GEORGETOWN ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME

The Class of 1930 was Georgetown's first "star" recruiting class in basketball. Chief among them was a small but talented guard from Syracuse named Fred Mesmer, whose legacy in Georgetown athletics continues to this day.

Mesmer was a two sport athlete in basketball and tennis, excelling in each. His passing skills in basketball won him the support of new coach Elmer Ripley, who placed him in the starting lineup from his first game. Mesmer scored in 12 of 13 games as the Hilltoppers finished 12-1, its best record in eight seasons, and was named captain for the 1929 team.

Mesmer led Georgetown in scoring his junior year with an 8.5 points per game average, and led the team in scoring with a 9.2 average the following year. No less valuable was his mettle on defense as well.

"Height and weight made little difference to Freddy," wrote a 1930 article, "he played them hard just the same and generally he succeeded in keeping his man practically scoreless."

Mesmer ended his career as the school's fourth all time leading scorer, but was called back into service when John Colrick was fired after just one season. Named head coach at only 23, Mesmer served seven years as coach with a record that was not up to past standards (53-76) but reflected an era where Georgetown had placed a lesser emphasis on sports. Throughout the run, Mesmer was a popular figure in Georgetown sports, and when Elmer Ripley had expressed an interest in returning to the Hilltop in 1938, Mesmer stepped aside for his old mentor.

As for Mesmer's GU legacy, it's a notable one. Mesmer's youngest daughter married Wells Stanwick (B'76). Of their eight children, all of whom played college lacrosse, three daughters attended Georgetown and earned consensus All-America honors: Sheehan (B'01), Wick (B'03) and Coco (B'07). His grandson, Freddy, became head tennis coach at Geogetown in 2021.

For his accomplishments in basketball and tennis, Fred Mesmer was named to the inaugural class of the Georgetown University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1953.