Gary Vien and John Lyrla, each with about 30 years of history with the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association (CMSA), were announced Saturday among the four-person class of 2013 to be inducted into the CMSA Hall of Fame.
The induction ceremony will be held March 23.
Vien, a member of CMSA for more than 30 years, started as a player in the 16-inch softball league in 1982 and now plays in the open Sunday softball league (12-inch). He is the co-founder of the annual Senior Cup tournament, and a past Brodie award-winner in open Sunday softball.
Lyrla, meanwhile, has been a supporter and fan of CMSA athletics for almost 30 years—"a diehard, loving, enthusiastic, cowbell-wielding fan," said CMSA's Marcia Hill. "He has been an avid fan and watched many softball and flag football teams play throughout the years."
The Class of 2013 also features Rob Burton, a member of CMSA since the early 1990s, and Maureen Sullivan of the bar Spyner's.
Burton became the open indoor volleyball commissioner in 1998, moved the league to the five courts at the Broadway Armory, and was one of the founders of the beach volleyball league. "He is a great competitor, a great commissioner, a great contributor," Hill said.
Sullivan, the owner of Spyner's, has been a sponsor of many CMSA teams for about 15 years. She has sponsored teams in women's flag football, basketball, volleyball, softball, dodgeball, beach volleyball, soccer, and kickball. "She has provided space for team fundraisers so they could travel to the ASANA World Series, the flag football tournament in Key West, or to participate [in] the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago," Hill said.
Hill, an honoree in the class of 2007, said Vien "has played [softball] the right way and has always demonstrated good sportsmanship.
"CMSA is proud to accept these four individuals into our Hall of Fame. They have given of themselves to help those around them be better, to make everyone feel welcome no matter their skill level, ability or financial situation."
