HOLYOKE — The Holyoke Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame announced this week that it will be inducting two former athletes under its “legends” category at its enshrinement banquet on Oct. 25 at Wyckoff Country Club.
Swimmer John DesFosses and baseball star Roger Marquis were tabbed as “legends” selections for the city’s Hall of Fame.
The announcement was the first in a wave of Class of 2025 members, which will grow with six more athletes, two teams, one coach and one contributor. Those names have yet to be released.
“All-American swimmer John DesFosses and three-year baseball all-star Roger Marquis both set very high benchmarks for future hopefuls to strive for, while their accomplishments have never truly been matched,” the organization said in a press release.
John DesFosses was making waves before he joined the Holyoke High School boys swim team as a sophomore in 1962, and he left many swimmers in his wake, setting school and league records and earning All-American recognition during his time with the Purple Knights.
DesFosses made an immediate impact in 1962, leading Holyoke to the Pioneer Valley
Interscholastic Swimming Association championship, winning the 40-yard and 100-yard titles. Holyoke would finish second at the Western Massachusetts championship meet (three points behind Minnechaug) with DesFosses providing points thanks to a second-place finish in the 50 freestyle. He was also competed in the New England championships.
DesFosses’ personal highlights that year included setting the school record in the 100 freestyle and being a part of the school record 400-freestyle relay. The following year (1964), Holyoke won the sectional title in with DesFosses setting both meet and school records in the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle at the championship meet. He went on to win the state championship in the 50 freestyle.
On the year, DesFosses established six records – a Pioneer Valley League record in the 50 freestyle and Holyoke High School records in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 40 freestyle, 200 freestyle and 160 individual medley.
Following that up in his senior year, DesFosses led Holyoke to another WMass title and also a state championship behind his 50 freestyle title and second-place finish in the 100 freestyle. Holyoke won its fourth straight Pioneer Valley Interscholastic Swimming Association title after finishing with an unblemished 9-0 mark.
DesFosses graduated as one of Holyoke’s most accomplished swimmers, but his fastest mark came in a meet against Deerfield, when he posted a time of 22.8 seconds in the 50 free style to earn him All-American recognition after tying the state high school record, a time that remained a record for 59 years until it was just eclipsed by a mere three-tenths of a second at the 2024 State Championships.
Coach Edward Moriarty did not expect much from sophomore Roger Marquis in the spring of 1953, but all that changed on May 1 when Marquis made his first start as a pitcher and threw a complete game in a 6-1 win over Greenfield. Marquis would then go on to be the team’s top hurler. Holyoke went 22-2, were the co-champs of the Valley League, won the WMass title and then beat Milford in the state finals — with Marquis playing a huge part each step of the way.
After throwing six complete-game wins during the season, Marquis struck out 10 batters to top Pittsfield 3-2 in the WMass finals. The following week, Marquis again went the distance to beat Milford 7-4 in the state finals, striking out six while also knocking in two runs for Holyoke at the plate.
Marquis posted an 8-0 record on the year with eight complete games. In 74 innings, he allowed only 42 hits and 47 walks while striking out 86. There was no postseason for Marquis in 1955, as Holyoke finished 10-7 and tied for second in the Valley League despite Marquis going 6-2, but after being elected team captain as a senior, Marquis would put up
some very impressive numbers. Holyoke went 13-5 and Marquis played in every game
as a pitcher, first baseman or outfielder — leading the Valley League with a whopping .512 average over 10 league games. Overall, he batted .442, had 21 singles, seven doubles, four triples and three home runs, with 25 RBI over 18 games. He finished his high school career in 1955 with a 21-5 record. His 263 total strikeouts included a 19-strikeout outing against Chicopee.
On September 2, Marquis signed a professional baseball contract with the Baltimore Orioles and played in one game in the MLB on Sept. 25, 1955 — the last day of the season. He entered the game in right field in the eighth inning and grounded out in his only at-bat in the ninth.
He played in the Class D minor leagues the next year but was released on June 12, 1957, and never played pro again. Marquis died in 2004 at the age of 67.
The Holyoke Public School Athletic Hall of Fame was created in 2017 to acknowledge the past achievements of Holyoke’s elite athletes, coaches, teams, contributors and legends, and recognizes past Holyoke athletic role models for future generations to admire and emulate.
An annual Hall of Fame induction banquet is held each year to honor these inductees, with all proceeds used to support Holyoke Athletics. Banquet tickets are $40 and can be purchased online through “Eventbrite.com” beginning Aug. 30.