On behalf of the Officers and Executive Board members of the Robert “Tick” Cloherty Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, all members of the Pittsburgh media are invited to the annual PA Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, 6:00 pm, Saturday, May 2, 2026, at the Sheraton Hotel at Station Square.
Mr. Larry Richert will serve as Master of Ceremonies for our 55th Annual Induction Ceremony. Mr. Richert just celebrated 37 years at KDKA and is one of the hosts of The Big K Morning Show.
Class of 2026
Honored in this year’s class are:
- Al Romano – Drafted by the Houston Oilers of the NFL.
- Hugh Green – First round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 4-Time All American at Pitt.
- Dwight Clay – Univ. of Notre Dame. Hit the winning basket, ending UCLA’s 88 game winning streak.
- Dr. Mary Myers – Recruited by 200+ universities, accepted basketball scholarship to Univ. of Kansas.
- Jodi Figley Renner – Stanford Univ. 2-time All American Won over 40 Junior Golf Championships.
- Bob Palko – Football head coach. West Allegheny won 8 WPIAL Titles, 1 PIAA State Championship.
- Dan Oliastro – Winningest baseball coach in WPIAL history, 734 wins.
- Charlie Hunnell – NCAA football official for 30+years & 50+ years as a PIAA/WPIAL football official.
- Jamy Pfister – USA swimming official for 48 years. Officiated at 7 USA Olympic Trials.
- Rick Steigerwald – Referee for 800+ professional boxing matches from 1984-2015.
The 2026 Campbell Awardee is Mr. Pat Gallagher, a lifetime supporter of Pitt Athletics. The Hess Inductee of Distinction is the late Chuck Noll, Super Bowl Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, 1969-1991. The Chuck Noll Brain Injury Foundation is named in his honor.
“The 10 members of this Class are another outstanding group of individuals who have played a significant role in the sports world as players, coaches, administrators, and luminaries in Western PA,” stated Jack Teitz, President.
Read the bios for the Class of 2026 inductees here.
As the largest of the 30 statewide chapters comprising the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, our primary mission is to honor notable sports contributors in our Western Pennsylvania Region and provide youth sports funding through local foundations and scholarship opportunities.
Purchase Tickets, Program Ads, and Sponsorships
Purchase tickets or tables by completing the ticket order form.
Program advertising and sponsorship opportunities are also available.
For more information on these 2026 Inductees and ticket information for the May 2nd Induction Ceremony, please visit our website at westernpasortshof.org or call 412-855-7625.