PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - During the 122nd running of the Penn Relays this week, Villanova will add another relay team to the Wall of Fame when the 1966 distance medley relay team is inducted on the 50th anniversary of its historic win. A team that consisted of Alan McCafferty, Bill Heidelberger, Ian Hamilton and Dave Patrick won the DMR with a then-record time of 9:46.4 on the old cinder track at Franklin Field. They will become the Wildcats 10th relay to be inducted to the Wall of Fame.

Villanova won both the distance medley relay and the two mile relay at the 1966 Penn Relays, but it was the DMR that made the biggest headlines. The winning time of 9:46.4 was a record at the time and broke the previous mark of 9:53.9 which had been set by Yale in 1961. Although the Wildcats record would be broken the next year, 1966 marked the final year that races were held on a cinder track. Villanova's time of 9:46.4 was considered to be the equivalent of a mark which might have stood until 1975 based on the results from the next several years following the 1966 race.

The distance medley relay has been a bigger part of the Wildcats unrivaled history at the Penn Relays than any other event. Villanova has won a total of 127 Championship of America relays all-time (92 men, 35 women), and the men's program has won the distance medley relay 24 times. The winning quartet of McCafferty, Heidelberger, Hamilton and Patrick on the 1966 DMR featured some of the legendary athletes that have been a part of the Wildcats incredible track & field legacy. McCafferty, Hamilton and Patrick also ran on the winning two mile relay in 1966 and Patrick was named the Athlete of the Meet for the relay events after anchoring each of the winning Villanova relays that year.

Patrick won seven Penn Relays titles overall during his collegiate career and was an individual inductee to the Wall of Fame in 2002, representing both Villanova and Kenwood High School (Essex, Md.). During his Wildcats career, Patrick won a combined four individual NCAA titles and was a seven-time All-American. Patrick also won the Mile at the IC4A Championship both indoors and outdoors three straight years from 1966-68. He represented the United States at the 1968 Summer Olympics.

Hamilton and Patrick are school record holders in the two mile relay, as they were part of a lineup (along with Charles Messenger and Frank Murphy) that recorded a time of 7:17.8 at the Modesto Relays on May 25, 1968. Hamilton and McCafferty were each All-Americans and IC4A champions indoors during their Wildcats careers, while Heidelberger was also an IC4A champion indoors. Between the four of them, McCafferty, Heidelberger, Hamilton and Patrick won a combined 15 Penn Relays titles for Villanova.

Induction to the Wall of Fame during the annual Penn Relays carnival is considered to be the top honor for a relay team or an individual athlete. The Wall of Fame was started in 1994 during the 100th running of the Penn Relays, and this year's class marks the 23rd group of inductees. There will now be 107 individuals and 97 relay teams honored on the Wall of Fame, with 22 individuals and 10 of the relay teams being from Villanova. The individual Wall of Fame inductions are based on an athlete's accomplishments at the Penn Relays during their professional and/or scholastic careers. The Wall of Fame is located on the back turn of the Franklin Field track, and there has been at least one Villanova men's or women's athlete or relay inducted to the Wall of Fame in 19 of the 23 years since the tradition began.