NIAGARA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — The Niagara University Department of Athletics held the 44rd Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on November 3 at the Russell J. Salvatore Dining Commons on the campus of Niagara University.
The 2018 Hall of Fame Class is comprised of: Doug Farrell ’73 (baseball/men’s basketball), Jessica Kemp ’04 (women’s basketball), Frank J. Schlehr, M.D. (team physician), and the 1969-70 men’s basketball team.
Doug Farrell
Doug Farrell, a native of Rochester, New York, was a two-sport athlete for the Purple Eagles from 1969-73. He was a four-year member of the basketball program (1969-73) and played three seasons on the baseball team where he was selected in the Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft twice (1971 and 1972) during his time at Niagara University.
On the hardwood, he was a consistent contributor for the Purple Eagles. He saw action in 74 games in three seasons playing on the varsity team. He was a member of the team that played in the 1972 NIT Championship game and finished the season with a 21-9 record.
At the conclusion of the 1972-73 basketball season, the Our Lady of Lebanon Church recognized Farrell as its “unsung hero” for being outstanding in athletics and sportsmanship at the 20th Annual Sports Appreciation Breakfast.
Farrell excelled on the diamond – on the mound, in the field and at the plate. Farrell was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second round of the 1971 MLB Draft and in the third round of the 1972 MLB Draft.
The ace right-hander led the 1972 Purple Eagles in innings pitched (46) and in strikeouts (72), while posting a 1.17 ERA. He finished fourth in the NCAA with 14.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Farrell, who also played in the outfield, batted .304 for the season. He tossed a no-hitter to conclude the 1972 season as Niagara finished with a then-school record 21 wins, including going 4-0 against Little 3 rivals Canisius and St. Bonaventure. Farrell, who captained the 1973 team, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce in 1973.
He coached basketball at Bishop Kearney from 1975-1980, before starting a 21-year career as a basketball official under the auspices of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials. During his 21 years, he served eight years on the Executive Committee, was the 1999 Official of the Year and the number one rated official in the area. He was inducted into the Section Five Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
After a 20-year career at Xerox Engineering Systems, he currently works at Videk, Inc., which is a vision inspection company that works with the IRS, Post Office, and multiple insurance and banking industries.
Jessica Kemp
Jessica Kemp, a 5-foot-10 guard from Niagara Falls, Ontario, was an integral part of the Niagara University women’s basketball team from 2000-04.
As a freshman during the 2000-01 season, Kemp was third on the team in points per game (8.0), rebounds per game (4.2), and assists per game (2.1), as well as placing second in steals per game (1.9).
She led the 2001-02 Purple Eagles in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per game, in rebounds per game (5.8), and in steals per game (2.4) while starting in 27 out of 28 games. In the summer of 2002 between her sophomore and junior seasons, she was invited to the Canadian Olympic Basketball team training camp.
Kemp started in all 29 games during the 2002-03 season, helping the Purple Eagles to a 20-9 record for the program’s only 20-win season as an NCAA Division I program. She led the team in rebounds, averaging 5.5 per contest, and she was second on the team in points per game (11.4), steals per game (1.9) and blocks per game (0.3).
She finished the regular season ranked 10th in the MAAC in steals per game, 3-point field goal percentage (.325) and in 3-pointers per game (1.38). She averaged 15.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in two games in the 2003 MAAC Tournament as Niagara advanced to the semifinals.
During her senior campaign, Kemp became the 17th Purple Eagle in Niagara University women’s basketball history to surpass the 1,000 career point mark. She led the team with a career-high 6.7 rebounds per game and averaged a career-best 2.5 steals per game. She was awarded the Best Defensive Award and the Coaches Award at the team’s awards banquet.
At the conclusion of her four-year career, Kemp ranked first in career games played (113), third in steals (244), fourth in 3-point field goal attempts (385), fifth in 3-pointers made (110), sixth in rebounds (628), eighth in field goal attempts (1,118) and 12th in scoring (1,157 points).
She currently ranks in the top-10 in five career categories – steals (fourth), games played (sixth), rebounds (ninth), field goal attempts (10th) and 3-point field goal attempts (10th).
Kemp’s 1,157 career points rank 16th in program history.
A three-time MAAC All-Academic member, Kemp graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce in 2003 and earned an MBA in 2004.
After college, Kemp played two years of professional basketball in the Netherlands and in England.
In 2009, she began working in the family business of financial services. In 2011, she founded Kemp Financial Group, Inc. and currently serves as president.
Frank J. Schlehr, M.D.
A native of Western New York, Frank J. Schlehr, M.D. is an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine and arthroscopy. He has been practicing sports medicine in his hometown since 1994 and has served as the team physician for Niagara University Athletics since 1995.
Dr. Schlehr was a three-sport athlete at Amherst High School and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Notre Dame before attending medical school at Vanderbilt University.
Dr Schlehr has worked with numerous athletic teams including as a consultant for the San Francisco 49’ers, an assistant team physician for the Stanford University football team, and the team physician for the Buffalo Blizzard professional soccer team.
Dr. Schlehr has given numerous presentations on sports medicine on both the local and national level. He has been a featured speaker for the Eastern Athletic Trainers Association and presented at professional conferences including the Mid-Central States Orthopaedic Society, National Family Practice Meeting and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. In addition, he has published numerous research articles in the areas of Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury and the use of surgical lasers.
He is a member of the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He is one of the first orthopaedic surgeons to receive a subspecialty certification in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine from the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Inc.
Dr. Schlehr is married to Kimberly S. Schlehr, M.D. and they have four children: Madeline, Eva, Isabelle, and John.
1969-70 Men’s Basketball Team
The 1969-70 Purple Eagles made history, becoming the first-ever program to play in the NCAA Tournament. The Purple Eagles, who were coached by Frank Layden and led by tri-captains Calvin Murphy, Mike Brown and Bob Churchwell, finished with a 22-7 record for the program’s first 20-win season in 14 years.
Niagara opened its campaign winning 11 straight games, which is a program record, including defeating No. 6 Tennessee on December 27, 1969 en route to winning the 34th Annual All-College Tournament in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Niagara finished the regular season winning 11 of its last 13 games which included victories over Buffalo, St. John’s, Syracuse and Canisius.
The Purple Eagles qualified for the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection in the 25-team field and played in the first round of the NCAA East Region in Princeton, New Jersey. Behind All-American Calvin Murphy’s 35 points and Bob Churchwell’s double-double with 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, Niagara advanced to the NCAA East Region semifinals with a 79-69 victory over Ivy League champion and seventh-ranked Pennsylvania.
The Purple Eagles were defeated by Villanova in the NCAA East Regional Semifinals in Columbia, South Carolina. Niagara finished fourth in the region after falling to North Carolina State in the consolation game.
Niagara, which was ranked as high as 12th in the nation during the season, finished its campaign ranked 17th in both the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI) polls.
Eight members from the 1969-70 team have previously been inducted into the Niagara University Athletics Hall of Fame – Mike Brown, Bob Churchwell, Calvin Murphy, Steve Schafer, Marshall Wingate, Frank Layden (head coach), Mike Gormley (athletic trainer) and Dr. Alphonso Bax (team physician).
Niagara University Athletics celebrated the 40th anniversary of the 1969-70 team during the 2009-10 men’s basketball home opener in a game played at 8 a.m. and broadcasted nationally on ESPN.
