Inductees

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.

Three- time Football Little All-American at Juniata College (1957, ’58 & ’59). leading scorer PA at the college Level (1957 & ’58); 312 points in four years at Juniat; single game rushing record, gaining 234 yards in 18 carries in a single game. Holds five Juniata scoring records.

Signed with LA Dodgers in1960; batted .301 in six years. Had to take an early retirement due to injury. Managed 12 years in the Dodgers Minor League with 860 wins, five Championship seasons; Manager of the Year four times in Florida State, Mideast and Northwest Leagues.

Coached football ten years, wrestling 34 years; baseball 32 years with 400 wins at Juniata and was Athletic Director (1977-1995).

Elected to Capital Area, Huntingdon County and Juniata College Halls of Fame.

NCAA Soccer All-American (1950); led Penn State to two NCAA Championships. Coached Fleetwood High School to two PIAA State Championships, 14 Conference titles, nine District Championships; two-time State and Conference Coach of the Year Honors. Had a 28 year career record of 512-99-48.

Took the Penn State baseball hitting title in sophomore year; earned six Varsity letters as a Nittany Lion. Spent six years in the Boston Red Sox system.

National Coach of the Year (1980); Inducted into National Soccer Hall of Fame (1997); was National Chairman of the NCSSA.

About This Inductee:

• Pittston Area High School-All State football
• Four-year starter at Penn State University
• Cotton Bowl MVP (1975), Outstanding Gator Bowl player (1976), Hula Bowl MVP
• Signed with NFL’s Miami Dolphins as wide receiver and punt returner
• Played in Super Bowls XVII and XIX; his touchdown in Super Bowl XVII
was second longest in Super Bowl history at that time (76 yards)
• Awarded Emmy for writing 1988 Olympic coverage for NBC
• Florida Sportscaster of the Year in 1998
• Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2000

Only Lackawanna County athlete to play in both Super Bowl VII and Canada Grey Cup (1977); two years Washington Redskins, Houston and Green Bay. 1972 Redskins Super Bowl Team. Drafter by the Redskins
as All-Conference defensive end out of Arizona State. Defensive end with Ottawa in play-off win over Toronto; played with Calgary and Montreal before joining Ottawa in 1976.

Four sport All-Conference player at Dunmore High School

All-WPIAL, Big 33 and Parade All-American (MVP) out of Penn Hills High School. Four-year starter, All-East, All-American and Lombardi, Outland and Heisman Trophy finalist while with University of Pittsburgh. Selected to sportswriters’ “Best of the Last 25 Years” and Playboy All-Time All-American Team. A 1999 Inductee National Football Foundation Hall of Fame.

#1 NFL draft choice by the Atlanta Falcons; eight year All Pro Bowl, 1987 NFL Lineman of the Year.

About This Inductee:
• Wyoming Valley native
• 1890 with Baltimore Orioles, won 3 straight pennants
• Also played with Louisville, Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Detroit
• 1896 was top season, hitting .398, stealing 73
• Played in 1,285 games with 259 stolen bases, .314 career batting average
• Managed Detroit Tigers to 3 championships
• Elected to Cornell, St. Bonaventure Halls of Fame
• 1945 Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
• Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2000

Hughie Jennings was a star hitter and baserunner before becoming a standout manager in the big leagues. In the 1890s he blossomed as a great shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles, helping them win three straight pennants. A constant threat at the plate, his top season on the way to a .314 career batting average was 1896. That year, he hit .398, stole 73 bases and set a record in his specialty — being hit by pitched balls 49 times. After his playing days, he managed the Detroit Tigers to three championships. Jennings died in 1928 and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1945.

Three time All-American at the University of Maryland and All-State High School performer. Outtland Trophy winner in (1952). Fourteen year NFL playing career, play a then NFL career 180 games with New York Giants and Cleveland Browns including eight title games. He had an All-Pro Year in 1964. Respected NFL Coach for 22 seasons. Inducted into the National College Foundation Hall of Fame (1993) and Polish American Hall of Fame in (1986)

NCAA 1-Meter and U.S. National 3-Meters Champion. Three time All-American at Ohio State, inductee into Ohio State and International Halls of Fame. Coached eight Olympic teams; producing divers who won five Gold. Three Silver and four Bronze medals. His divers also captured 13 World Championships, 14 Pan American Games and 135 U.S. National Gold Medals aand won 82 National Team Titles. He was named Coach of the Year 14 times.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Established Major League record for most relief appearances (1,050) and most innings pitched in relief (1,436.1), tied Major League record for most consecutive games won by a relief pitcher (3), established National League record for most career games pitched (1,050) and career games finished (638), established Pirate record for career saves (158). Presently is color analyst for Sports Channel on Philadelphia Phillies broadcast.

A 1950 Shamokin High School graduate, Don was a four-year letter winner and three-year two-way performer at Bloomsburg State on squads posting a 30-6 record. Conference champs 1951 – tie for first 1954. Don initiated varsity football at Exeter in 1959 and after suffering through a 3-21 record, had 18 winning seasons with undefeated championships in 1967 and 1970. Inducted into the Berks Chapter, Romanoski Chapter and the Pennsylvania Football Coaches Hall of Fame.

The Exeter School District in appreciation for his 39 years as a teacher, coach and administrator dedicated the district stadium in his name.

Reverend Daniel L. Towler, ED.D., “Deacon Dan”, a son of William and Evelyn Towler of Donora, Pennsylvania, Dan soon discovered that among his God-given talents was the ability to run with a football.

The sport helped provide him an education at Washington and Jefferson College. Then, while a four-time All-Pro for the Los Angeles Rams and still a student, his master’s degree from USC. When he reached that goal, although in his football prime, he walked away from the sport and heeded the call to the ministry.

Dan was a two-time All-State player at Donora High where he led that high school to Western Pennsylvania and titles in 1944 and 1945. Arguably the best high school team ever seen in our state. One publication ranked this team the #2 team in the nation after Texas High School team featuring Doak Walker and Bobby Layne.

At W & J (1948) his incredible 133 points in only eight games was the leading average-per-game (16.6) tally in the country and is still the top season total at W & J.

With the NFL Los Angeles Rams Dan gained 3493 yards rushing in six seasons, a Rams career mark that held up for over two decades. He led the NFL in rushing in 1952.

Dan was pastor at Lincoln Avenue United Methodist Church in Pasadena for a decade. In 1966, he became the campus minister and director of the Wesley Foundation at Cal State, Los Angeles. He went on to complete his doctorate at USC in 1969 and became Special Assistant to the President at Cal State, Los Angeles, a position he held for 19 years.

During that time, he was assigned to the University Development Office and began a program to establish support groups for the university and organized the Black Support Group and the Asian Support Group. He raised more than $200,000 in scholarship funds for the gifted, needy and minority students. He helped establish funding for athletics, including the Jogathon, the All University Fund Drive for Athletics, the Greenlee and Krinock Tennis Tournament, and men’s basketball. He also developed the Support Group Council.

Dan continues his ministry today at Cal State, Los Angeles, counseling and giving spiritual guidance to students who have problems and need guidance, or who simply need a campus friend.

Dan’s community service is broad in scope. He is a life member of the National Board of Trustees of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, past president of the NFL Alumni Los Angeles Chapter, a member of the L.A. Music Center Education Division, and member of the Tournament of Roses Committee in Pasadena, where he lives with his wife, Roslyn, They have a grown daughter, also named Roslyn.

Among the many honors bestowed on Dan are an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Washington and Jefferson; a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Claremont School of Theology, where he has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 1975; an Outstanding Alumnus Award from USC; a Life Membership in Cal State Alumni and the university’s Distinguished Achievement Award in 1996; and outstanding service awards from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the cities of Pasadena and Los Angeles, the National Caucus and the California Coalition of Black School Board Members, and the California Youth Homes.

He died August 1, 2001 at the age of 73.

Signed by the NY Yankees in 1950; played 12 years in Majors with St. Louis and Pittsburgh; Sporting News Rookie of the Year in 1955. Compiled a lifetime average of .267, with 91 home runs, 502 RBI’s, and garnered a Golden Glove in 1962; played in 1960 World Series with the Pirates.

Managed 13 years with Pittsburgh, Yankees, Houston and Montreal; coached nine years with Pittsburgh.

Golf professional 50+ years; head Professional at prestigious Oakmont Country Club (1947-’82. Leading money winner in 1953, defeating “Slammin” Sammy Snead for 1953 USGA title, and winning coveted Tam-O-Shanter. Played in 17 Master’s Tournaments; inducted into PGA, Mid-Atlantic PGA and American Golf Halls of Fame.

Member of 1947 Ryder Cup Team.

Played outside linebacker for the New York Jetfot the New York Jets
From 1965 until 1974. Started 141 gams; 19 career interceptions
and defensive captain, 1973-74. First former player hired to the Jet’s
coaching staff, coaching linebacker, 1980-84.

Three- year letterman at Penn State; team captain; played in 1961 and 62 Gator Bowls; East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl.

Played on Lewistown High School team that lost only 1 game in three Years. Ralph was an All – County selection and was a Honorable Mention on the All-State and Big 33 Teams.

Major League Baseball player 1980-1990. Named “Player of the Week” In the American League during his Rookie Season. Singled in his first at bat playing for the Detroit Tigers during their World Series Championship season in 2984. He played every position that year but pitcher and named Sports Magazine Utility Player of the Year in 1985 and again 1986. Tom played 11 consecutive seasons in the American League; nine with Detroit, 1 with the New York Yankees and 1 with the Indians. His career batting average was .246 in 1,336 games.

Considered by many as the most gifted athlete ever seen in Central PA Earned 11 letters at Huntington High School in Football, Basketball and Baseball. At Pitt, starting quarterback/fullback for three seasons in the
Golden days of Coach Jock Sutherland. Played fullback during Pitt’s 21-0 victory over Washington in 1937 Rose Bowl. A victory which led Pitt to National Championship.

Played minor league baseball with the Cincinnati Reds in 1938, coached basketball and baseball at Juniata College and was an avid scratch golfer in his later years.

A graduate of the Pitt dentistry Program in 1937.

Penn State defensive captain – started every game 1970-71-72 – 3rd among top 5 Penn State career tacklers, #1 Greg Buttle 305 tackles 1973, #2 John Skoradon 274 tackles 1970-71, #3 Jim Heller 237 tackles 1970-71-72. Played in 3 major bowl games. Certificate of recognition by Quarterback Club of PSU for outstanding contributions 1970-71-72. All-time leading tackler for interior PSU lineman.

Lineman U of Pennsylvania 1948-50 – Bill Stern 1st team All-American, 1st Team All-American in 1950 by Newspaper Association, Colliers Magazine, Helms Foundation & All-East, All-State & All-Ivy. Played in East-West Shrine Game & College All-Star game in 1950. Also played in Senior Bowl 1951 – Coached at St. Joseph Prep., Philadelphia in 1951-52. Line Coach for U of P 1956-59. In 1985 was elected to National Football Foundation & Philadelphia Chapter’s Man-of-the-Year for College Hall of Fame. 1995 U of P & City All-Stars Chapter PA Sports Hall of Fame. 1998 Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

In an extensive Journalistic career he spent 27 years at the Philadelphia
Inquirer. He has been nominated 5 times for the Pulitzer Prize and Chosen Sportswriter of–The-Year for Pennsylvania 11 times. Winner of the National Headline Award, and more than 70 national and state writing awards. He has written 3 books.

Covered nine Olympics, 26 Super Bowls, 27 Masters Tournament,25 US Opens, 31 Final Fours, over 100 championship Fights, the World Series and NBA and Stanley Cup Finals 21 College Bowl Games, the Triple Crown and the Indianapolis 500.

About This Inductee:

• Wyoming Valley native
• 1972-1983 head coach WSU basketball
• Won two NCAA tournaments (1980, 1983)
• Finished WSU career with 167 wins, 136 losses, 7 winning seasons
• Pac-10 and UPI Pac-8 Coach of the Year (1976), League Coach of the Year (1983)
• Assistant coach for USA team at 1979 Pan American Games
• West Regional coach at 1979 U.S. Olympic Sports Festival
• Assistant coach for U.S. Olympic Trials 1980
• Coached at University of Iowa & at University of Southern California
• Back-to-back 20-win seasons and NCAA tournament berths (1985, 1986)
• NCAA tournament (1991, 1992), NIT (1993, 1994)
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 1999

3-sport star at Coal Township HS. Played for Rip Engle at Penn State. Coached football at Shamokin Catholic, Johnstown Bishop McCort and Abington high schools. Complied a career log of 149-50-9 which included 5 unbeaten seasons and winning streaks of 35 and 29 games. Coached NFL standouts Jack Ham and Pete Duranko. Seven-time Conference Coach-of-the-Year, assistant coach in Big 33 Game. Inducted into PA Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1993.

All-State, All League, All-County and Dream Game MVP in high school at Scranton Prep. Atlantic Coast Conference Player-of-the-Year in 1966 and MVP in the 1966 ACC Tournament. Led Duke to NCAA Final Four appearances in sophomore and senior years. Team captain in 1966. Steve is a member of the Duke Hall of Fame.

Played on the Pittsburgh Plpers ABA Championship team and two other ABA Teams. Spent 11 years as Basketball Coach at Winthrup University and Five years as Associate Athletic Director at Duke

Outstanding athlete garnering 18 letters in four sports at Dunmore High School. An All-Star in football and baseball. Led Penn State in rushing as a junior, captained 1950 Penn State team and earned All-East Honors.

Spent three seasons with the Penn State Baseballers and pitched 2 years in the Eastern League

As IUP baseball Coach, he led them to 138 wins and two appearances In the District 18 Division 2 Playoffs.

Also spent over 15 years as the IUP Football Coach. Gaining Coach of the Year honors in both sports