Longtime athletic director and coach at Southampton Academy, Dale Marks was inducted into the Hampden Sydney College Hall of Fame Saturday at Kirby Field house during the Tigers’ home football game against Huntington College from Alabama.

The Tigers won the game 34-21, and at halftime, Marks and three other standouts were inducted into the Hampden-Sydney Hall of Fame.

During Marks’ senior season at the school, he passed for more than 1,400 yards, leading the Tigers to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship and a berth in the Division III playoffs.

In a first-round game against Albany State, Marks passed for 344 yards — then a school record— and erased a 30-point deficit before suffering a tough loss to the Rams. Marks finished his career with 23 touchdown passes, completed nearly half of his passes and was named first team All-Conference in the ODAC.

“It was a very nice ceremony and I was completely surprised by it,” he said of Saturday’s attention. “It is a tremendous honor for me to be inducted into the Hampden-Sydney Hall of Fame.

“I was very fortunate to play some good teams with some very good players and some great coaches.

“It was a very nice ceremony and luncheon.

“It helped that the Tigers won the game.”

He added: “The Tigers have a good game this week against Randolph-Macon College.”

Marks then talked about his football team for next season at Southampton Academy.

“This year played out kind of like I thought it would,” he said. “I knew the four teams that beat us were going to be strong, and we did not play as well as we needed to win any of those games.

“Our only four losses this season were to the four teams that are in the state playoffs.

“I am very optimistic about next year’s team.

“Even though we are losing eight seniors, but we have some size coming up next season that will help us and I think we should do well next season.”