VIDEO: FRED DIEHL HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY
Dr. Fred Diehl distinguished himself as an elite athlete in three sports during his stay at Bridgewater College in the late 1950s.
Fred entered Bridgewater in 1954 after graduating from Wilson Memorial High School near Staunton and lettered in football, basketball, and track and field during his first year. After his freshman year, Fred traveled overseas to Germany and Austria for a two-year stint with Brethren Volunteer Service before returning to college in 1957. He again participated in football, basketball, and track and helped Bridgewater to a third-place finish at the 1958 Mason-Dixon Conference championship track meet with a stellar individual performance. Fred placed first in both the shot put and discus competitions and tied for top honors in the high jump in leading the Eagles to a strong finish. During his sophomore season, he scored over 125 points for his team. The following year saw Fred earn All-State honors in track and set a Bridgewater record in the shot put with a throw of 47 feet, 4 1/4 inches. As a senior in 1960, Fred broke school records in the high jump and discus while compiling over 100 points for the third consecutive year.
In addition to his track exploits, Fred also was a standout in basketball, earning four letters in the sport and starting on three Bridgewater teams. He served as captain of the 1959-60 squad which proved to be the best BC basketball team of its era, winning 17 of 21 games and capturing the Virginia Little Eight championship. Fred's athletic prowess extended to softball as well, where he led the college's club team to the championship of the Virginia Intercollegiate Fast Pitch tournament in Richmond. He earned recognition from the American Softball Association's weekly letter, "Balls and Strikes," when he pitched three complete-game no-hit shutouts in a single day. In his four years at Bridgewater, Fred garnered 10 varsity letters, four each in basketball and track and two more as an offensive and defensive end on the football team.
Fred completed his B.A. in biology in 1960 and received a doctorate from Western Reserve University in 1965. He became a professor in the biology department at the University of Virginia in 1968, a position he has held for 31 years.
