2026 Fordham Athletic Hall of Fame Registration
 
Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham University waterborne sports will have a new look that can be traced to the generosity of Dennis '68 and Patricia Ann Ruppel. Fordham Athletics will honor the Ruppels on Friday, September 25, by presenting them the Victory Bell Award at the Hall of Fame Ceremony in the McShane Campus Center as part of Homecoming Weekend.
 
The Victory Bell Award honors individuals who have brought distinction and honor to Fordham University Athletics through achievements not related to competition, coaching and/or administration. The honoree, selected by the Fordham Athletics Hall of Fame Committee, embodies a sense of leadership and passion for Fordham Athletics and serves as an inspiration to the Fordham Athletics Family.
 
The Ruppels purchased a piece of land in June 2018, overlooking Palmer Inlet on Eastchester Bay, four miles east of the university's Rose Hill campus. The Ruppels donated the land to the university soon after they purchased it and it is the site of the new waterfront center to Fordham's sailing team. 
 
The sailing program is near and dear to Dennis Ruppel, a Board of Trustee Fellow, who was a member of the sailing program while a student at Fordham.