Inductees

A remarkable athlete who has never missed a game during his high school, college, service, and pro football careers…A 3-year starter at Missouri…MVP as a sophomore and junior…Played in Orange, Blue Bonnet, and Southwest Challenge Bowls…Honor student…All-pro nine times with Pittsburgh Steelers…As linebacker leads or shares Steeler career high for interceptions…Made 1963 All-NFL Rookie team…1970 team MVP…Player representative…Defensive captain…Won 1973 Whizzer White Humanitarian award…Leads team in continuous service…Super star team competitor…Made NFL Fat East tour of military bases in 1968…Active in charities…Real estate investment counselor.

Affectionately referred to as “Mr. Midget Football, USA”…Founder-President of Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. ..Began as a 4-team league in Philadelphia 55 years ago and now encompasses approximately 250,000 boys and girls across the United States and in Mexico…Born in Shenandoah, PA in 1902…Played varsity tackle at Frankford (Philadelphia) High School, Gettysburg, and Swarthmore Colleges…Attended Harvard Law School…worked for Wall Street brokerage firm when in 1929, with help from the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, formed the Junior Football Conference…In 1934, renamed conference in honor of Temple University’s legendary football coach, Glen Scobey “Pop” Warner…American Football Coaches’ Association elected Joe the first non-college coach ever to receive the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award…As far back as its inception, Joe used midget football as a means of teaching character and the value of an education…Author Jim Michener described the program as “organized juvenile sports at its best”…Many accolades have and will follow.

About This Inductee:

• All-American Basketball Team, 1944
• All-Ivy League Team, 1942, 44 & 47
• University of Pennsylvania All Time Great
• 1st Round draft choice, Philadelphia ‘Warriors’
• All-Pennsylvania State Scholastic Team while at Luzerne H.S., 1940 & 1941
• Most Valuable Player Eastern Pro League, 1962
• Collegiate and Professional Basketball Official, 1963-73
• Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 1982

During his high school basketball career at Luzerne High School in Luzerne, Pennsylvania, Crossin averaged 24 points per game, and led all Pennsylvania high school players in scoring in 1941. He played basketball at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1942–43 and 1943–44 seasons before serving in World War II with the United States Navy for two years.

Crossin returned to Penn for the 1946–47 season. He earned his nickname from the sound that the chain-link nets made when his shots dropped through.

After the end of his college career, Crossin was selected with the 6th pick in the inaugural 1947 BAA draft by the Philadelphia Warriors. In three seasons with the team, Crossin averaged 4.7 points and 1.5 assists per game.

He died at the age of 57 on January 10, 1981.

All-Southern Conference, Universrty ‘Of North Carolina, 1945 – 49; Three Sports, Shippensburg H. S.; Chicago Bears, 1949; Teacher, Coach & Athletic Director, Hickorv H. S., N. C., 1951 & 52; Assistant Coach West Chester state College, 1953 – 65; Professor and Head Football Coach, 1965-72, wirtih 52 – 15 record: Tangerine Bowl, 1966 & 67; Lambert CuP, 1967; Pennsylvania Conference Champions, 1966, 69 & 71; President, Pennsylvania Conference Foatlball Association, 2 years.

World’s Junior Billiards Champion 1933, 34, 35 & 36; Armed Services Champion, 1944; Billiards Room Proprietors Association Tournament Champion, 1965; New York State Open; National Invitational (ABC-TV), 1966, 1st Place; Long Beach and Burbank Tournaments; 2nd Place, first year of U. S. Open; Johnson City World’s All-Around Champion and World’s Billiard Champion 1968; US Open, US Master’s Champion and All-Japan Award, 1969; U. S. Open Champion 1974.

1928 Blue Ridge League; 1929 – 30, Harrisburg Senators; Sold to Philadelphia ‘A’s, 1930, 1931, Jersey City of International League; 1932, Sacramento of Pacific Coast League: Bought by Yankees in 1933; sent to Newark of International League; 1934 & 35, pitched for Yankees; traded at end of 1935 to Washington Senators where he played 1936 thru 1939; Best year in majors with Washington Senators in 1936 with 18 wins against 10 losses and 2 shutouts.

Leading receiver, 1978 Super Bowl; 8th All-time Denver Bronco Receiver Records; Starting wide-receiver Denver Broncos 1975-79; started in 50 consecutive professional games; played in 67 consecutive games with world football league leading receiver with 54 receptions for 948 yards; All-Atlantic Conference at Wake Forest; Pennsylvania All-State and Big ’33’ starter, 1965. College Track – Wake Forest Untverstcv: Captain 1969; School records (Still Stand Today), 100 yard dash – 9.6, 220 yard dash – 21.4, 60 yard dash – 6.3, 60 yard low hurdles – 7.2, Most points in a meet – 211;4, Most points in a season, 440 relay – 42.2, 2 – time Decathalon Champion.

Career Record of 659 wins against 65 losses at Annville-Cleona H. S.; Four State Championships; qualified teams in 15 of past 19 years for State Championships; teams won 73. District, Conference and Relay Championships; undefeated in 9 straight seasons, winning 87 consecutive meets; coached 7 individual gold medalists; one of. Pennsylvania’s most respected thinclad coaches, 1953-1981.

Coached wrestling at high school, College and club level for 20 years. As high school coach. he had 7 District. 5 Regional and 1 state champion. As college coach he won 41 Pennsylvania State Championships and coached 14 National Champions; member Olympic Team in Munich and Montreal; Team Leade;r of the U. S. World Team in 1974 and 1975; Team Leader in Russia in 1973; Selected National Coach of The Year 1961, 1962 and 1965.

Derry township High ace in football, basketball and track… member of famed Duquesne University “Iron Dukes” from 1937 – 41, in two NIT’s and NCAA Regional Final . . . pro baseball with Knoxville (Southern Association) . . . Detroit’s world pro basketball champs (1941 – 42) . . . several all- star honors … named to Duquesne U. and Westmoreland County Sports Halls of Fame.

All-State 1959 and 1961; Led West Reading H.S. to 3 State Titles; Parade Magazine All-American; Broke Wilt Chamberlain’s State Scoring Record (98 games- 3,174 points); played 4 years at University of Cincinnati; drafted by Cincinnati Royals in NBA; shoulder injury precluded pro career: Springfield Basketball Hall of Fame.

Pennsylvania’s greatest-ever Olympic Champion; listed in Guinness Book of Records’ … most AAU National titles … ’27; ’45; ’46; ’49; ’50; ’51; ’52 National All- Around Championships; Olympic Champion ’48; ’52; Designated #1 on first USA Team to Score in World Olympics; Affiliated with Philadelphia Turngemeinde; 1945 USA Champion Broad Jump; 1946 Middle Atlantic Most Outstanding Athlete; President’s Trophy; National Gymnastic Hall of Fame, 1974.

Legendary Coal Region athlete, sports enthusiasts acclaim as foremost player and superb boxer; Defensive – Offensive End with 1932 – 36 State Champion Shenandoah Presidents; holds many pass catching records; Successful boxing career highlighted by victory over AA U National Heavyweight Champion; boxing referee & judge; attended West Liberty College in West Virginia.

A legend in Sports Broadcasting”; Broadcast Philadelphia ‘A’s/Phillies for 38 continuous years; retired 1975; described numerous High School and Collegiate Football Games; Blue-Grey, Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Philadelphia Eagles Championship games in 1947, 48 & 49; called shots for 2 World Series, 1959 & 65; attended Texas Christian University, basketball teammate of Sammy Baugh. A Long and Lustrous Career.

One of country’s foremost Athletic Contact Lenses Specialist; 1980 National Eye Foundation Sports Award; research accredited to reduced athletic lenses loss 3’10; Patient’s “Who’s Who In Athletics from George Mikan to Walt Michaels; Enshrined in Ripley’s Believe It or Not”; Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame pioneer; Philadelphia Chapter Inductee & President; cited by American Red Cross, American Legion, Pop Warner and Professional Athletic Organizations for outstanding contributions to Sports Medicine.

Women’s Division, Pennsylvania Woman of the Year (Chairman, AMA, Co-USAm Allegheney Mountain Tennis, Women’s Advisory, Umpires Committee); Umpire, USTA at Wimbeldon, Whitemarsh and Federation Cups; Olympic Official, Pan American Games; Swimming Manager, USA Olympics ‘team, Melbourne, Australia, 1956; Bremen Germany, 1975; Holland & France, 1981; Honors – Optimist Club, Chamber of Commerce, AAU- AMA,AAU-USA, Layman Honor Award, Dapper Dan Club.

About This Inductee:

• Hazleton High School-football and basketball
• Bloomsburg State College, set three NAIA pass receiving records
• Established league records with Pottstown Firebirds of the Atlantic Coast Football League
• 1969 member of Philadelphia Eagles taxi squad
• 1970 signed as free agent by the New York Giants
• 1971 became first tight end in NFL history to lead league in pass receptions with 59 caught for 791 yards and five touchdowns
• 1978 signed as free agent by the Minnesota Vikings
• Inducted into American Football Association's Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982
• Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 1982

Tucker lettered in football and basketball at Hazleton High. While attending Bloomsburg State College Tucker set three NAIA pass receiving records and went on to establish league records with the Pottstown Eagles. In 1969 he was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles taxi squad, and in 1970 was signed as a free agent by the New York Giants. In 1971 he became the first tight end in NFL history to lead the league in pass receptions with 59 caught for 791 yards and five touchdowns. Tucker played for 11 seasons in the NFL, from 1970 to 1980, for the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings.

Won 79 High School Football Games; Won 51 High School Basketball Games; Won 20 Professional Football Games; Coached Windber H. S. to Pennsylvania Football Championships; Basketball team to Somerset County & District I> PIAA Championships; Coached pottsville High SChODI too Big “15” ‘League Championship; Ooached i’The Pottsville “Maroons”, 1947, to the Eastern Division Championship ‘Of the Pennsylvania Pro Football League.

Jack Ernst starred at quarterback at Lafayette College for four years, 1921-24. He then quarterbacked the “Pottsville Maroons” to the N. F. L. Championship in 1925. He spent three years at Pottsville, then on to Boston and the Frankfort Yellow Jackets. He also coached football at Oberlin, Grove City and West Chester State College.

Attended Penn State 1941, Service World War II, 1942-45. Returned 1946-47. Played on Cotton Bowl Undefeated Team – Outstanding Lineman 1948-49. Played with Pittsburgh Stee lers. Coached High School at Waynesboro and Kingston. Sons, Larry, Paul and Matt played for Penn State. Was a Salesman for Jewelry and Yearbooks for High Schools. Died on his 55th birthday. His wife is the daughter of Penn State Coach Bob Higgins. Inducted into West Branch Valley Chapter Hall of Fame 1980.

Won more than 300 featured competitions 1959-1978; Modified Champion 1959 and 1960; Super Modified Championship titles 1963 and 1964; Modified Stock Car Championships 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1975; captured world’s largest modified stock car title, 1975; winner of Tony Hulman Classic 1978; builder and innovator of automobile racing equipment.

Most interceptions lifetime, 79. Most yards gained on interceptions, 1282. Most punts returned 258. Most yards gained – punt returns 2209. Named to Pro-Bowl 1951, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 60. All-Pro 1951, 52, 55 and 56. 1952 gained 924 yards as Defensive Back. Pro-Hall of Fame 1962. Most consecutive games 158. All-American Iowa University. Holder of six N. F. L. Records. Died July 26, 1975.

Two time Harrisburg Champion. Competed as a Pro in LPGA, playing from the Doral Country Club, Florida. Became President of LPGA. Retired as President and active player and devoted her time to promoting the Avon Tennis and Lady Keystone Open Golf Tournaments at Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Three letter athlete Pottstown High 1955; Baseball, won 48 straight. Enshrined at Cooperstown. West Chester State 1959. 25 years professional baseball, player, coach, manager. Minor League Player of Year 1961, Louisville. Played with Milwaukee and Phillies in Major Leagues. Three times Eastern League, All-Star – broke Drysdale’s consecutive scoreless inning record. Director Phillies Farm System 1980. 1981, Director Training – Kansas City Royals.

35 years of competitive rifle and pistol competition. Consistant winner local, state regional and national. Won hundreds of medals and trophies; participated in national matches, Camp Perry, Ohio, 1935-1966. Topped a field of more than 2100 of the nation’s finest to win the National Bolt Rifle Championship 1957-1958-1959. Record in 1958 scored 149×150 – record in 1959 495×500.