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Portrait of Clifton Lopes Jr., Class of 2000, Old Rochester Regional Athletic Hall of Fame
2016

Clifton Lopes, Jr.

Football, Basketball
Induction Year
2016
Category
Athlete
Class of
2000

Hall of Fame Plaque Biography

Clifton Lopes, Jr. played three varsity sports at ORR. In football, he played wide receiver and safety his sophomore and junior years and was named a Standard Times All Star as a junior. In his senior year, he became the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback and again was named a Standard Times All Star. In basketball, Cliff was a three year starter, playing power forward and center, and is one of only five Bulldogs to score 1,000 career points. He was named a Standard Times All Star and South Coast Conference All Star in both his junior and senior years. Recently Cliff was recognized by local sports writer Buddy Thomas as one of “Buddy’s Best 20 for 50” as one of ORR’s best players in both football and boys basketball in the last 50 years.

Original Hall of Fame Plaque

Original 2016 Hall of Fame plaque for Clifton Lopes, Jr.

THE COMPLETE STORY

Expanded Historical Profile

Clifton “Cliff” Lopes Jr. excelled in football and basketball at Old Rochester Regional. As a sophomore and junior, he played wide receiver and safety for the Bulldogs and earned Standard-Times All-Star recognition during his junior season.

Lopes moved to starting quarterback as a senior and received Standard-Times All-Star honors for a second consecutive year. In basketball, he was a three-year starter at power forward and center and was identified in his 2016 induction record as one of five Bulldogs to have reached 1,000 career points. He earned both South Coast Conference and Standard-Times All-Star recognition as a junior and senior.

Local sportswriter Buddy Thomas later selected Lopes for “Buddy’s Best 20 for 50,” recognizing him among ORR’s leading football and boys basketball players across the school’s first 50 years.

ARCHIVAL MEDIA

Photo Gallery

Historical photographs, action images, team photographs and later-life images will be assembled here as verified source material becomes available.

Clifton Lopes, Jr.’s complete 2016 Hall of Fame display with historical photograph and induction plaque
Complete 2016 Hall of Fame display for Clifton Lopes, Jr., preserving the historical photograph alongside the induction plaque. Original photograph from the ORRAHOF archive.

INDUCTION CEREMONY

Watch the Hall of Fame moment

Watch induction ceremony →
01:01:18

Vimeo labels this segment “Cliff Lopes Jr.”; matched to ORRAHOF inductee Clifton Lopes, Jr.

SOURCES & HISTORICAL NOTES

Documenting the record

October 16, 2026: plaque biography reconciled directly against the existing photograph of the physical 2016 plaque. The inscription matches. Printed errors and induction-era claims remain part of the plaque record; this is not independent verification of every historical claim. No photographs were added or changed.

The official 2016 plaque states that Lopes played three varsity sports but identifies only football and basketball; only those two verified sports are listed publicly. The approved Class of 2000 yearbook portrait was standardized to the Jefferson presentation standard, with the original historical source preserved.

The Hall of Fame archive also preserves the complete 2016 display (IMG_1873.HEIC), pairing the historical photograph and induction plaque. That original display is included in the profile gallery.

October 14, 2026: text-only editorial review against the existing Hall biography and source notes. Dates the five-player distinction to the induction record; does not infer order of achievement. This review does not certify an exact physical-plaque match or current record status.

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