Gismondi among seven California UPa. Hall of Fame inductees
Seven new members were inducted into the California University of Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies held Saturday night at the school. Along with the seven new members, two who were inducted in previous years but were unable to attend until Saturday night also received their plaques.
The new members include:
-Chuck Gismondi, of Elco, retired head baseball coach.
-Traci E. Cox, Davisville, W. Va., women’s basketball, who still ranks in the top three in eight categories of single season or career play.
-Georgette Crawford, Greensboro, N.C., women’s volleyball.
-Frederic E. Feldman, Belle Vernon, basketball and baseball, the oldest inductee at the age of 93.
-Paul Flores, N. Strabane Twp., former women’s basketball coach and the only basketball coach in PSAC history to be named coach of the year in two divisions. He is now associate athletic director.
-James Norton, formerly of Donora, now of Cocoa Beach, Fla., who earned honors in football, basketball, track and tennis.
-Greg Zigray, Pittsburgh, formerly of Charleroi, three-year letterman in football, basketball and track.
Also, Dan Gustovich, Charleroi, a teacher in the Brownsville Intermediate Unit, who earned induction in 2001 for baseball honors that include school records for home runs, doubles, and runs batted in, and Steve Luko, of Daisytown, California All-American first team baseball player, who was honored in 2000. Neither had been able to attend until last night.
Tom Rose, sports editor of the Washington Observer-Reporter, was master of ceremonies.
In accepting his honor, Gismondi, a 1960 North Union High graduate, said, “This school is a special place for me and has been for the last 33 years. Friends ask me why I taught and coached both. I tell them because I love doing it.
“One coaching memory I have is from a few years back when I went to a WPIAL baseball doubleheader at Charleroi, and of the eight coaches there, six of them had played for me. It was something to watch them coaching and using my signals. But that’s what makes it all worth while, that and when so many former players still address me as ‘Coach.’ I will always cherish this memory.”
Flores, who has had health problems the past year, was on the other side of the microphone last night. He has been master of ceremonies for the other programs, but was an honoree last night and moved to the head table instead of the dais.
Flores announced proudly “one very big point is the graduation rate of our women’s basketball program. Of all the young ladies who have come into our program, 99 percent of them graduated.”
All of the inductees responded with remarks recognizing their families and various people who were instrumental in their careers and success.