FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2009

BOULDER, Colo. – The Ultimate Players Association, the National Governing Body for the sport of Ultimate in the United States, today announced the Class of 2009 for induction into the Ultimate Hall of Fame. Players Robert Evans (Needham, Mass.) and Pat King (San Carlos, Calif.) will be inducted from the Open Division, while Andy Borinstein (New York City) will be honored as a Contributor.

“It is a pleasure to announce our latest well-deserving class of inductees for the Ultimate Hall of Fame,” said Tom Crawford (Boulder, Colo.), UPA Chief Executive Officer. “The Class of 2009 symbolizes a wide spectrum of remarkable achievements, and we are proud to honor these talented individuals.”

The three newest members were selected by the UPA Hall of Fame Voting Committee from the “Slate of Eight” final candidates and will form the sixth-ever induction class. The finalists were chosen from an outstanding class of candidates by the UPA Hall of Fame Vetting Committee as part of an overall selection process that included Peer Pool recommendations and input solicited from the UPA membership in the first-ever “Call to the Community.”

“This year’s class once again embodies the highest level of excellence, as well as the special meaning behind our great sport, that induction into the Hall of Fame represents,” said Suzanne Fields (Haiku, Hawaii), Chair of the UPA Hall of Fame Committee. “As a fellow Hall of Fame member, I am honored to stand next to each of them.”

The Ultimate Hall of Fame was established in 2004 to honor the men and women “who, by their deeds as Ultimate players and/or contributors, and by the example of their lives, merit acknowledgement by all individuals involved in the sport of Ultimate.” The Ultimate Hall of Fame currently exists as a virtual hall, with a long-range goal to establish a permanent site by 2018, the 50th anniversary of the founding of the sport. The inductees will be honored with a plaque at the UPA National Office in Boulder, Colo., and through the UPA website at www.upa.org/hof.

The UPA Hall of Fame Vetting Committee was composed of Fields, Catherine Greenwald (Park City, Utah), Women's Coordinator; Robert "Nob” Rauch (Chappaqua, N.Y.), Contributor Coordinator; Finlay Waugh (Louisville, Colo.), Open Coordinator; and Henry Thorne (Pittsburgh, Pa.), UPA Board Liaison. The UPA Hall of Fame Voting Committee is composed of 24 individuals, including Hall of Fame members and the Vetting Committee.

Class of 2009 Ultimate Hall of Fame Biographies:

Open Division
Robert Evans (Men’s Player)
As a player and team leader, Evans was among the first “modern” Ultimate players. Evans began playing Ultimate early in the development of the sport, when the athletic possibilities were just starting to be recognized. His enduring legacy lies in the transformation of Ultimate from a countercultural pastime into the demanding, competitive athletic sport we know today. At a time when competitive Ultimate was rare, Evans brought a revolutionary approach: a long game based on his legendary backhand; aggressive athletic play at the deep back position; relentless pressure after turnovers; laying out for the disc; recruitment of athletes; and a profoundly serious, intelligent and analytical approach to the game.

While having a reputation as a sharp-tongued curmudgeon, Evans was, in fact, invariably gracious in victory and humorously sullen in defeat. He was generous to opponents and enthusiastically supportive of teammates. A fine teacher, Evans’ approach was instilled in his younger teammates and also widely adopted by opponents, spreading virally throughout the Ultimate community, echoing down to the present day. He was also deeply involved with the evolution of the rules of the game, beginning with his early days at Columbia High School in New Jersey. After CHS, Evans was the spiritual leader of the Princeton team and an active club player. Evans competed at the 1980 UPA Club Championships and at the World Championships with Princeton Alumni in 1995 and 1997.

Evans lives in Needham, Mass., with his wife, Jane (1981 National Champion with BLU), and their two children: Joshua and Dora.

Pat King (Men’s Player)
In an era when players were often designated as "O" or "D," Pat King possessed the skills to dominate every facet of the game and the stamina to play every point. Pat, an indomitable competitor, was described as a complete leader: inspiring his teams with a cheer, showing great instinct for knowing when to admonish a teammate and when to use praise and encouragement to build him back stronger than before, and never asking any more of his teammates than he gave of himself. King’s work ethic, leadership and athletic skills were central to his teams’ successes.

King once claimed he expected to win every game he played. And in the final years of his career he largely met this expectation. As the founder and spiritual heart of NYNY, P.K. provided the spark that ignited the engine of the most dominant team of his era. NYNY amassed six UPA Club Open Championships, four World Championships and victories in virtually every major tournament of the time. When King retired from competitive Ultimate in 1993, NYNY was the reigning U.S. National and World Champion. Later, P.K. briefly came out of retirement to add a U.S. Masters title with Squash in 1995.

King now lives in Northern California with his wife, Lisa, and their three children.

Contributors Division
Andy Borinstein
During his 20-plus year career, Andy Borinstein touched nearly every level of Ultimate as a player, team leader and organizer. He applied his intelligence, integrity and skills to many roles as team captain, strategist, recruiter, tournament director, organizer, sociologist, historian and journalist at the high school, college, Open Club, Masters, local, regional, national and international levels.

Borinstein worked tirelessly to promote the sport he loved, holding a number of UPA positions including Sectional Coordinator, Communications Director, Director of International Affairs, Board Member and Co-Chair of the UPA Tournament Seeding Committee.

Borinstein initiated the East Coast College Championships in 1983 (the precursor to the College Division), and contributed to Ultimate’s expansion overseas while serving as team captain for four U.S. Masters teams (1990, 1994, 1996 and 1998). He was a prolific chronicler of the sport, having contributed more than 100 articles to the UPA Newsletter and other publications, and was a passionate promoter of Ultimate garnering print and TV coverage. From the mid-1980s to 1993, Borinstein was also the “Voice of Ultimate” on numerous championship videos. Most recently, he contributed and reviewed content for Ultimate: The First Four Decades.

The Ultimate Players Association (UPA) serves as the National Governing Body for the sport of Ultimate in the United States. The UPA is a non-profit organization headquartered in Boulder, Colo., and focuses foremost on the needs of its athletes while improving access to the sport and enhancing members’ overall experience. Founded in 1979, the UPA is one of the first flying disc sport organizations in the world and is also the largest, with more than 30,000 members and a national volunteer network. This year the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) named Ultimate the fastest-growing team sport in the nation. Internationally, the UPA is a member of the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF), which is an affiliate of the General Association of International Sport Federations (GAISF) and the International World Games Association (IWGA). The UPA annually fields U.S. National Teams to compete at international events, including The World Games, which operates under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).