrosse power, Chambers quickly matured into one of the country’s best defensemen.  Along with John Gibson ’82 (H-SC Hall of Fame Inductee), Chambers was H-SC’s first lacrosse All-American, earning honorable mention honors in both 1982 and 1983. He was a key member of H- SC’s 1982 team, which posted a 12-4 record, a first-ever national ranking (No. 8), and H-SC lacrosse’s first NCAA tournament appearance. He capped his lacrosse career as one of the few Division III players to start in the 1983 NCAA College All-Star game.

Jeff Jackson ‘88
1998 H-SC Hall of Fame, 1990 USA Team
While at H-SC (1984-88) midfielder Jeff Jackson netted 157 goals and was named All-America two times. The 1988 First Team All-America and ODAC Player of the year went on to become one of the most successful players nationally. In 1990, Jackson was the youngest member of Team USA that won a world championship in Perth, Australia.
     As the five-time captain of the Chesapeake Lacrosse Club, Jackson earned 1991 USCLA Co-Player of the Year honors along with lacrosse great Dave Petriemala. In 1994, Jackson was the sole USLCA Player of the Year. In his final season of field lacrosse, he captained the highly select Team Toyota. Jackson also captained the Baltimore Thunder of the Major Indoor Professional Lacrosse League. He was named All-Pro from 1991-1993 and the teams Most Valuable Player in 1991 and 1992. He retired in 1995 as the team’s all-time leading scorer.
     Jackson presently works as an Senior Loan Officer for Southern Trust Mortgage in Baltimore, Md. Jeff and his wife Maria have two children, Kevin (4) and Lauren (6).