University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
John A. Hilton, Jr. 1968 - Soccer
John A. Hilton, Jr., a 2006 UVM Hall of Fame inductee, was a two-year starting goalkeeper for the men's soccer team as it won at least a share of three straight Yankee Conference Championships.
He was a reserve on the team as a sophomore in 1965 as the Cats went 7-2-0 and then took over in goal in 1966. Vermont opened his junior season with wins over perennial Yankee Conference powers Rhode Island and Connecticut and went on to post a perfect 5-0-0 record in conference play. In all games, UVM went 9-2-0 and made its first-ever postseason appearance advancing to the NCAA College Division Championship at New London, Conn. Hilton recorded 77 saves and posted a goals against average of 0.82, a school-record that stood for 13 seasons.
As a senior he started slow but he backboned a defense that recorded four straight shutouts against conference foes that earned the Catamounts (7-2-0) another perfect 5-0-0 league record and UVM's second straight outright Yankee Conference title.
Appointed to the UVM Board Of Trustees in 2006, Hilton is the president and CEO of The Bessemer Trust Companies, a very successful investment firm in New York.
