FCSHOF honorees express humor, gratitude, community pride
The 2011 Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame inductees applaud during the 3rd Annual Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame inductions at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.
Gene Huey and Ray Parson, both of the 1964 state championship basketball team, of Uniontown High School, pose for a photograph, during the 3rd Annual Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame event held at Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus. Huey is also the longest tenured assistant coach in the history of football, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts.
Dave Holliday, representing Ed Roebuck, gives a speech regarding Ed Roebuck's 2011 Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame induction at Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus.
Frank Wydo Jr., representing Frank Wydo Sr., delivers a moving speech about his father's athleticism and achievements in his life, during the 2011 Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame Induction ceremony at Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus.
Jim Cunningham, a 2011 Fayette County 缅北禁地 of Hall of Fame inductee, reflects on his athletic career during the 3rd Annual Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame event at Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus.
Fred Mazurek, a 2011 Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame inductee; and George Von Benko, co-founder of the Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame participate in the 3rd Annual Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame event.
Chris Cluss, the board chair of the 3rd Annual Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame, welcomes the crowd during the induction ceremonies held at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus on Saturday, June 25.
?Inductees of the third annual Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame expressed humor, gratitude, and a sense of community pride in their induction speeches on Saturday evening at Penn State Fayette The Eberly Campus.
The induction banquet was efficiently conducted in roughly three hours under the direction of Hall of Fame co-founder and master of ceremonies George Von Benko. Co-founder Jes Hutson and board chairman Chris Cluss also briefly addressed the gathering.
During his acceptance speech, Redstone High School and University of Pittsburgh standout Fred Mazurek said competition throughout the county in areas such as Brownsville, Masontown, and Point Marion prepared him for a future in sports.
鈥淚 was fortunate to grow up playing with and against wonderful people from all parts of Fayette County,鈥� Mazurek said.
Uniontown High School basketball star Don Yates said Fayette County has 鈥渁thletes all over the world,鈥� during his speech. Yates credited the community and playground systems with helping to create the school鈥檚 basketball successes if the 1960s.
鈥淚t makes me want to suit up again,鈥� Yates said, and then joked, 鈥淭he older I get, the better I was.鈥�
The first female athlete to be inducted was Julie Jones Venick, who spoke of her family鈥檚 support when she played at the University of Richmond, and lauded the help she received in the summer programs from legendary Uniontown coach Abe Everhart, who 鈥渨as a kind and gentle man.鈥�
James Nesser posthumously accepted the induction of his father, legendary St. John鈥檚 and Uniontown boys backetball coach James 鈥淟ash鈥� Nesser. 鈥淲e are so humbled as a family and so grateful to the community and the Hall of Fame,鈥� Nesser said.
Long-time sportswriter Jim Kriek was also inducted posthumously. His son, George, said that Kriek 鈥渃ared about the readers.鈥� He said his father emphasized details in his articles other than just a baseball team winning 3-2 or might focus on an exhausted offensive line that continued to battle in the fourth quarter.
Dave Holliday spoke on behalf of Brownsville baseball standout Ed Roebuck, who went on to play for the Dodgers in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, along with the then-Washington Senators and later the Philadelphia Phillies. Holliday and Roebuck became good friends as baseball scouts when they both discovered their ties to Fayette County.
Connellsville High School, University of Pittsburgh, and Washington Redskins standout Jim Cunningham played with Fred Cox and Bobby Clements and roomed with Mike Ditka at Pitt. He emphasized his faith and spoke of the many blessings he鈥檇 experienced in his lifetime.
Frank Wydo was inducted posthumously and his son, Frank, spoke of how 鈥渢here is no greater honor than to have former students, players and teachers come up to me and tell me what an influence my dad was on their lives and careers.鈥� Wydo starred in football as a lineman at German Township, and played collegiate football at Duquesne and Cornell before playing in the National Football League with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
The Hall of Fame inducts one 鈥渟mall school鈥� and one 鈥渂ig school鈥� team each year. The 1961 Albert Gallatin football team that defeated Penn Joint, 19-6, for the WPIAL championship, and the 1989 Connellsville baseball team that took WPIAL and PIAA honors were this year鈥檚 team inductees.
Ross Brown of the Albert Gallatin championship team said the Colonials 鈥渟acrificed our own glory to achieve team glory,鈥� adding, 鈥淲e were a part of a great legacy,鈥� and 鈥渂rought the WPIAL championship back to the land of coal miners.鈥�
Speaking on behalf of the Connellsville state champions, Tom Sankovich said a loss to Laurel Highlands broke the program鈥檚 38-game section winning streak and fueled the team鈥檚 championship drive.
鈥淲e had tremendous support from the community, and I never had a problem with a parent. I pretended like they were never there,鈥� Sankovich said.
He said Mount Pleasant was Connellsville鈥檚 toughest opponent, with the Falcons winning twice over the Vikings in hard-fought games, 13-11 in the WPIAL title game and 3-2 in a western round of the state playoffs.