Anyone who has ever been associated with the River Soccer Club knows just how much Dagsboro's Howard Gerken means to the orgnization.He was one of the founders and has been in the mainstream ever since.

The Delaware Youth Soccer Association recognized Gerken on Tuesday, August 27th, 2002 by naming him has one it's first inductees into the Delaware Youth Soccer Association Hall of Fame.

"It was a shock and and an honor and a surprise," Gerken said of the impromptu announcement. "We were at a regular meeting and they surprised me with the honor. It was very, very nice to be a Hall of Famer. But from what I've seen of the other Hall of Famers, it's usually at the end of their career, but I hope it's not that way for me."

Gerken, who is in his 5th season as head soccer coach at Indian River High School moved to Dagsboro in 1975 when the area had nothing in the way of a youth soccer program.

He led the initiative to start the River Soccer Club, which featured a Saturday Recreational program for a number of years, starting with 45 youths. This past year the number was over 700 strong. The Club now also sponsors a winter indoor league, a spring rec league, and a number of travel teams. In addition Howard has overseen the construction of the new River Soccer Complex in Roxana.