Joetta Clark inducted into NJSIAA’s hall of fame

Joetta Clark, standing third from right, joins the other honorees of the 2022 NJSIAA’s Hall of Fame induction class.

MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — When it comes to naming the greatest track-and-field athletes in New Jersey history, Joetta Clark is certainly on that list.

Joetta, a Columbia High School alumna, was among a stellar group of 18 high school athletes, coaches, and contributors who were inducted on March 27 into the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame. All 2022 inductees recognized during a celebratory event at the Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village in Princeton were selected by a statewide committee of journalists and both active and retired school administrators.

“This 2022 class is yet another reminder that there never seems to be a shortage of remarkable individuals to honor,” said Colleen Maguire, NJSIAA executive director. “Scholastic athletics in New Jersey has a long and tremendously proud history, and nothing testifies to that more than the exceptional groups of inductees we have year after year after year.”

The 2022 hall of fame class was initially announced in 2021, but restrictions related to the pandemic delayed the formal induction ceremony. The event also included a number of service awards, two Award of Honor presentations, and the National Federation High School Coaches Association Northeast Sectional Volleyball Coach of the Year.

Joetta is four-time Olympian, a motivational specialist, a businessperson, an author, a television/radio personality, a fitness advocate and more.

A native of South Orange, she graduated in 1980 from Columbia High School. During her Columbia career, she won four NJSIAA Meet of Champions 800-meter outdoor titles, an indoor Meet of Champions title in the 1,500, and set a state record in the 800 outdoors that held for 32 years. She never lost an 800-meter race while in high school.

Among her many other high school accomplishments, when Columbia initiated its athletic hall of fame in 2006 to honor greats from its more than 100-year history, she was a charter inductee, along with two other athletes of the century and a 15-year NBA player.

After a tremendous college career at the University of Tennessee, where she was later inducted into its hall of fame, she went on to represent the United States at the Olympic Games in 1988, 1992,1996 and 2000.

She set American and world records; captured world championship medals; and served as captain of the 2000 USA women’s Olympic Track & Field team.

She authored a book entitled “Joetta’s ‘P’ Principles for Success: Life Lessons Learned from Track & Field.” She also has a perfume and body scrub called Joetta.

Among her other honors, she was chosen by Sports Illustrated in 1998 as a Hometown Hero. She is a member of multiple halls of fame, including the New Jersey Hall of Fame, the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame, the Penn Relays Hall of Fame, the University of Tennessee Hall of Fame, and the Millrose Games Hall of Fame at Madison Square Garden.

NJSIAA Hall of Fame 2022 inductees:

Robert Auriemma, ice hockey coach, Brick Township
Joetta Clark, track and field, Columbia H.S., 1980.
William “Mickey” Corcoran, basketball coach and athletic director, Horace Mann/River Dell/ Northern Highlands high schools (posthumous).
Virginia Duenkel Fuldner, swimming, West Orange H.S., 1965.
Christopher Ford, basketball, Holy Spirit H.S.,1968.
Tom Heath, cross-country coach, Christian Brothers Academy.
Kenny Jackson, football, South River H.S., 1979.
Thomas Lopes, basketball official.
Eulace Peacock, track and field, Union H.S.,1933 (posthumous).
Harding William Peterson, baseball, Woodbridge H.S., 1946 (posthumous).
Tricia Popowski, multiple sports, Hoffman H.S., 1987.
Anthony Siragusa, football, David Brearley Regional H.S., 1985.
John Somogyi, basketball, St. Peter’s New Brunswick H.S., 1968.
Steven J. Timko, NJSIAA executive director.
Andre Tippett, football, Barringer H.S., 1978.
Dajuan Wagner, basketball, Camden H.S., 2001.
Don Wieder, boys gymnastics coach, East Brunswick H.S. (posthumous).
Nancy Welch Williams, coach of multiple sports, Shore Regional H.S.