Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall Of Fame Dinner To Honor 10 April 27

 

By Thomas Leturgey

Organizers are diligently planning to celebrate 10 new inductees into the Robert “Tick” Cloherty Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. KDKA radio’s Larry Richert will once again serve as the Master of Ceremony for the April 27 event at the Marriot Bonvoy Hotel at Station Square that’s expected to draw as many as 400 attendees.

This year’s class of nine men and one woman encompass much of the Western Pennsylvania landscape, which stretches from Erie County in the north to Greene and Somerset in the south. The territory stretches from the Ohio line in the west to McKean, Elk and Cambria to the east.

“In the class of 2024, we are recognizing another absolutely outstanding group of individuals who have played a major role in the Western PA sports world as players, coaches, administrators, and luminaries,” he continued.

Reilsono, who has attended the banquet in the past, called it a “class act.”

Artwork from the Western PA Sports Hall of Fame website.

To help promote this year’s inductees and the dinner, Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame President Jack Teitz was recently on an episode of the Claudio Reilsono Show to talk about the upcoming dinner.

Teitz, a former Big 10 official, is the 7th president of the organization. He succeeded Robert “Tick” Cloherty, who successfully helmed the Hall of Fame for 30 years and more recently, immediate past president Dan Carr.

Teitz talked about how the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame is the largest of the 30 regional Sports Halls of Fame in the Commonwealth with 650 voting members.

“Our whole schtick is to try and help promote athletes, coaches, officials and sports personalities and contributors who have done exceptional things in the world of sports in Western Pennsylvania,” he told longtime Carnegie Mellon University baseball coach, author and podcaster Reilsono, and his co-host, Steve Mancini, an associate professor at Robert Morris University.

Teitz noted that the Western Pennsylvania Chapter has 750 members, and some 650 inductees that date back to 1963. “We induct about 10 to 12 each year,” he said. He noted that some 105 of the Western Pennsylvania Hall of Fame have advanced the umbrella organization, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Some of those members are Roberto Clemente, Arnold Palmer and Bruno Sammartino.

“We skipped a year because of Covid,” Teitz said. “This year we have 10 great inductees.”

In addition, others received special awards. Carol Zaleski, a leading proponent of swimming, recently retired after 45 years of service to the sport. She will receive the prestigious Darrell Hess Award.

And Mel Blount will receive a $5,000 donation from the William Campbell Foundation for his Mel Blount Youth Home and Youth Leader Initiative. Teitz mentioned that William Campbell was originally involved in sports, but then became a successful businessman. Last year, the Campbell Award was shared between the Roberto Clemente Foundation and the Franco Harris Foundation.

Teitz then talked about the inductees, including Central Cambria High School coaching legend Randy Wilson. He said that for 23 years, Wilson has successfully coached the Boys and Girls cross country teams and served as a school counselor in the Cambria County seat of Ebensburg. “His record is 225-5,” said Teitz. He said Wilson “has had a number of wonderful kids go onto to college careers.” Mancini touted Wilson’s incredible training and recruiting abilities as a coach.

Next up is Central Catholic Alumnus Jim McCoy also scored 2,734 points on the basketball court at the University of Massachusetts, which remains a school record. Ever since his freshman year in college, the 6’4” McCoy was unstoppable on the court. “He played in Sweden and Spain for more than 10 years,” Teitz continued. McCoy is also a member of the Pittsburgh Basketball Hall of Fame.

Darelle Porter played basketball Perry Traditional, was a Dapper Dan U.S. East All Star Team member, as well as a member of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Fab Five” and was the all-time assist leader at the University of Pittsburgh. He was head coach of the Duquesne University basketball team. Porter currently serves as the Executive Director of the Ozanam Cultural Center, a community group and sports program for both boys and girls in the Hill District. “A lot of successful players have come out of the Ozanam Cultural Center,” Teitz added.

At 6’7”, Bruce Atkins, an All-State player at Wilkinsburg High School and played in the Roundball Classic is arguably the tallest member of this year’s class. Atkins went on to have a stellar collegiate career as a Duquesne Duke and was drafted in the 4th round by the Philadelphia 76er, in 1982.

Meghan Damico is an “all time tennis star at Fox Chapel,” he said. She was a Triple A Single’s Champion who went on to play at Denison University. She was a North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2007-2008, said Teitz.

Teitz recognized Terry Russell as “a long-time Pittsburgh football player, coach and contributor.” Russell played at Central Catholic and then Duquesne University Football. He was a star player for Coach Dan McCann and then took over the program for several years. He remains a “lifetime supporter of Duquesne,” said Teitz.

The President touted Seneca Valley’s Mark Perry as “a very successful soccer coach.” Perry played and graduated from Springdale High School and went on to play at Wheeling Jesuit College. He has led remarkable teams at Seneca Valley, Fox Chapel, Hampton and Central Valley.

Ambridge’s “Mick” Marotti is a Strength and Conditioning Coach with some 44 years of skills. He served in that capacity in several places, including Notre Dame and the University of Florida and is currently on the staff at Ohio University. Teitz noted that he is also a member of the United States Strength and Conditioning Hall of Fame, Class of 2012.

Oakmont’s Mike Berger has worn different hats in his 45 years of professional baseball, from player, coach, front office, and coach. He’s worked for the Montreal Expos, Miami Marlins, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros. “He’s in Milwaukee now,” said Teitz.

Peabody High School’s Carl Kohlman will be honored posthumously. He was a contributor to many youth programs, but most notably served as the Executive Director of the Ozanam Cultural Center for more than 50 years.

“There are so many people who are so deserving, who don’t see a whole lot of media attention around them,” said Teitz. “Very successful people with very successful sports careers.

This year’s event is Saturday, April 17 at the Sheraton Station Square. Teitz explained that there is a room at the hotel where patrons and participants can see plaques with the names of all of the members. They also hope to find a more permanent home, and they have talked to the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum in the Strip District.

For more information on each of these 2024 Inductees ticket information for the April 27th induction ceremony, please check our website at westernpasortshof.org or call 412-855-7625.