Inductees

Baseball Scout 42 years, six Major League Clubs, presently Milwaukee Brewers; Basketball Scout 11 years, presently Philadelphia 76ers; NBA. Supervisor of Officials seven years; High School Baseball, Basketball Coach, three Pennsylvania State Catholic and two Delaware State Catholic Basketball Championships; Baseball, Basketball Great, St. Joseph’s Prep., St. Joseph’s College; St. Joseph’s University Hall of Fame.

Played in Majors from High School – pitched for New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators – 1946 won 11 lost 3 – Berks County Outstanding Athlete. Currently, Major League Scout.

American League Umpire, 25 years. Umpired six All-Star Games and six WorId Series, setting a record of umpiring 42 WorId Series Games. Outfielder for International League Baltimore Orioles. Enshrined in Temple University Hall of Fame as fullback and outfielder. John Hopkins University Coach. Lite Beer commercials with Boog Powell – “Hey youre Boog Powell.”

Stan Javie spent 30 years as a National Football League Official; retiring after the 1980 Pro-Bowl Game. He worked four Super Bowl Games and appeared in post-season games for 24 consecutive years. Stan left the game on top, having the acceptance and respect of the coaches and players throughout the League.

Punxsutawney High Star, 1923 Pitt Football Captain; Jeannette High School Football, Basketball Coach; Head Basketball Coach – Colgate and Amherst; Head Football Coach – Amherst and Harvard. Southern Conference Commissioner; President American Football Coaches Association; Inducted into National College Football Hall of Fame. Played Pro Basketball.

Ralph “Lefty” Mellix was a left-handed pitcher most prominently between 1921 and 1957 with Negro League teams that included the Newark Dodgers and Homestead Grays. By his account, Ralph “Lefty” Mellix pitched in more than 1,500 games and threw nine no-hitters. A legendary semi-pro hurler in the Pittsburgh area, Mellix was full of “exuberance, wit and joviality” and used “a mixture of grimaces, one-liners and fine pitching” to entertain the crowd.

Part of his act was bragging, and with spotty newspaper coverage of his career, it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. But surviving box scores prove some of the folklore. “His record of durability is nothing less than amazing,” said the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Ralph attended Margaretta Elementary School and Peabody High School in Pittsburgh. A city directory indicates that he worked as a waiter in 1915. The following year, he was temporarily blinded by acid burns suffered while working for the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, yet it seems he continued there, because the 1920 US Census reports his occupation as “laborer, electric company.”

Mellix married Caroline Cornelia Dodson, and they had two sons: Ralph, born in 1919, and Henry, born in 1921. He measured 5-feet-10 and 170 pounds, and was both a left-handed pitcher and a left-handed batter, according to historian James A. Riley. Another source gives Mellix’s playing weight as 150 pounds. His pitching motion was elaborate. He turned his body like a corkscrew, briefly showing his back to the batter, while rotating his pitching arm like a windmill. He said his best pitch was his slider, which he called a drop ball. The ageless Mellix continued to pitch for the 18th Warders in his fifties. He “has the fire and dash of a man of 25 and looks no older,” wrote one reporter. On June 5, 1951, Mellix struck out 16 batters in a seven-inning, two-hit shutout of Neville-Corry. And on September 9, 1953, his five-hit shutout of the Sheraden Cadets made the 18th Warders champions of Pittsburgh’s South Hills League for the first time in 10 seasons. Finally, in a performance worthy of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Mellix, at the age of 60, pitched a seven-inning, two-hit shutout on July 11, 1957, to beat the first-place Allegheny Moose of the South Hills League.

To what did he attribute his longevity? “I’m just a clean-living man,” he said. “Oh, I take a smoke or a drink now and then, but only now and then. Course, I chew when I’m pitching.” Mellix retired after the 1957 season, and in his retirement, he regaled sportswriters with stories from his long career. Mellix was a “$35,000 pitcher,” he said, because he earned $1,000 per year for 35 years. Mellix was given a free pass to attend Pittsburgh Pirates games, and Willie Stargell was his favorite player. He chuckled whenever sportswriters referred to Stargell as old; on the Mellix scale, the 40-year-old “Pops” Stargell was a youngster. And Mellix had these words of advice for the Pirates relief pitchers: Throw strikes! “I don’t care if the bases are loaded — you got to challenge the batter and get him out of there!” Mellix, the “Granddaddy of the Sandlots,” died of a heart attack on March 23, 1985, in Pittsburgh and was buried at the Homewood Cemetery. He was one of a kind.

All-Time, Philadelphia Eagles Halfback. World Champion Teams 1948-1949 with Van Buren, Muha, Thompson. 16 letter High School. All Time Virginia Military Institute Football. Virginia Sports Hall of Fame 1977. Pro Stats: Rushing 4.4 yards, receiving 15.6; punt returns 11.3; Kick-Off returns 22.9; Longest Pro Touchdown from scrimmage 77 yards in 1949. Broadcast Eagle, Pennsylvania, Villanova, Princeton Football Games.

One of top five All-Time Philadelphia Basketball Greats; 1935 South Philadelphia High All-Public; 1936 South High All-Scholastic (City Champs) ; 1937-38 Brown Prep, Glens Falls, N. Y., New York Championship; 1939-40 Mighty-Mites St. Joe College; 1940 Eddie Gottlieb’s SPHAS; 1946-47 Gottlieb’s Philadelphia Warriors, Pro-Basketball Champions. At every level, Petey was a starter and a star and ranks with Gola, Guokas and Chamberlin.

Started professional baseball 1937 as an outfielder; 1938 batting average, .366 with Dayton (Mid-Atlantic League). 1939 Eastern League. Batting Champion – .336 – 1943 leading RBI, International League, (Baltimore). Signed with Philadelphia Athletics 1944. U. S. Marines 1944-45. Baltimore Orioles 1946-47. Lifetime, batting average .308. Managed in Philadelphia Athletics Farm System 1945-53. Baltimore Farm System 1954-61. First Base Coach Baltimore Orioles 1963-75. Coached in three World Series, 1969-70-71.

Graduated Williamsport High School, 1935. Letters – football, basketball, track. Football scholarship University of Pittsburgh. Member of Pitt’s famous “Dream-Backfield” 1938. Hearst All-American Team 1938. Rose Bowl 1937; East-West Game, 1939. All-Star Game 1939. Assistant Coach University Florida 1939-40. Assistant Coach University Pittsburgh 1941-42. Enlisted U. S. Navy 1942. Honorable. Discharge, Lt. Senior Grade 1946.

Signed with Detroit Tigers 1957. Played 5 years in minors. Won batting title .328 with Denver, American Association in 1961. Played for Detroit 1963 thru 1970. Voted Player of the Year by sportswriters and fellow players 1965. Voted to All-Star Game in 1968. Helped Detroit win World Series against St. Louis Cards 1968. Finished career with Washington, 1971. Head baseball coach, Franklin and Marshall College 1976-1980.

He started umpiring in organized baseball in 1950 in Canadian-American League. Was in Eastern League 1951-53; American Association 1954-55; National League 1956-75. Because of his ability, “Shag” Crawford was often selected for All-Star Games and World Series. He is a Navy Vet of World War II.

Athletic Director, Penn State; Helm’s Foundation Hall of Fame; National Collegiate Athletic Business Manager of the year, 1969; Court of Honor, National Football Foundation Hall of Fame; President, Division I, NCAA Independent Universities; Executive Committee, NACDA; Board of Directors, College Football Association; U. S. Gymnastics Federation; 30 years in Collegiate Athletic Administration; Member 1947 Penn State Cotton Bowl squad.

The holder of the most coveted award in athletic competition – “THE OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL”. Richard was a member of the U.S. Olympic basketball team that defeated Russia in Tokyo, Japan. He was also a National A.A.U. team member – and what an athlete! He was team captain and leading scorer at Louisiana State University, graduating from there in 1961. A leading shooter in the Olympic trials, Richard hit 67 percent in field goal and 90 percent in foul shooting. He toured Eastern Europe including Russia and Poland as a selected member of the United States basketball team. In 1962 Richard was a part of a goodwill tour under the auspices of the United States State Department, playing in 12 other countries in the FAR EAST. He was also a member of the Goodyear Wingfoots, winning the National A.A.U. tournament in 1964. Richard graduated in 1954 from the John Harris High School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and was the leading scorer in the Central Penn League in basketball. He is the younger brother Bob Davies, a present state member of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame and Naismith Hall of Fame for Basketball.

Born in New York City, died in in 1976 in Little Rock, Ark. Attended Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pa. After several outstanding seasons with the Baltimore Orioles of the International League, reached Majors in 1928. Played Big League Ball until 1936 with the A’s, White Sox, Dodgers, and Cardinals. Starred with the A’s during their 1929-1931 pennant string. Won 20 or more games each of those years and 4 more in World Series. Served with distinction as gunnery officer aboard the aircraft carrier Yorktown (CV-1 0) during World War II. Was a major league pitching coach after the war.

Coach Malvern Prep.; player LaSalle College; football official 18 years in the Big 8, Missouri Valley, and Eastern Intercollegiate Football Conference and 25 years of high school officiating in Iowa, Illinois and Pennsylvania. Also, 8 years of officiating college basketball. Served the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame for nearly 20 years as Secretary, Executive Vice President, President and Board Chairman.Receiving Honors as inducted into the Legion Sports Hall of Fame, and the Malvern Prep Hall of Fame. Recipient of the Fred Coe Medal from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, John B. Kelly Medal from the J. B. Kelly Foundation, and numerous sports-charity activities.

Mark Funk once said, “Let us try to find out if a boy is eligible, rather than look for ineligibility.” This was one of the many philosophies that has given pupils, and adults, alike, a new appreciation of the many reasons for pupil participation in school athletic programs. His loyalty, courage, and wisdom have been instrumental in guiding the P.I.A.A. to its rightful place of leadership in the broad athletic program of the State of Pennsylvania. Mark’s professional career, as a teacher, began upon his graduation from Otterbein College. He was a classroom teacher for nine years after which he began his tenure as Principal of Latrobe High School in 1929. During this time, he was highly respected as a school administrator – one who knew and practiced solid educational procedures. He became president of district 7 of P.I.A.A., commonly known as the WPIAL, in 1943, a post he held until 1951 when he left the teaching profession to become the Executive Director of the P . I. A. A. For more than 40 years, Mark Funk devoted his energy and efforts to teaching our youth, the greatest and most abundant resource that America possesses. We can say that Mark became the quarterback of high school athletics in Pennsylvania, calling the signals loudly and clearly to promote the health and physical welfare of all participants.

American Legion 1944-45; Boston Red Sox 1952, played with Ted Williams and Dom DiMaggio – 1956 Comeback Player of Year – led American League first basemen in assists and double plays #8 – 1960 Chicago Cubs – 1961 Detroit Tigers – Played with Cincinnatti in World Series batting .302 – 1962 Houston 1975-76 scouted for Rangers – presently Director of Minor League Developmentfor N. Y. Mets.

Played center for Eddie Gottlieb’s Philadelphia Warrior’s, NBA, 1951-59, over 8 seasons averaged 19.4 points per game, selected NBA All-star 7 times; three time NBA scoring champion tying George Miken’s all time record; All-American Ohio State University; Head Coach, Philadelphia Warriors, Pittsburgh Rens, Oregon’s Chemeketa Community College; Assistant Coach, Wake Forest University, Portland Trail Blazers (1972).

Career spanned 25 years. Head coach 25 years. Gained renown in basketball, tennis, softball, soccer, coach, athletic director, baseball umpire, basketball referee. Compiled basketball record of 50 straight wins Immaculate Heart Academy and 60 consecutive wins, 4 league ,championships, Cunningham Township High while coaching both schools at same time.

Julius McCoy was one of the best all around high school athletes in Pennsylvania.He graduated from Farrell High School in 1952 after receiving All-Pennsylvania Basketball, All-Western football and Sprint Champion Honors there. He attended Michigan State University and was selected All-American in basketball his senior year. After graduation from Michigan State in 1956, he served with the U.S. Army, earning All-American Forces basketball title and the European Sprint Champion in 1957. Also was carried on the roster of the St. Louis Hawks in the N.B.A. Julius completed his graduate work after his honorable discharge from the Army in 1958 and for twelve years was a player in the Eastern Professional Basketball league. He went on to teach in the Harrisburg School District and coached high school basketball, football, and track, Presently a member of the U.S. Olympic Basketball Committee, Julius devotes much of his time to promote academic excellence and student participation in sports. His efforts in organizing high school level outdoor basketball has not only developed good high school athletes, but has helped a great number of students to earn college scholarships. Many of his students have earned national and international fame. Julius is now Director, Bureau of Equal Opportunity, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, living in Harrisburg with his lovely wife Betty and their two children, Judith and Julius, Jr.

Bill lettered three years in football at New Castle, Pa. High School. He played for four years at the University of Pittsburgh ,;- was team captain for two years, and was voted “The Most Valuable Team Player for two years. He played In the East-West Shrine Game. Bill played professional football for nine years for the Pittsburgh Steelers; was team captain for six years, and was a pro-bowl selection three times. He server as an assistant coach for the Detroit Lions and the Miami Dolphins; and served as head coach of the Washington Redskins.

Since leaving Johnstown High School, where he lettered for three years in football, this man has experienced a long athletic career. His claim to fame was his antics and his abilities on the gridiron where he was a member of the Pitt National Championship Teams of 1936 (8-1-1) and the 1937 team with a (9-1) record, as well as a member of the 1938 (8-2) squad. The 1936 team defeated Washington 21-0 in the 1937 Rose Bowl Game. As a three-year Panther, doubling as both a defensive and offensive guard, his teams had a combined record of 25-4-1. Steve was chosen to play in the first Blue-Gray game in 1939. He played for two years in the N.F.L. for the Brooklyn Dodgers, coached by his former Pitt Coach, Dr. Jock Sutherland. The first year his salary was $150/ game; the second year was $200/ game. He served for four years in the Army during World War II and played football with the Army All-Stars. His team once played five games in fifteen days against five N.F.L. teams for the “Benefit of Army Relief Fund” (proceeds distributed to widows of Pearl Harbor.) Steve returned to Pitt as Assistant Football Coach and served in that capacity under six coaches. He is presently Assistant to Athletic Director. Because of his enthusiasm and loyalty, he is known to everyone as “MR. PITT.”

All-time Villanova great, 1935-38; Coach St. Joseph’s college, 1938; Ridley Twp. H. S. 1941-42; Coach Villanova 1946-50; Head Coach 1951-53; Asst. Coach Yale University 1954-1962; Head Coach P.M.C. (Widener College) 1964-67; DelCo. Hall of Fame 1977; Villanova University Hall of Fame 1978. Was star of Villanova backfield that included Andy Stopper and Ray Stoviak.

Glenn’s outstanding record at Mahanoy Joint High School was only the beginning of this man’s football career. Few in sports make it to the top – but Glenn Ressler holds that distinction. He was selected to the Pennsylvania “Big 33” football team and after graduation from Mahanoy Joint High School in 1961, Glenn went to Penn State where he studied agriculture education and played football. Four years later, Glenn Ressler graduated from Penn State, but not before establishing an impressive record there. Multi-talented, Glenn played four separate positions on both offense and defense and by his sophomore year he was on the starting team – and that’s where he stayed. In his four years at Penn State, Glenn was selected to nine teams as an All-American, winning him the Maxwell Award in 1964. Then it was professional football – Glenn went with the Baltimore Colts as an offensive tackle and played that spot for ten years – two of those years, 1969 and 1977, in the Super Bowl. Retired from professional sports, Glenn lives in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania with his lovely wife, Sandra and their two children, Kevin and Cami.