2012 Inductees
Eugene Hunter – 1940
Was a standout basketball and baseball player at PIHS playing three years of varsity basketball and baseball. He was captain of varsity basketball and baseball teams his senior year; His 1938 baseball team played in the State Championship game at Lewiston. He also played on the American Legion team during the summers, they won the County Championship in 1938, 1939 and 1940. Latin Club two years, class vice-president junior year, member of student council junior and senior years, president senior year; varsity club three years, Hi-Y club president senior year, band three years, orchestra three years and a member of the National Honor Society.
Played semi-pro baseball for the Presque Isle Indians in 1940, ’41 and ’42 and was selected to the League All-Star team. He managed the Indians during the 1947 season. Enrolled at Colby College in the Fall of 1941. As a freshman he was captain of the baseball and basketball teams. His sophomore year his basketball team won the Maine State Championship and he earned selection to the “All Maine Team”. He was twice selected All-New England in basketball and baseball. Played baseball for the Old Town IICF semi-pro baseball team in the Eastern Maine League and was selected to the All-Star team.
During WWII Hunter served in the 78th “Lighting” Division, participating in three major campaigns in Europe. He had a distinguished career in education which began at Houlton High School. As a basketball coach he won State Championships at three different schools, Morse High School, Portsmouth High School and South Portland High School. He is the only Maine high school coach to win State Championships in two different states. He serve 10 years as athletic director at So. Portland High School. He has been recognized as Maine High School Coach of the Year, and by his induction into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, Maine Sports Hall of Fame, Maine Sports Legends Hall of Fame and New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
James Lyford – 1950
As a student Jim Lyford was an outstanding track and cross country athlete. In track he had held the County record in the 880 for several years, breaking the record set by Emery Plourde of Caribou with a time of 2:02.2 and finished third in the State Cross Country meet his senior leading his team to the State Championship. That same year he won all of the dual meets and finished third in the intersectional run.
Mr. Lyford served Presque Isle High School with distinction as a coach/teacher, he coached boys cross country for 20 years and was track coach for 15 years. As the cross country coach he won eight County championships (1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1970); four Regional Championships (1960, 1961, 1962, 1964); three State Championships (1960, 1961, 1962). As track coach he won seven Aroostook League Championships. He has won more State Championships than any other coach at Presque Isle High School
Lyford was a member of the Boy’s Scouts, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout; he owned City Dry Cleaners in Presque Isle and served two terms on the City Council.
Jim Dyer
Mr. Dyer began his teaching career at Presque Isle High School in 1946. He was an outstanding Math teacher and also served as Asst. Principal to Franklin Cunningham. He began his coaching as the JV boy’s baseball coach, when Bill Hanscom retired he became the Varsity boys baseball coach and continued at that position for 15 years.
A champion coach he led his team to the Aroostook League title five times and shared the title twice. His teams never finished lower than second. He officiated high school basketball from 1950-1968 and built a reputation of being one of the best officials in Eastern Maine.
Coached JV boys’ basketball and baseball during the 1950’s without compensation. He headed the Presque Isle Recreation Department baseball program for several years. He umpired baseball games at various levels. Was chair of the PIHS Math Department.
Jim was an outstanding athlete at Bowdoin College where he captained the basketball team four years, played three years of football and starred for four years on the baseball team. In 1940 he was selected to play on the U.S. National baseball team in the World Series of Amateur Baseball which took place in Cuba with eight other countries. He starred in the outfield and behind the plate for the American team which lost in the finals to Cuba. He has been inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame, the Maine Sports Legends Hall of Fame and the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.
Jim Carter – 1964
Jim has made significant contributions to the athletic department over the last several years: He chaired a fund raising effort in 2004-2005 for the class of 1964 raising $10,000 of which 9,000 went towards the purchase of the new scoreboard currently in the gym and a $1000 gift to the PIHS library.
He has also been active in obtaining recognition for former outstanding athletes of PIHS by writing numerous articles about former athletes and having them published in the Star Herald. He has written a book on the history of PIHS basketball covering six decades, 1950-2009.
He was instrumental in the founding of the new Presque Isle High School Athletic Hall of Fame and is currently co-chair. Through his efforts close to $5000 has been raised to fund the Hall of Fame.
He recently nominated four former PIHS graduates for induction to the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. Two were inducted in July of 2010 and another in July of 2011.
Compiles stats for the Big East Basketball Conference for both boys’ and girls‘ team.
Does play-by-play for local high school basketball for WEGP radio, prior to that did color commentary for several years for Time/Warner broadcasts. He also wrote a historical article on the history of Presque Isle High School which was published in the Star Herald.
Prior to moving back to Presque Isle in 2005 Jim taught in Caribou for 25 years where he coached boys’ basketball for 21 years at various levels, girl’s cross-country for six years and baseball at the middle school, junior varsity and varsity levels. His cross country teams won six County Championships, three consecutive Eastern Maine Regional Championships, and one state championship. He was named the Big East Coach of the Year in 1998 and Girls Cross country coach of the year by the BDN in 1989.
Jim was inducted into the Maine Sports Legends Hall of Honors in 2014.
Steve Condon – 1971
While attending PIHS Steve played three years of varsity basketball and two years of varsity baseball. He was a three year letter winner; selected to the All Eastern Maine Tournament in1970 and 1971; All State 3rd team 1970, All State 1st team 1971. During the EM Tournament Condon averaged 19 ppg and 13 rpg. Captain of the 1971 team. 1971-named Gatorade Player of the Year for the State of Maine.
Attended Leicester Jr. College in Ma. from 1971-73 where he averaged 12 ppg. Leicester was the no. 1 Jr. College in New England. He entered the University of Maine Orono in the fall of 1973 and started for UMO for two years. His junior year he averaged 11.7 ppg. He was named captain of the Black Bears his senior year and averaged 15.9 ppg and had a .512 field goal percentage. Set the school field goal record for one game (90%) hitting on 18 of 20 FG attempts versus Virginia Commonwealth. Condon led Maine to an upset win over Virginia Common Wealth, a nationally ranked team, scoring 37 points. He was selected to the ECAC weekly honor roll for his performance.
Selected to the first team Maine All State College Division his junior and senior years. A third team All Yankee Conference selection his junior year and first team All Yankee Conference his senior year.
Steve currently serves as Aroostook County Sales Representative – Denis Food Service.
Darci Collins McCrum – 1989
While attending PIHS Darci played four years of varsity soccer, four years of varsity basketball, four years of varsity soccer and three years of volleyball.
She was All State Soccer 1988 & 1989; All Eastern Maine Class ‘A’ All Star, All County 1988 & 1989, Received the Butch Shaw award as the outstanding Class A soccer player in Aroostook County. Softball All-State 2nd team 1987, 1st team 1988 & 1989) her senior year she had a batting average of .655 with 24 stolen bases and 21 rbi; Basketball: 1989 Bangor Daily News second team All-State & Portland Press Herald 1st Team All-State, Big East All Conference 1988 & 1989, All Tourney 1989. East-West Senior All-Star selection 1989; 1987 led the team in scoring, assists and free throw percentage; 1988 she was in the Big East top 10 in scoring, free throw percentage, assists and steals. 1989 led the team in scoring with 14ppg. Darci may be the only Presque Isle High athlete to be selected All-State in three different sports, basketball, soccer and softball.
Darci attended Husson University and played basketball leading the team in assists her junior and seniors years and was also second in steals pg. Helped to lead the team to the 1992-93 NAIA Fabulous Four in Oregon where they came in third, her 20 assists set a record for the most assists in a National tournament. At Husson she ranks 2nd All-Time in games played, number 1 in 3 pt F G percentage, 6th in assists and 9th in steals. She received the Coaches Award for her 1991-92 season. She was inducted into the Husson Hall of Fame Sept. 9th, 2004.
Darci graduated from Husson University in 1993 with a Bachelors degree in Business Management. Employed at Hannaford Brother’s doing Pharmacy Scheduling for New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Staci Hafford Barnes – 1990
Staci played four years of varsity soccer and basketball while at Presque Isle High School.
In basketball she was selected Big East All Conference 1989, 1990; Eastern Maine All-Tourney; 1989 & 1990, All-State Honorable mention 1990, Portland Press Herald All-State selection. Maine Sports Hall of Fame Class A State Final MVP in 1990, MacDonald’s Senior All-Star. 1989 averaged 13.3 ppg., 1990 averaged 11.9 ppg despite recovering from a broken leg.
She began her college career at Thomas College and transferred to Husson University in the Spring of 1992. She scored 1,094 points, had 208 career steals and 376 rebounds in her collegiate career. Staci was named MAC Player of the week Feb. 18, 1994, MVP at the Star City Shootout, 1994-95. During her senior year she scored 35 points against Emmanuel College which ranks her 9th in most points scored in one game at Husson. She was inducted into the Husson University Hall of Fame 2006.
Received her B.S. in Business Administration in 1995. She works at Bollinger Insurance and lives in Edison, New Jersey with her husband Ken and two sons.
Melissa Blackstone Gogain – 2001
Melissa participated in varsity cross country, track and basketball while at Presque Isle High School.
At the 1999 County Track Meet she won four events; 100, 200 & 400 meter dashes and the 4 X 400 relay team. Was the meets top scorer and won the Howard Lello Oustsanding Female Performer Award. In the Eastern Maine Regional she was third in the 400 meter and fifth in the 200 meter. At the State Meet she finished third in the 400 meter dash. Was top scorer in the 2000 County track meet winning the Howard Lello Outstanding Female Performer Award; winning four events including the 100, 200, 400 and 800 meter runs. At the Eastern Maine Regional she won the 800 meter, second in the 400 and fourth in the 100. At the State Meet won the 800 meter, second in the 400 meter and fourth in the 100 meter. She qualified for the New England meet and was 6th in the 800 meter. In 2001 she set the PVC record for the 1600 meter run and also won the 800 meter run. At the State Meet she broke the Class B State record in the 1600 (5:01.10), she also won the 800 with a time of 2:20.88. Qualified for the New England track meet in 2001 finishing fourth in the 1600 meter run an was seventh in the 800 meter. Melissa holds the Lady Wildcat records in the 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600 meter runs; holds the State records for Class B girls 800 and 1600 meter runs. She received the PIHS Outstanding Senior Athlete award. Blackstone was also a standout in Cross-country and the lead runner her senior year. She placed third in the EM Class B Regional and fourth in the Class B State meet. She was nominated for the seventh annual Wendy’s Heisman Award, the award recognizes young men and women who demonstrate excellence in three areas: academics, community service and athletics. Melissa had a 96.9 grade average.
She attended Liberty University where she ran track and cross country. In cross country her best finish at the Big South Cross Country Championship was 12th in 2002. She made the Big South All - Academic Team in 2003.
In track and field she earned All-Big South honors twice, finishing second in the mile at the 2003 Big South Indoor Track and Field Championships and second in the 1800 at the 2005 Big South Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Other top finishes in the Big South meet included: 2002 indoor 4th in the 400; 2003 indoor 4th in the 800; 2004 4th in both the 800 and 1500; 2005 indoor 4th in the mile; 2005 outdoor 4th in the 1500. She was part of five Big South Championship teams. She still holds one school record. She ran the third leg of the Lady Flames’ 4X1500 meter relay team which clocked 19:15.14 on March 19, 2004 at the Florida State Relays. She ranks second on Liberty’s all time list in the indoor 1000 (2:55.12 and the indoor 4 X 800 relay 9:15.23.