ELLICOTT CITY, MD – In honor of July as National Parks and Recreation Month, Howard County Department of Recreation & Parks has revealed the names of the three newest inductees of the Howard County Community Sports Hall of Fame: Will Brewington, Wendell Thomas, and Wilma Moran-Wylie. Each year, the Community Sports Hall of Fame honors outstanding individuals for their commitment or notable contribution to community sports in Howard County.
The time, energy and dedication put forth by these three inductees is a testament to what makes Howard County’s athletic community and sports programming so great. I would like to thank these inductees for their commitment to inspiring, improving and always encouraging our younger residents to get up, get out and get active.
Will Brewington has dedicated much of his life to the sport of rugby, both as a player and coach. In 2000, Will introduced boys and girls to the sport through his establishment of the Ellicott City Express Youth program. In its first year, Ellicott City Express’s U-11 team took home gold at the Maryland State Youth Tournament. A year later, Ellicott City Express became a registered program through Recreation & Parks. Since its inception, hundreds of kids have played for Ellicott City Express, learning a sport many had never played or seen before. In 2014, Will left Ellicott City Express to become head coach of the Rocky Gorge Men’s Rugby Club. While he remained in this position until 2023, Will returned to Ellicott City Express in 2021 to again help coach, where he remains today. Through it all, he has played an instrumental role in helping the sport of rugby grow in Howard County.
Throughout the years,Wendell Thomas has led multiple sports in Howard County, from soccer to lacrosse and volleyball. In 1978, he started the boys’ soccer program at Atholton High School, where he coached into the 1980’s. During this time, he also helped coach soccer for Recreation & Parks. In addition, Wendell coached boys and girls lacrosse for more than 15 years with Hero’s Summer Lacrosse program and 20 years at the high school level. He also helped with Monday Night Fall Lacrosse program. For his dedication to the sport of lacrosse, he is a two-time recipient of the “Man of the Year Award” from Howard County lacrosse coaches. When not coaching soccer or lacrosse, you can find Wendell coaching a Special Olympics volleyball team in Howard County. In 2005, he brought two teams to the Maryland Special Olympics, where they won a gold and silver medal.
For Wilma Moran-Wylie, coaching soccer with the Soccer Association of Columbia (SAC) is a way to develop boys as players and as people. She started with her son, giving him strong support and encouragement just as her father provided her. After her son went to high school, Wilma continued coaching because she enjoyed helping kids learn life skills through playing soccer. In all, Wilma has been either a volunteer coach or paid travel coach for more than 25 years. When not coaching, Wilma served as an age-group coordinator for SAC since 2010 and as vice president of the recreation program since 2015. Beyond the administrative tasks, Wilma spends a great deal of time and energy working with coaches, parents, and players to help them resolve issues. She emphasizes that SAC is a family and the goal is player development. For her involvement, Wilma hopes to be remembered for making a positive impact on children’s lives.
“Our first-class sports leagues, programs and classes would not be where they are today without a community of dedicated coaches, volunteers and program leaders,” said Recreation & Parks Director Nick Mooneyhan. “The passion of the inductees and their love of sports and helping others has shown through during their years of service to our community. They are truly an inspiration to the future leaders of our sports leagues and programs.”
The induction ceremony will take place at the 20th Celebration of Sports on Tuesday, October 15th at the Turf Valley Resort and Conference Center. Tickets are $49 per person or $490 for a table of 10 people. To RSVP or to purchase tickets, please call 410-313-1668 or email mblevins@howardcountymd.gov.
To learn more about the Community Sports Hall of Fame, visit www.hcrpsports.org/halloffame.