HOULTON, Maine — A former radio broadcaster from Houlton is one of 13 individuals to be inducted next June in the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame officials on Thursday announced Dewey DeWitt, 93, among the 13 individuals who will receive Maine’s highest sporting honor.
Other notables on the list include Patrick Dempsey, the actor-sportsman-philanthropist and founder of the Dempsey Challenge; Bobby Wilder, the former University of Maine quarterback and assistant football coach who has been head football coach at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, for the last decade; and Carl Nelson, a two-time U.S. Olympic head trainer.
The remaining individuals to be inducted are harness racing driver Jason Bartlett, ski resort impresario Dana Bullen, USA Hockey general manager Reagan Carey, mountain biker Tammy Jacques, former NBA referee Bob McAllister, longtime college basketball coach Dick Meader, celebrated Lewiston High school tennis coach Anita Murphy, legendary Bangor High School three-sport athlete Leroy Patterson and gymnastics standout Kristen Kenoyer Woodland.
For decades, DeWitt called play-by-play, interviewed and reported on all the great Aroostook County coaches and players in high school basketball. He also is a member of the Maine Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
DeWitt, who was inducted into the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016, began his radio career in 1950 for WABM radio and announced football and basketball. In his long career, DeWitt broadcast more than 3,000 games and events, including the Greater Bangor Open, the Aroostook River Race and the Maine Potato Blossom Festival.
DeWitt retired from broadcasting in 1983, but still can be heard occasionally on WHOU doing a special interview.
The Maine Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1972. It is governed by a board of directors, awards scholarships to outstanding Maine high school scholar-athletes, and inducts Maine athletes and sports figures who have brought distinction and honor to the state.
The induction ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. June 3 at the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine in Orono. Tickets will be on sale for $25 each at www.mshof.com starting Jan. 15 or via mail at MSHOF, P.O. Box 2619, South Portland, ME 04116.
Editor’s note: Background information on Dewey DeWitt was taken from a Nov. 2, 2011, County Face story that appeared in the Houlton Pioneer Times.
