Inductees

About This Inductee:

• Factoryville native
• Keystone Academy (1895) and Bucknell University-baseball
• 1898 with Taunton, Mass. of New England League
• 1899 with Southern League’s Norfolk, Virginia team
• Won 20 games as rookie with New York Giants in National Baseball League
• 1905 shut out Philadelphia Athletics 3 times in one week in World Series
• 1908 beat previous endurance records, pitching 425 innings, winning 37 games
• Helped Giants win 5 National League Pennants
• Played in World Series in 1905, 1911-1913
• Holds record for most consecutive innings pitched (68) without walking a batter
• Pitched two no hitters, and 83 shutouts
• At retirement, he held/shared parts of 57 individual, club and league records
• Managed Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants, president of the Boston Braves
• 1936 inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
• Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 1965

Chris as born on August 17, 1880 in Factoryville, PA. Christy’s baseball career spanned over 27 years. Christy began pitching at the age 13 for his hometown team in Factoryville. He earned his first money playing baseball for Mill City, PA in 1895. He entered Keystone Academy in 1895, where he played baseball for the college. After graduating in 1898, he continued his education at Bucknell University, where he made a name for himself in football as well as baseball. Christy signed a contract to play with Taunton, Massachusetts, of the New England League of $90. per month in 1898. The next year, Christy signed a contract with the Southern League’s Norfolk, Virginia team in October of 1899.

The following year he became a member of the New York Giants of the National Baseball League. Christy won 20 games as a 21-year-old New York Giant rookie. His most famous trick pitch was the “Fadeaway.” In 1905, he shut out the Philadelphia Athletics three times within one week during the World Series, scoring his greatest baseball triumph. In 1908, he beat all previous records for endurance by pitching 425 innings, winning 37 games and only losing 11. Christy helped the Giants win five National League Pennants and was in the World Series in 1911, 1912 and 1913, as well as the championship year of 1905. He pitched 16 seasons for the Giants. Christy holds the record for most consecutive innings pitched (68) without walking a baser; he pitched two no hitters-one against St. Louis in 1901 and another against Chicago in 1905. He pitched 83 shutouts in his career. Christy also ranks in the top ten of the all-time strikeout list.

At the time of his retirement, Christy held or shared parts of 57 individual, club and league records. Mathewson’s marks in the record books continue to this day. On his retirement in 1916, Christy began managing the Cincinnati Reds. On August 28, 1918, he left to serve his country in World War I as a captain of the Western Front, where he was hit by a whiff of poison gas. Upon his return from the war, Christy coached the New York Giants from 1919 through 1921. In 1922, Christy became president of the Boston Braves until his untimely death from tuberculosis in both lungs on October 7, 1925. Mathewson was inducted posthumously to baseball’s inaugural class of the Hall of Fame in 1936, with 205 votes of 226 ballots cast (90.71%). Today there is a permanent exhibit dedicating to Christy Mathewson at Keystone College in LaPlume, PA.

(February 24, 1874 – December 6, 1955), Nicknamed “Hans,” has the distinction of having the most expensive baseball card on the market – a T206 1909-11 by Sweet Caporal cigarettes. Wagner was also nicknamed “The Flying Dutchman” due to his superb speed and German heritage. Perhaps the greatest right-handed hitter he had remarkably long arms. The greatest shortstop of MLB’s All Century Team, Wagner was also one of the greatest hitters of the century with a .329 batting average, 3,430 hits and all in the dead-ball era. His big-league career (1897-1917) started with the Louisville Colonels and with the Pittsburgh Pirates when they obtained his contract in 1900. In 1917 he played and managed the Pirates for the last five games of the season in 1917. His phenomenal career included eight National League batting titles (1900, 03, 04,06-09, 11), five-time RBI leader (1901,02,04,07,08), and five-time stolen base leader (1901,02,04,07,08).

Honus was one of the original five induction members to the Baseball of Fame in 1936. He was a hitting coach for the Pirates from 1933 through 1952 and a beloved ambassador of the game. Wagner coached baseball and basketball at Carnegie Institute of Technology. Two biographies of Wagner are worthy for review: Honus Wagner: On His Life and Baseball by William Cobb (2006) and Honus Wagner A Biography by Dennis and Jeanne DeValeria (1998). According to Hall of Famer John McGraw, "It's too bad the present generation really has no adequate picture of Wagner, no complete impression of his greatness and genius."

(April 16, 1903 – August 29, 1965) Paul was nicknamed “Big Poison” was a right fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1926 through 1940 and with the Braves, Dodgers and Yankees to conclude his Hall of Fame career in 1945. A four time All Star (1933-35, 1937) and prolific hitter winning three National League batting championships collecting 3,152 career hits. Waner (3,152) and his younger brother, Lloyd (2,459), hold the career record for hits by brothers (5,611), outpacing the three Alou brothers (5,094): Felipe (2,101), Matty (1,777) and Jesús (1,216), and the three DiMaggio brothers (4,853): Joe (2,214), Dom (1,680) and Vince (959). For most of the period from 1927 to 1940, Paul patrolled right field at Forbes Field while Lloyd covered the ground next to him in center field. On September 15, 1938, the brothers hit back-to-back home runs against Cliff Melton of the New York Giants. The origin of the nicknames "Big Poison" and "Little Poison" that were given to Paul and his younger brother Lloyd, respectively, is from a game at the Polo Grounds during the 1927 season when a fan pronounced "person" as "poison" as he called out to the brothers. Paul was a finalist for the MLB All Century Team. An interesting sidenote on Waner was his astigmatism; he did not like wearing glasses on the field as it made the ball appear smaller and in focus, but without glasses the ball looked grapefruit sized. With the larger apparent size of the baseball, he was able to hit the center more often.

(March 13, 1908 – December 2, 2002) was an American decathlete. He competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics and won the James E. Sullivan Award in 1931. Barney Berlinger was a multi-sport athlete in high school, attending William Penn Charter School and later Mercersburg Academy. In addition to competing in many track and field events, he played both football and basketball and dabbled in wrestling, boxing and baseball. At the University of Pennsylvania, however, coached by Lawson Robertson, he started focusing on track and field and especially decathlon. Berlinger won the first of three consecutive Penn Relays decathlons in 1929- his achievement being recognized by the decathlon trophy being retired. He broke the meeting record on each of those occasions; in 1930 he scored 7460 points, his new personal best. Later that year he became national champion in the non-Olympic pentathlon.

He was born in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania on October 24, 1893 to Anna Leah Hengst and Henry Abraham Benfer, a prominent Evangelical minister. Benfer became a five-sport star athlete at William Penn High School. He became the first York County basketball player to score 1,000 points in basketball. After graduating from York High School, Benfer enrolled at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania. At Albright, he played football, basketball and baseball. He played fullback for the football team and was selected as a first-team All-American fullback in 1914 by the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. He was also named Albright College's "Athlete of the Century" in 1956. Benfer later worked as a teacher, coach, and administrator for 50 years. He also played baseball for St. Louis Cardinals' farm teams for two summers.[6] He was the basketball and baseball coach at Bucknell University from 1918 to 1919. He then returned to Albright College where he served as the athletic director and taught Latin and history until 1925. From 1925 to 1965, he worked at Muhlenberg College as a teacher of religion and a coach of football, basketball and baseball

Dimperio was born in 1905 in Pittsburgh, where he attended Fifth Avenue High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from Thiel College in Greenville and a master's degree in physician education from Springfield University in Illinois. He and his wife, Adeline, also had a daughter, Peggy. From 1946 to 1966, Dimperio had a record of 118 wins and five losses, and he took his foootball team to the City of Pittsburgh championship 21 years in a row and at the time was one of the most successful high school football coaches in America.

Charles "Rip" Engle was a football player and coach of football and basketball. He served as the head football coach at Brown University from 1944 to 1949 and at Pennsylvania State University from 1950 to 1966, compiling a career college football record of 132–68–8. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1973.

Engle's coaching record from 1944 to 1965, including stints at Brown University and Penn State, was 132–68–8. Under the leadership of Engle at Brown, Joe Paterno developed as a capable quarterback and a skillful leader. After graduating in 1950, Paterno joined Engle at Penn State as an assistant coach. Upon Engle's retirement in February 1966, Paterno was named coach of the Nittany Lions for the 1966 season, a position he would hold until 2011.

Engle's best season at Penn State was in 1962 when the Lions went 9–2, were ranked ninth in the country, and played in the Gator Bowl. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973.

Stuart K. Holcomb (September 11, 1910 – January 11, 1977) was an American football and basketball coach from Erie, Pennsylvania who served as head football coach for Miami University (1942–1943) and Purdue University (1947–1955). He was a starting halfback at Ohio State University and the captain of the 1931 Buckeyes football team before he moved on to coaching. Prior to arriving at Miami, Holcomb was the head football coach at three smaller schools: the University of Findlay (1932–1935), Muskingum College (1936–1940), and Washington & Jefferson College (1941). He also served as the head basketball coach at University of Findlay for four seasons, 1932–33 thru 1935–36,[1] and at the United States Military Academy from 1945 to 1947. After retiring from coaching, Holcomb was the athletic director at Northwestern University (1956–1966) and later the general manager of Major League Baseball's Chicago White Sox (1971–1973).

A Native of Syracuse, New York, Charley was an exceptional Shooter. Scoring a then outstanding 880 points throughout his career at the University of Pittsburgh. He was named an All- American three consecutive years and was the Helms Foundation Player- of-the-Year in 1930. The year he led the nation with a 12.6 points per game average.

Delvin Glenn "Del" Miller was a driver, trainer and owner in the sport of harness racing as well as an important breeder after acquiring Adios to stand at his Meadow Lands Farm in Meadow Lands, Pennsylvania. During a career that spanned eight decades, Miller won major races in the United States as well as in France.
He won $11 million and won 2,442 races.

Townsend helped begin the U.S. Field Hockey Association and her reign as the captain of the U.S. field hockey team ran from 1924-38. She began at University of Pennsylvania and helped start their field hockey program. She was named an All-American in field hockey in 1923. She played in two World Cups as part of the U.S. Field Hockey team and toured Holland and Germany. Townsend served as the president of the United States Field Hockey Association from 1928-32, was the president of the Philadelphia Field Hockey Association and was the secretary of the International Federation of Hockey Associations from 1927-32. She was also a state champion in tennis and squash and captained the Middle States Sears Cup team in Eastern tournaments. Townsend represented the Merion Cricket Club in both sports. At 36, she remained the only undefeated member of the Cricket Club's squash team. Over 20 years later, at age 57, she won the U.S. Senior Women's Doubles title in squash.

Van Buren was a halfback for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1944 to 1951. Through eight NFL seasons he won four league rushing titles, including three straight from 1947 to 1949. At a time when teams played twelve games a year, he was the first NFL player to rush for over ten touchdowns in a season which he achieved three times. He was on the Championship Teams of 1948 and 1949 and scored the only TD of the 1948 game. He has been inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame, Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, and the Louisiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Harold “Pie” Traynor (November 11, 1898 – March 16, 1972) was a National League third baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1920 to 1935 with a stint as Pirates’ manager from 1934 through 1939. He was considered the best fielding third baseman of his era. Traynor batted .320 over his career with two All Star appearances in 1933 and 1934. Traynor was part of the 1925 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates when they defeated the Washington Senators. Later in his career he was a Pirate scout and radio broadcaster. In 1948 the Baseball Writers placed Traynor in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was a finalist for MLB’s All Century Team in 1999.

Charles Philip Bednarik (May 1, 1925 – March 21, 2015), nicknamed Concrete Charlie, was a professional American football player, known as one of the most devastating tacklers in the history of football and the last full-time two-way player in the National Football League. He was selected to the Pro Bowl 8 times and won 2 NFL Championships. 10 time First-Team All-Pro and member of the 1950s All-Decade Team. He won the Maxwell Award in 1948, was inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame who also retired his number (60) for their team.

Roberta Bonniwell own career was cut short when an injured knee kept her from competing in the 1936 Olympic Games, then four years later when the 1940 Tokyo Games were cancelled because of World War II. This revolutionary figure for women’s gymnastics did, however, enjoy much success on the national stage as a coach for three Olympic Games. It is believed that Bonniwell was responsible for the first class of women in the US Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1974.

Henry Norwood "Barney" Ewell (February 25, 1918 – April 4, 1996) was an American track star, winner of one gold and two silver medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics. While a student at Pennsylvania State University, he ran the 100 m and 200 m races and won 12 gold medals and championships in collegiate meets between 1940 and 1942. He also won 11 gold medals in AAU national meets between 1939 and 1948.

William Glenn Killinger (September 13, 1898 – July 25, 1988) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He was a 3 letter Athlete at Penn State University and All-American Football player in 1921. He then played in the National Football League for the Canton Bulldogs, New York Giants, and for Philadelphia Quakers of the first American Football League in 1926. He served as a head football coach for numerous college teams including Dickinson College (1922), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1927–1931), Moravian College (1933), West Chester University of Pennsylvania (1934–1941, 1945–1959), and with the North Carolina Pre-Flight School (1944),with a career college football record of 176–72–16. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1971.

John Bernard "Hans" Lobert (October 18, 1881 – September 14, 1968) was an American third baseman, shortstop, coach, manager and scout in Major League Baseball. Lobert batted .274 for his career and played 14 seasons (1903, 1905–17) with five National League clubs, including regular stints as a third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds (1906–10) and Philadelphia Phillies (1911–14). He also played with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1903), Chicago Cubs (1905) and New York Giants (1915–17). During his career, Lobert was known as one of the fastest players in the game. Throughout his career he stole 316 bases over 14 seasons. He later coached the United States Military Academy at West Point University and then served as a full-time scout for the New York Giants in 1928.

Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an MLB player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins (3,731), losses (3,948), and games managed (7,755), with his victory total being almost 1,000 more than any other manager. Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics for the club's first 50 seasons of play. He retired at age 87 following the 1950 season. He was also a part-owner from 1901 to 1954. He was the first manager to win the World Series three times, and is the only manager to win consecutive Series on separate occasions (1910–11, 1929–30); his five Series titles remain the third most by any manager, and his nine American League pennants rank second in league history. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.

Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial (November 21, 1920 – January 19, 2013), nicknamed "Stan the Man", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and first baseman. He spent 22 seasons playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, from 1941 to 1944 and 1946 to 1963. Musial batted .331 over his career and set National League (NL) records that have since been beaten for career hits (3,630), runs batted in (1,951), games played (3,026), at bats (10,972), runs scored (1,949) and doubles (725). He was a seven-time batting champion and MVP winner 3 times. He also won 3 World Series Championship titles with St. Louis while being selected for 24 All-Star games. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 and later was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2011. He was selected to the MLB All-Century Team in 1999.

Arnold D Palmer (September 10, 1929 - September 25, 2016) was one of the greatest golfers to ever live. His career spanned more than six decades during which he won 62 PGA Tour Titles from 1955 to 1973 making him fifth on the Tour's all-time victory list. He won seven major titles and is widely considered along with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player to be responsible for popularizing and commercializing golf around the world. He also helped break down the perception of golf being only an upper-class pastime with his humble beginnings.

James Francis Thorpe May 22 or 28, 1887 – March 28, 1953) was a Native American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. He was a member of the Sac and Fox Nation. Thorpe was the first Native American to win a gold medal for his home country. He is still considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports. Winner of Olympic gold medals in the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon, and played football (collegiate and professional), professional baseball, and basketball. He lost his Olympic titles after it was found he had been paid for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics, thus violating the amateurism rules that were then in place. In 1983, 30 years after his death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) restored his Olympic medals.

Thorpe played six seasons in Major League Baseball with the New York Giants. He also played for six teams in the NFL winning three championships with the Canton Bulldogs. He was the first president of the American Professional Football Association which later became the NFL in 1922. He was an amazing athlete and was a force to be reckoned with in every different sport he ventured into.