The College of DuPage Athletic Department welcomed seven new inductees to the Athletic Hall of Fame on June 8, which consisted of previous COD athletes, coaches, teachers and directors. In only its fifth-ever ceremony, COD alumni, current COD coaches and administration gathered to highlight the accomplishments made by the newly inducted class of 2024.

Mark Suda was the first inductee to speak at the ceremony, who is a two-time first-team All-American under the men’s soccer program at COD. In 1991, Suda recorded 41 goals and 17 assists during his freshman year and led the Chaps to fifth place at the NJCAA soccer championship. Suda also recorded 25 goals with 10 assists the next season and helped the Chaps earn fourth place at the NJCAA Championship.

“It’s pretty special to me and some of the guys from the team are here, and we went through a lot together,” said Suda. “The school always supported us, and I couldn’t have been happier with my decision to go to COD. It was fun to see someone’s opinion of how they portray you, it was special and fun.”

The second inductee of the ceremony was John Fry, who is COD’s first individual cross-country national champion and a five-time NJCAA track and field national champion. Fry is also a seven-time track and field All-American and led COD to its title in 2006. He currently still holds a school record in the 10,000 meter and was named to the NJCAA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2013.

“COD was a very positive experience in my life,” said Fry. “I hold everything from going to classes, the friendships I had, to my teammates are very close to my heart. Being able to be immortalized in the Hall of Fame is just a surreal experience. I felt loved, proud, and just pure joy and excitement.”

The third inductee of the ceremony was Brigid Barrett. Barrett competed under fellow Hall of Fame inductee Dr. Earl Reed’s women’s basketball team as a team captain and helped COD win the 2002 championship along with receiving MVP honors in the tournament. Barrett also was a two-time All-N4C and Region 4 selection, earned conference MVP, and region MVP honors during her sophomore season.

Ashley Collins was the fourth inductee to be presented at the ceremony. In 2008, Collins scored a nation-high 30 goals with 20 assists and recorded 15 goals and 32 assists as a sophomore. Collins also led the NJCAA soccer in points during her two seasons with COD. After leading COD to multiple Region 4 titles, Collins earned an athletic scholarship and continued her athletic and academic career at Indiana State University.

“It’s truly an incredible honor and I worked very hard my whole life to play soccer, so I’m very humbled and honored to be part of this experience,” said Collins. “It’s hard to look back to think that I did do [my accomplishments] all these years later, but it’s very humbling and cool to see.

The late Bob MacDougall was the next inductee highlighted at the ceremony. MacDougall’s roster consisted of 37 All-Americans and six of his players went on to the National Football League. He was named to the NJCAA Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 1997 and Region 4 Hall of Fame in 2006. MacDougall spent 21 seasons as a football coach for COD and set the NJCAA all-time winning streak of 36 consecutive games that included three consecutive unbeaten seasons (1993-95). MacDougall’s teams earned a combined 11 Region IV titles and eight N4C titles. He passed away Oct. 3, 2021, at the age of 77.

The sixth inductee presented at the ceremony was Dr. Thomas Earl Reed. Reed spent 28 years with COD as a coach, administrator and professor. For 11 seasons, Reed was a head coach for the women’s basketball team at COD and won a pair of NJCAA championships, five Region 4 titles, and coached 11 All-Americans. Reed also coached the men’s basketball program for three seasons and helped lead the men’s tennis team as an assistant coach to a NJCAA title in 1997. As an athletic director, COD earned five NJCAA titles during his four years at the position and earned three NATYCAA athletic program of the year honors.

“I give honor to our student-athletes, coaching staff, and staff,” said Reed. “As an administrator and coach, you do not do this by yourself. Their support has always been outstanding, and I give credit to them and that’s the reason why I’ve received this award. That culture that we developed was important and the student-athletes I had, I was very blessed and fortunate to have both academically and athletically.”

The final inductee was current COD President Dr. Brian Caputo. Since 2021, COD has won 10 national championships in five sports. During his time at the helm, COD was named the most successful junior college athletic program after earning the 2022-2023 LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup. Caputo has played a major role in adding four new athletic teams to the institution and putting together scholarships to support NJCAA athletic teams. Caputo announced his retirement after the conclusion of his contract that is set to end on June 30, 2024.

“There’s a lot of amazing sports history and achievements here at the College of DuPage,” said Caputo. “Just to be acknowledged as a part of it is just overwhelming, and I’m very grateful to the committee for selecting me. Just being a part of COD history is something that I will treasure forever.”

To learn more and view content from the ceremony, visit gochapsgo.com.