Above: Coach Pat Dormer P'17 with former athletes at the
CHSAA Hall of Fame induction.

Pat Dormer Inducted into CHSAA Hall of Fame

On May 5, friends, colleagues, and Sons of Xavier spanning more than two decades gathered at Inwood Country Club as the Catholic High School Athletic Association inducted longtime Xavier track and cross country coach Pat Dormer P'17 into its Hall of Fame.

Dormer joined such Xavier legends as Leo Paquin, Jim Scott, Frank McGuire, and 2015 inductee Joe McGrane in the distinguished club.

Since arriving at Xavier in September 1993, Dormer has transformed a small team of 11 into a three-season goliath, which now numbers 120 members on the cross country team, 170 members on the indoor track team, and 160 members on the outdoor track team. Around 100 students participate in all three seasons. More than 75 students coached by Dormer have gone on to compete in collegiate athletics.

“We’ve grown from one of the weakest teams in the league into one of the best teams in the state,” said Dormer, who has led his teams to numerous city championships and the CHSAA state indoor track championship in 2015.

When reflecting on the expansion of the program, Dormer gave most of the credit to assistant coaches Jordan Temkin and Evan Bernstein ’04. In turn, they gave the credit right back to him.

“I had the opportunity to run for Pat and am now fortunate enough to coach alongside him,” Bernstein said. “In both experiences, I have been impressed by Pat's ability to motivate and inspire both his athletes and fellow coaches. His passion for the sport is contagious and has certainly been a key contributor to the success of the Xavier track program.”

“As much as I've learned from Pat as a coach, I've learned so much more from him on what it means to be a good husband, father, son, and person,” Temkin added. “He is constantly putting others before himself and truly embodies the mission of our school.”

Chris Chavez ’11, one of Dormer’s former athletes who now writes for Sports Illustrated, joined the chorus of those praising his Xavier coach.

“Mr. Dormer, which is still what I call him to this day, was one of my biggest influences at Xavier. If you ask any of the hundreds of young men that have run for him, they would say the same thing,” Chavez said. “He captured things perfectly in his Hall of Fame induction speech where he described running as a sport where you get what you put in. Mr. Dormer always makes sure we give things our best effort, whether it is running in circles or in life. He is someone I can always rely on for advice and I'm glad that's been the case beyond Xavier.”

To view photos from the CHSAA Hall of Fame induction, visit our Flickr page.