In 1985, during his freshman year, George “G-Moe” Price was selected Rookie of the Year by the Vermont State Coaches Association and was selected for the Mayflower Conference All-Conference Team – the contemporary North Atlantic Conference. As a sophomore, he was selected for the National Association of Intercollegiate Colleges All-District 5 Team, Vermont’s All-State 1st Team and he received Honorable Mention All-American.

As a junior, he scored his 1000th point, and as a senior, he was selected team MVP. During each season, he led the team in points.

The Castleton Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 1988 to pay tribute to the great athletes, coaches, teams and contributors to Castleton athletics, according to the school Web site.

To many, these stats show that Price, is easily qualified to be in the Hall of Fame.

But he’s not.

“Honestly, it’s unbelievable to me that so much time has passed and George is not in the hall,” said classmate Don Lehman, who, along with another classmate Blake Garrison, has started a grassroots movement to try to get Price inducted.

Although athletes cannot be inducted until 10 years after they graduate, Price has been an alumnus for about 20 years. Some believe that his induction is well over-due.

So Garrison and Lehman have made it their priority to remedy that, most recently by starting a Facebook page entitled “Put G-Moe in the Hall of Fame” in hopes to “rally fellow alumni to join in lobbying the Hall of Fame committee to reconsider George this year and finally give him his well deserved place.”

So just what is halting his induction, anyway?

According to an e-mail sent to Lehman from Communications and Sports Coordinator at Castleton, Jeff Weld, who is also member of the Hall of Fame Committee, although Price’s athletic achievements certainly “speak to that of a Hall of Fame candidate,” it is reserved for members who achieved these standards in more than just their athletic endeavors.

Price isn’t sure what that means, and Weld and Athletic Director Deanna Tyson didn’t offer much help saying only that Hall of Fame Committee meetings aren’t public and that at this point the committee feels there have been more deserving candidates.

“I don’t really know what the criteria are, but for my four years there at Castleton I did everything that was asked of me on the basketball team and didn’t get in any trouble off the court. I had the one incident I was involved in after I graduated, and that’s the only thing I can think about . I think I was a role model on campus,” said Price.

The incident, which took place in the fall of ’89, after he graduated, occurred after a Green Mountain soccer player punched Castleton soccer player Paul Storey. After the game, tensions grew and a fight erupted in the parking lot by the Physical Plant.

“In an instant, there were several fights erupting between fans and players. The fight was over fairly quickly and I recall pulling people apart and George being next to me,” said Garrison

After the game, Price told Garrison he felt like they might be singling him out.

“There were probably about 25 people involved in some way, but I guess the 6’3″ basketball player was the only one they identified,” said Garrison.

Other than that, though, no one can point to behavioral issues with Price.

“I can’t specifically recall a behavioral problem involving George, but that was a long time ago,” said Dean Joe Mark.

As a student, Price was a resident assistant in Haskell Hall and was a member of the Student Association, the Food Committee, and the Basketball Coaches Selection Committee of 1987.

“Those are not things that the college allows to happen if someone has “character” issues,” said Lehman.

Garrison, who was convinced by Price to join Student Association, also vouched for his character.

“I worked closely with him and took what I learned and eventually became executive VP,” said Garrison.

Since graduation, Price has maintained several social and rewarding jobs including working as recreational supervisor, physical education teacher and coach, director of a summer day camp, and served as a community coordinator.

“He has continued to work with youth athletics for two decades after graduation and is a genuine individual,” said Garrison.

Although Lehman and Garrison aren’t sure what will result from their efforts, they say they’ree doing the right thing raising awareness about an injustice to George Price.

“We hope the Hall of Fame committee will do the right thing and reward George for four stellar years as a pillar of the college and its athletic program, not wrongly hold him responsible for something that happened 20 years ago,” said Lehman.