Twenty-four years have passed since Wareham last honored its high school athletes with a hall of fame ceremony, and that streak ended on Saturday, Nov. 30. Over 100 people attended the event, and offered everyone a chance to reflect on their glory days.

“I hope they enjoyed it,” said Carole Silva, a member of the hall of fame committee. “I’m sure they did, like [1982 girls basketball player] Rita Roach, they retired her shirt, so I’m sure she looks back on high school happily.”

“Way back when I was a kid you could play two sports in one season,” committee member Rick Coyle said. “We had a quarterback who was also a cross country runner. He would run his two and a half miles or whatever, then he would get out of pants and jump in a football uniform.”

“I hope [inductees] have tremendous memories of Wareham high school both athletically and academically.”

Inductees included player and coach Clement Spillane, jr.; baseball, basketball and football player Thomas Eccleston; track and field player Gregory Oulette; basketball, football and baseball player Joseph Vasconcelos; basketball, field hockey and softball player Rita Roach; field hockey, basketball and softball player Jodie Maxim; coach James Brogioli; and the 1981-1982 girls basketball team.

“We beat the boys. We beat New Bedford. We beat everyone,” said Alicia Thatcher, a member of the 1981-1982 girls basketball team.

“We just had Thanksgiving, and this magnifies that a 1000 times,” Roach said. “My foundation is here in Wareham… I’m proud to say I’m from Wareham.”

Roach described the event as an amazing, humbling experience. Looking back, her mother has always served as motivation.

“I would always say to myself, ‘I can do that – my mother raised five kids.”

Ouelette looked back on his high school athletic career with one regret. After winning the New England Long Jump Championship, he just shook his coach’s hand.

“I wish I hugged him,” Ouelette said.

The first inductee was Spillane, jr. He earned 12 letters while playing football, basketball and baseball for every year of his high school career. He was a captain for each team.

In 1950, the football team won the State Championship for class D.

“The people of Wareham, they went crazy. I can’t tell you how many times I looked over to Clem on someone’s shoulders,” former teammate John Decas said. This celebration took place following not the championship, but a win over Falmouth.

The elation was due to a heartbreaking 7-6 loss to the team the previous year.

“We knew we were going to be great. What we didn’t know was it was going to be the next year,” Decas said.

Saturday’s event honored these moments, and everyone involved anticipates the event being held more often than once every 24 years.

“Things like this and academic improvement is what will keep kids there,” Coyle said.