Inductees

U.S. Olympic Team member 1976 & 1980; inducted U.S. Rowing Hall of Fame; Heavyweight Single (1980); Heavyweight Double (1976); U.S. International Team (1973 & 1981); National Championship Lightweight Single (1979 & 1980); Quarter Mile (1971, ’74, ’78 & ’82); Double (1970-1974, 1978-1981); Quad (1978-1982); Heavyweight Quad (1979-1981); member LaSalle College “Explorers” team; inducted Susquehanna Valley Chapter Hall of Fame.

Weightlifting Olympic Gold Medalist (1972 & 1976); Silver Medalist (1980); Pan American Games Gold Medalist (1971, ’73, ’75 & ’77); Gold Medalist at World Championship (1973, ’74 & ’75); member, U.S. and International Olympic Committee (Sports Medicine); recipient of coveted Wheelchair Sports USA National Hall of Fame Award.

Mount Carmel High School, football, baseball; U.S. Army Feurth Tigers (Germany), football, guard, and linebacker, captain; Susquehanna University, starting linebacker and guard, captain, 1958-1961; Charter Member Susquehanna University Hall of Fame; Williamson Little All-American junior and senior years; All-Lutheran and Mid-Atlantic Conference Northern Division 1st Team; AP All-Pennsylvanian 2nd Team; AP All-American Honorable Mention; member Top 100 Susquehanna University Anniversary Team; Offensive line and linebacker coach, Susquehanna University, Delaware Valley College, Harrison High School, and Roxborough High School; Roxborough High School Hall of Fame.

Swam English Chanel (1979) at age 22, covering 31.0 miles of rough water in 11 hours, 12 minutes; first female athlete to win varsity letter at West Scranton High School (prior to PIAA recognition of girls’ sports); won four letters in high school; leading swimmer on Scranton YMCA team, capturing State and Regional honors; qualified for National Team finals at Swimming Hall of Fame (Florida).

Played semi-Pro baseball in Nova Scotia 3 years, Pierre SD 1 year. Coached high school baseball 36 years; 7 years at Stafford High School, Virginia; 2 years at Susquenita High School and 27 years at Pine Grove Area. Coached high school football for 25 years; 7 years at Stafford, 2 years at Susquenita and 16 years at Pine Grove Area. Selected High School All-American, All-State Football while playing for Schuylkill Haven. Played 4 years football and baseball at North Carolina State University; selected as one of the best backs of the 1950’s era at NC State. Selected First-Team ACC in Baseball for 2 years.

National Fast-Pitch All-Star; world Championship team member; tied world mark hitting homeruns in State, Regional, National, and World tournament games. Three consecutive years State Softball Tournament MVP. Hall of Fame Inductee The George Washington University, member of the George Washington University All-Century Men’s Basketball Team; All-Southern Conference Shortstop (baseball); led nation in stolen base percentage; Topp’s All-Star Shortstop, southern Region; member Scranton Miners, Eastern Professional basketball league. All-State basketball, Dunmore High School – averaged 30 points per game during senior in high school with high game of 68 points.

John Luckhardt, the “winningest” football coach in W & J history, served as Washington and Jefferson College’s head football coach for the past 17 seasons. His career coach record stands at 137-37-2, making him the fifth “winningest” coach in NCAA Division III football with a.784 winning percentage.

He began coaching at W & J in 1982, and rejuvenated W & J football. In 1984, he directed W & J to it’s first football title in 14 years and a berth in the NCAA championship playoffs.

Luckhardt-coached teams have won 14 Presidents’ Athletic Conference championships, including an unprecedented 11 consecutive, and have advanced to the NCAA playoffs on nine occasions. In 1992 and 1994, the Presidents advanced to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl and won the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the best Division III team in the east. Additionally, Luckhardt marked his 100th career coaching victory during the 1994 season.

Among his honors have been a national Kodak Coach of the Year Award and a “Sportsman of the Year” award from the Eastern Football Officials. Luckhardt also is a 12-time recipient of the PAC Football Coach of the Year award and a record 11-time recipient of the Washington-Greene County “Coach of the Year” award. Additionally, the Wilkes-Barre Downtown Touchdown Club voted Luckhardt its “Coach of the Year” in 1992, 1993 and 1994.

Following the 1994 season and W & J’s second appearance in the Stagg Bowl, Danny Sheridan named Luckhardt the CNN “College Preview” Division III “Coach of the Year.”

Luckhardt was elected to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Board of Trustees in 1994 and is one of two Division III coaches elected to the 15 member board that includes two Division II coaches and 11 Division I coaches. The board is the policy arm of the AFCA, the country’s largest coaching organization.

Since his retirement from the head coaching position at the end of the 1998 season, Luckhardt now serves as a director of development for special projects while continuing his duties as the College’s director of Physical Education and Intercollegiate Athletics and a professor of Physical Education.

Luckhardt is a graduate of Purdue University where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. As a senior, he played center and linebacker on the Boilermakers’ Rose Bowl championship squad. Named a Distinguished Graduate by Purdue, he was on the All-Big Ten Academic Team.

He began his coaching career at Purdue as a graduate assistant and served as an assistant coach working with the backfield and receivers at Northern Illinois University. Luckhardt served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Lehigh University before joining W & J. While Luckhardt was a member of the Lehigh coaching staff, the team compiled a 75-25-3 record, advanced to the playoffs five times, won four Lambert cups and won an NCAA National Championship.

All-American at the University of Washington: All PAC Ten-Team; (1959-’60); All Coast Team (1960); Rose Bowl Team Captain (1959-’60); Senior and All-American Bowl (1960). Played in the Canadian League (1961). Inducted into the Washington Hall of Fame (1984), National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame and the All-American Foundation Hall of Fame (1988). Named to “100 Year All Time Huskies Team” By the Tacoma Tribune.

One of the most successful collegiate coaches in the United States. Member of 3-time Team NCAA National Champions (Immaculata College). First women’s team to play in Madison Square Gardens on National TV; 3-Time “ National Collegiate Coach of the Year”. Coached at St. Joseph’s Colorado and Penn State.; over 500 career wins, 18 NCAA Post Season appearances, including a “Final Four”. 1988 WNIT Champion, Midwest Champion and five semi-final Regional appearances. Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

83 years old, and still golfing, gained PGA Membership in 1940. Head Pro, Windsor Country Club, VT Phoenixville Country Club, Susquehanna Valley Country Club, Berleigh Country Club and Mosellem Springs Country Club. His six-decade major wins include; Tuscon Open (1952), Philadelphia Open (1951& ‘62), Pennsylvania Open (1954 & ’62), Philadelphia Seniors (1973. ’75. ’76), Indian Springs Open (1968), Salisbury Open (1950), played in (6) US Open Tournaments, (8) National PGA‘s (2) Masters. Held course record at Plymouth Norristown (1963). Phoenixville (1982) Smyrna Beach Country Club of Florida (1962)

Sammy Angott, born in 1915, began fighting for free at age 17. Dozens of fights as an amateur made Angott a Golden Gloves champion in Pittsburgh, and led the fifth of nine children born to a Pennsylvania coal miner to his first professional fight in 1936.

“People were poor in the ’30s,” explained Angott years later. “A lot of people had to fight to make a living.”

His part of the purse was no more than $50 for many of those early pro fights. In fact, Angott began raising a family on the “security” offered by $35 he earned for a fight in New York City.

His wife. Evelyn Angott, two daughters and a namesake son stayed in Washington during the 15-year professional career in which Angott carved out a record of 97 wins, 25 losses and four draws. In less than five years, the boxer became lightweight champion, beating Davey Day in Louisville, Ky., for the National Boxing Association crown on May 9, 1940.

Angott retired undefeated as champion in 1942. But much as today, boxing careers were frequently interrupted before they were finally concluded. Angott returned to and retired from the ring several times during comeback attempts. He regained a portion of the lightweight title in 1943 by beating “Slugger” White, and again in 1945 by knocking out Ike Williams.

Angott’s pugilistic skills were recognized in the years before his death in 1980 by his induction into a dozen athletic halls of fame, including the Boxing Hall of Fame in the Ring Museum at Madison Square Garden.

Angott fought Sugar Ray Robinson (3 time), willie Pep, Fritzie Zivic, Beau Jack (2 times), Henry Armstrong. Ike Williams, Juan Zurita, Johnny Bratton – all Champions themselves.

University of Miami tackle; selected to Look Magazine and Paramount News 1952 All-American Team; recruited from West Scranton High School by the late Jack Harding; starred in 1951 Orange and 1952 Gator Bowls; drafted and played for NFL Chicago Cardinals; traded to Pittsburgh Steelers; severe shoulder injury ended pro career; coached at University of Miami and Service Team, 1955-57; elected and served as President, University of Miami Hall of Fame.

Football Collegiate All-State and All-American, Bloomsburg State University (1948); earned varsity letters, basketball and football; drafted and signed by Pittsburgh Steelers; played Eastern Pro Basketball League; scholastic coaching record 205-37 (Columbia High School), with 7 Conference, 3 PIAA District, and 1 Eastern Regional Championships; inducted into Bloomsburg University and Susquehanna Valley Halls of Fame.