PITTSBURGH (June 26, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC has selected the inductees for this year’s Riverhounds Hall of Fame class and will honor Paul Child, Randy Dedini and Gary DePalma as the Class of 2024 in this year’s induction ceremony on July 12.
Child, Dedini and DePalma all were members of the inaugural Hounds’ team in 1999 — Child as an assistant coach, and Dedini and DePalma as players — and all three played significant roles in the early years of the club, which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary.
The induction dinner will celebrate the team’s third Hall of Fame class along with friends, family, teammates and Hounds staff, and the Class of 2024 will be recognized the following night when the Hounds host Oakland Roots SC in their USL Championship match Saturday, July 13, at Highmark Stadium.
This year’s Hall of Fame class was chosen in a vote conducted among current Riverhounds staff, the living members of the Hall of Fame and select members of the media who have covered the team. All three inductees received at least 75 percent of the vote to be selected.
Meet the Riverhounds SC Hall of Fame Class of 2024
Paul Child
This year’s lone inductee in the “Builders” category and a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Child was already a legend in the Pittsburgh soccer community prior to the establishment of the Riverhounds. A standout player in the North American Soccer League of the 1970s and 80s after coming to the U.S. from his native England, Child arrived in Pittsburgh in 1981 and established himself as one of the top players for the indoor Pittsburgh Spirit. When the Hounds were established before the 1999 season, Child became an assistant under original head coach John Kowalski and served in that role for the team’s first four seasons, later returning for a second stint on the staff of his longtime friend and fellow Hall of Famer, Gene Klein. Child and Klein continued to work together after leaving the Hounds’ bench, becoming known to newer fans in the Highmark Stadium era as the analysts on Hounds streaming and television broadcasts from 2013-19.
Randy Dedini
The starting goalkeeper for the original Hounds’ team, Dedini played five years for the club from 1999-2003 and established a number of records at his position that still stand today. The California native was already a five-year professional, having most recently played in the A-League with the Nashville Metros, when he signed with the Hounds as a 29-year-old. During his five seasons, Dedini amassed a record of 57-53-12 and was a veteran presence that helped the team to its first playoff berth and playoff win in 1999. He also started the Hounds’ first win over an MLS team, the Colorado Rapids, which led to the team’s first U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal appearance in 2001. As of 2024, Dedini still holds the team records for wins by a goalkeeper (57), shutouts (29), games played by a goalkeeper (125) and most saves in a single season (136 in 1999).
Gary DePalma
A midfielder and one of the Pittsburgh-area natives who made up the original Hounds’ roster, DePalma’s tenure from 1999-2004 makes him one of the longest-serving Hounds with 157 games played — fourth in team history entering 2024. A product of nearby Upper St. Clair High School, DePalma was a two-time Division III All-American at Virginia Wesleyan, and he was able to turn pro in his hometown with the establishment of the Riverhounds. A playmaker in the middle of the field, DePalma’s 23 assists still rank in the top five in club history to go with his 17 goals for the Hounds. While much of the roster had turned over during DePalma’s six seasons, he and fellow club Hall of Famer David Flavius were mainstays from the opening season in 1999 through the 2004 campaign, when the Hounds posted the best regular-season record and a earned a spot in the semifinals in the USL Pro Soccer League in 2004.
