State Hall of Fame Inductees
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State Hall of Fame Inductees from the Luzerne County Chapter
Click on athlete's name to learn more about his/her accomplishments
James Atherton - Basketball Coach
Steve Bilko, Sr. - Professional Baseball
Rocky Castellani - Professional Boxing
Jim Cefalo - Professional Football
George Chaump - College Football Coach
Frank Crossin - Professional Basketball
Mark Duda - Pro Football/College Coach
Elvetta Gemski - Field Hockey Coach
Paul Bucky Greeley - Professional Football
Stanley Bucky Harris - Professional Baseball
Hugh Jennings - Professional Baseball
Bruce Kozerski - Professional Football
Diane Madl - Field Hockey/Coach
Christy Mathewson - Professional Baseball
John Mazur - Professional Football Head Coach
Lou Michaels - Professional Football
Walt Michaels - Professional Football
Joe Perkowski - Notre Dame Football
George Raveling - Professional Basketball
John Reese - Wilkes University Wrestling Coach
Ed Rutkowski - Professional Football
Chuck Sieminski - Professional Football
Joe Skladany - Professional Football
Greg Skrepenak - Professional Football
Ron Solt - Professional Football
Dr. Walter Tewksbury - Olympic Gold Medal Winner-Track
Charles Trippi - Professional Football
Robert Tucker - Professional Football
Elmer Valo - Professional Baseball
Art Wall - Professional Golf
Big Ed Walsh - Professional Baseball
Dr. Robert Williams - Notre Dame Football
Tom Woodeshick - Professional Football
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James Atherton
Kingston, Pennsylvania native
Basketball Coach Perry Joint High School-2 seasons
West Pittston High School-7 seasons, won 2 league championships
Coughlin High School-3 seasons, won public school city championship
LCCC-nearly 3 decades, won 9 season championships, 6 post season titles
ten holiday tournament championships, won 459 games and lost only 202
Wilkes University-2 seasons/Coach of the Year-13 times
Overall record of 651 wins and 308 losses
January 2007 LCCC renamed their gym the James T. Atherton Gymnasium
1990 inducted into Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2007
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Steve Bilko, Sr.
Nanticoke, Pennsylvania native
Career spanned 1949-1962, with 313 homers and .312 batting average
Called the “Babe Ruth of the Pacific Coast League”
1953 with St. Louis Cardinals, led National League in putouts
1956 LA Angel’s MVP, batted .350, 55 homers and 164 RBIs
1957 hit 56 homers, 140 RBIs, again with Angels in Pacific Coast League
1961 hit .279, 20 homers, 81 RBIs for LA Angels in American League
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2003
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Rocky Castellani
Luzerne, Pennsylvania native
A stylish boxer, won 34 of first 39 fights (9 knockouts)
Changing to slugging style, had successful winning streak 16 of 17 fights (4 knockouts)
Had shot at middleweight title in 1954 against “Bobo” Olson
15-round fight went to Olson on judges’ decision
Next 3 years, fought 13 times, winning 7 (including split decision loss to Sugar Ray Robinson)
Retired in 1957 with impressive record of 65-13-4 (16 knockouts)
Was also a referee and judge
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2007
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Jim Cefalo
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
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George Chaump
Wyoming native
John Harris High School head football coach-6 championships
in 6 years, 4 undefeated seasons, an overall record of 58-4
1968-1979 assistant coach at Ohio State, National Champs in 1968
Won 9 Big 10 titles, played in 6 Rose Bowls, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Gator Bowl
1979-1981 assistant coach with Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coached in Pro Bowl
Head coach of Indiana University, Pennsylvania, with 20 winning seasons,
capturing 2 consecutive Western Conference Championships
Coached Navy 1991-1995
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2003
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Frank Crossin
Luzerne High School
Averaged 24 points per game in high school basketball
University of Pennsylvania-set five scoring records
All-Ivy League in 1942-1944 and 1947
Associated Press All-American 1944
Number one draft choice of Philadelphia Warriors (1947-1951)
Played with Wilkes-Barre Barons
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 1982
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Mark Duda
Wyoming Valley West High School-football All-American/All-State/Big 33
University of Maryland-1982 First Team All Atlantic Coast Conference
1983 drafted by NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals
Three time Defensive Player of the Game
East Stroudsburg/Meyers High School-defensive coach
1992-defensive coordinator-Lackawanna College
1994-Lackawanna College head coach-1994 Seaboard Conference champs
1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006-Northeast Football Conference Champs
Coach of the Year - 2000 & 2006
2000, 2001, 2006 undefeated seasons/2006-ranked 5th in nation
1994 University of Maryland Wall of Fame
1995 Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame 2008
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Paul "Bucky" Greeley
Coughlin High School
Football-All-Conference, All-Northeast, All-State
Wrestling-two-time District II, NE Regional champ, All-Conference, All-State
Baseball-All-Conference-.579 batting average
Penn State University-football
Co-captain of undefeated 1994 Big Ten/Rose Bowl Champs
All-Big Ten second team 1994
1995 Rose Bowl Offensive Player of the Game
NFL-3 seasons with Carolina Panthers
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2005
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Stanley "Bucky" Harris
“The Boy Wonder”
Hit .300 as rookie second baseman for Washington 1920
As player/manager, won 2 flags in a row and World Series 1924
Won 2,159 games in 29 years as manager-Tigers, Red Sox, Phillies, Yankees
Led Yankees to World Championship 1947
1975 inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2005
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Hugh Jennings
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
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Bruce Kozerski
Coughlin High School-football-All League, All-State
College of the Holy Cross-senior first team All-American
First team Academic All-American, first team All-East Coast
First team All-New England
NFL 9th round draft pick-Cincinnati Bengals
12 year pro football career-three honorable mentions-Pro Bowl
Played in Super Bowl XXIII 1989
Head football coach at Holy Cross District High School
Inducted into PA State Hall of Fame in 2005
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Diane Madl
Crestwood High School-field hockey All-Star, basketball, softball
University of Connecticut-1985 NCAA Tourney & National Championship
All-American/Academic All-American/Senior UConn Scholar-Athlete
New England Vision I Female Athlete of the Year/Honda Broderick Award
1987-US Junior National Field Hockey Team
1989-1991, 1995-1996-US National Team
Pan Am Games/World Cup/World University Games
Intercontinental Cup/1996 Olympic Games
1993-2002-assistant coach-University of Maine
2002-head field hockey coach-Providence College
2006-Big East Conference Champs & Coach of the Year
Dita/NFHCA Division I Northeast Region Coach of the Year
2005 Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame 2008
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Christy Mathewson
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
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John Mazur
Plymouth High School-football and basketball
Notre Dame quarterback 1949-1951
Led Irish to National Championship in 1949
Assistant coach at Tulane 1955-1959, Marquette and Boston College
1962 joined Buffalo Bills as assistant coach
As offensive coordinator helped Bills win 3 Division and 2 AFL championships
1969 offensive coordinator with Boston Patriots, in 1970 took over as head coach
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2004
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Lou Michaels
Swoyersville High School-football (All State) and baseball
Stauton Military Academy, Virginia, and Kentucky University
First team All-American junior and senior years
1958 first round pick of Los Angles Rams
1961 with Pittsburgh Steelers, 1964 with Baltimore Colts
Helped Colts to several championships through 1969
On 1969 Super Bowl team which lost to N.Y. Jets
1970-1971 with Green Bay Packers
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 1989
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Walt Michaels
Swoyersville High School-All-State football
Washington and Lee University-All-American, played in Gator Bowl
1951 second round draft pick of NFL’s Cleveland Browns
In 10 year career, won 5 division titles and 2 National championships
Four-time All-Pro linebacker
Head coach of USFL New Jersey Generals 2 years
Head coach of NFL’s New York Jets 7 years
Also coached Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders and a Super Bowl
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 1986
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Joe Perkowski
Coughlin High School-10 letters in football, basketball, track, baseball
Captain of 1957 championship football team, two time All-State/All-Scholastic
Notre Dame University-3 year football letterman-halfback/kicker/running back
1961 leading scorer. Against Navy, carried ball 25 times, 131 yards, 9 extra points, one field goal
Set record of 5 field goals in one game, new record of 49 yards (stood for 11 years)
Longest field goal-55 yards in 1961 Spring exhibition game (half time against Paul Horning)
Was also a running back for two years, averaging 5.2 yards per carry for total of 400 yards
Drafted by NFL's Chicago Bears, but suffered a first year career ending injury
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2006
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George Raveling
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
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John Reese
Kingston native
Wrestling coach at Wilkes University for 42 years,
the longest tenure of any coach at one institution
Second coach in collegiate wrestling history to reach the 500 win mark
Finished with career record of 515-171-10
Led Wilkes to 40 winning campaigns,
including a string of 39 straight winning seasons from 1955-1993
Led Wilkes to 14 Middle Atlantic Conference crowns and
1974 N.C.A.A. Division III National Championship
His teams were ranked #1 during 1966, 1974 and 1975 seasons
Inducted into eight Halls of Fame, including the National Wrestling Hall of Fame,
Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame and
the Wilkes University Hall of Fame
Inducted in PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2003
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Ed Rutkowski
Kingston High School-football
Notre Dame University-quarterback and defensive back
Played professional football with Buffalo Bills and Montreal Alouettes
at five different positions-mainly wide receiver, specializing in kickoff & punt returns
Holds Buffalo Bills record for highest kickoff return average in a season (30.5)
1968 named Offensive MVP as quarterback with the Bills
Former president of Buffalo Bills Alumni
1998 received the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., Distinguished Service Award
for meritorious service to Buffalo Bills
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2002
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Chuck Sieminski
Swoyersville High School-All-State in football and basketball
Penn State University, played in Liberty and Gator Bowls
Two-time All-East and All-American honors
1966 named to Penn State’s All-Time Team
Played in NFL for 7 seasons with SF 49ers, Atlanta Falcons,
Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles
Coached football at Nanticoke, Hazleton and Freeland high schools
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2004
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Joe Skladany
Larksville High School-twice All-Scholastic in football
University of Pittsburgh-won Eastern championship 1931 & 1932
All-American 1932 & 1933
1934 played pro football and scouted for Washington and Pittsburgh
Assistant football coach at Pittsburgh, Carnegie Tech and U.S. Naval Academy
1968 named by Pittsburgh Press to the All-Time Pitt team 1910-1968
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 1975
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Greg Skrepenak
G.A.R. Memorial High School-All-Scholastic, All-American, All-State-football
University of Michigan-All-American and All Big Ten
Played in three Rose Bowls and was Gator Bowl co/MVP
Outland and Lombardi Trophy finalist
Twice Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year
Drafted by L.A. Raiders in second round, with Raiders 1992-1995
Signed as unrestricted free agent with Carolina Panthers 1996-1997
1996 played in NFC Championship game against Green Bay
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2002
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Ron Solt
Coughlin High School-football
1980 Wyoming Valley Conference champs
All-Scholastic, All-State, All-American
University of Maryland-4-year starter
Played in Aloha, Tangerine, Japan, North-South Bowls
1983 Atlantic Conference Lineman of the Year, first team All-ACC
1983 Rookie of the Year with NFL’s Indianapolis Colts
Named to AFC Pro Bowl, UPI All-Pro Team 1987
Lineman of the Year with Philadelphia Eagles 1990
Outstanding Lineman of the Year with Colts 1991
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2005
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Dr. Walter Tewksbury
Ashley native
University of Pennsylvania Dental College, track 1898-1899
Four-time National Intercollegiate Track Champion in 100,
220-yard and 200 meter dash 1900
Won Olympic and World’s championship in 200 meter dash
First place in 400 meter hurdles at Olympics and second in 60- and
100-meter dashes, third in 200-meter hurdles
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 1991
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Charles Trippi
Pittston High School-All-State in football
University of Georgia-halfback
All American, won Sugar Bowl
1946 won Maxwell and Walter Camp Trophies as college football’s MVP
Signed four-year professional contract with Chicago Cardinals
All Pro with Cardinals, 1947 led them to World Title his first season
1959 inducted into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 1968
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Robert Tucker
Hazleton High School-football and basketball
Bloomsburg State College, set three NAIA pass receiving records
Established league records with Pottstown Eagles
1969 member of Philadelphia Eagles taxi squad
1970 signed as free agent by 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
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 1982
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Elmer Valo
Launched career in this region, with the Lehighton Moose
Played 20 years major league baseball-Philadelphia, Kansas City, Cleveland,
New York, Washington and Minnesota, all American League clubs, and
Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Philadelphia in National League
Lifetime .282 hitter with six .300 seasons
One of greatest pinch hitters of all-time, retiring in 1961
Played 13 years with A’s, batting .305
Member of Philadelphia Baseball Hall of Fame
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 1984
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Art Wall
Honesdale native
Began professional golf career in 1949
Unofficially, recorded more than 40 holes-in-one
1959 was best season, won 4 tournaments and captured
PGA tour’s money title and Vardon Trophy for low stroke average
1959 won green jacket at the Masters, total of 14 career tournaments wins
Played on three Ryder Cup teams
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 1969
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Big Ed Walsh
Plains High School
Outstanding right-handed pitcher for Chicago White Sox 1904-1916
Pitched two victories in 1906 World Series, 1908 won 40 games
Pitched and won both games of double-header against Boston Sept. 29, 1908
Averaged 25 wins a season over six-year period for White Sox
Pitching 464 innings in 1908, setting a post-1900 record
Lifetime 1.82 ERA is also a record, finished career with Boston in 1917
1946 elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2002
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Dr. Robert Williams
G.A.R. Memorial High School-football-3 championships, All-Scholastic, All-State
University of Notre Dame-three-year quarterback
On Blue-Gray All-Star and 1959 Hula Bowl team, third-team All-American
November 16, 1957, defeated Oklahoma U. with touchdown pass, ending
Sooners’ 47 game winning streak, handing them their first shutout in 124 games
1959 drafted by Chicago Bears, passed to attend University of Pittsburgh Medical School
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2002
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Tom Woodeshick
Hanover High School-linebacker and halfback
University of West Virginia-All-Southern Conference, played in Senior Bowl
Fifth leading rusher in Philadelphia Eagles history-3,563 yards in 9 seasons (1963-1971)
1968 Pro Bowl, final season 1972 with St. Louis Cardinals
Broadcaster for Philadelphia Bell of World Football League
Wrote for Philadelphia Inquirer, coached at Moravian College
Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2002
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