Newest class inducted into the BVA Football Hall of Fame
The 14th class of the Belle Vernon Area Football Hall of Fame was inducted at James Weir Stadium on Aug. 30 as part of the varsity football team’s opening game against Uniontown.
Five outstanding players and the current athletic director were enshrined.
Plaques were presented at halftime of the Uniontown game to these inductees:
Rich Planey (Class of 1968) — Planey was a two-year starting quarterback for coach Jim Russell’s Leopards during the 1965-1967 seasons. The Leopards posted records of 5-4 in 1965, 4-4-1 in 1966 and 4-5 in 1967. During the 1966 season, Planey scored three touchdowns and completed 40-of-86 passes for 711 yards and three touchdowns. He completed 55-of-105 passes for 893 yards and 11 touchdowns in his senior season. Planey was All-WPIAL as a senior.
“It’s an honor to inducted into the Hall of Fame for your athletic ability and accomplishments,” Planey said.
His most memorable moment was in his junior campaign at Brownsville when he got knocked out of the game and then returned to toss a 50-yard TD pass in a 20-19 Belle Vernon win.
“That was a memorable,” Planey stated. “It was just something that happened in a big muddy game up at Republic Field. They were tough, but we played against some really tough opponents like Monessen, Charleroi, Elizabeth-Forward and New Brighton. We played against guys like Po James. We played against a lot of outstanding players back in the 1960s.
Doug Indof (Class of 1978) — A quarterback and defensive end, Indof led coach Jeff Petrucci’s 1977 team to a 6-4 record that laid the groundwork for three straight Big 10 championships. As a senior, Indof was named to the 1977 Big 10 All-Conference offensive team. He was a three-sport athlete at Belle Vernon, playing football, basketball and baseball.
The former quarterback has fond memories of his mentor coach Petrucci.
“He was a great motivator and also a great teacher for those playing the quarterback position,” Indof opined. “It was really easy to tell what he expected from you, and he wanted things to work to perfection. He didn’t scream very often — he left that to a few other coaches, but you could tell when he wasn’t very happy with how things were going. If you worked hard and did what was expected, he would support you to no end.”
Greg Shearson (Class of 1983) — Shearson was a two-year starter at offensive guard and anchored a strong offensive line. On defense he was was versatile, playing tackle, end, nose guard and he was also a long snapper. A three-year letterman and member of the 1980 Big 9 Conference champs, he also earned a spot on the 1982 Big 9 All-Conference offensive team.
Shearson singled out former head coach Chuck Machesky as a prime factor in his success.
“I owe a tremendous amount of debt to coach Machesky, who really pushed hard for many of us to play on the college level,” recalled Shearson. “Machesky was a great position coach, as well, and was known to wear pads one or two times a year at practice.”
Shaun Baker (Class of 1996) — Baker was a running back in his sophomore and junior seasons for coach Gary Dongilli’s Leopards. He rushed for 342 yards and six touchdowns before suffering a torn ACL. He returned to the lineup in 1995 as a defensive tackle and helped lead Belle Vernon to the WPIAL title. A three-year letterman, Baker was named to the All-Keystone Conference defensive team in 1995.
“The biggest highlight from that season was having the No. 1 defense in the WPIAL and winning the AAA Championship at Three Rivers Stadium,” Baker said.
Josh Cramer (Class of 2001) — A rare four-year starter at quarterback, Cramer led Belle Vernon to four conference titles from 1997-2000. His record as a starter was 38-8 with a conference mark of 30-2. He was an All-Conference selection in 1998-99 and 2000. In his career he completed 259-of-491 passes for 4,673 yards and 57 touchdowns.
“You couldn’t ask for a better honor,” Cramer said. “It was nice to be recognized.”
Cramer recalled being named the starting quarterback as a 14-year old freshman.
“The probably the most fond memory that I have,” Cramer said. “I remember coach Dongilli approached me in the spring of my eighth-grade year and said ‘what do you think about coming up to the high school and stepping up to the squad?’ We spent the spring with them and the summer training with them and there were two other guys trying out for quarterback. I was sitting down at the locker room at Thomas Jefferson High School and he walked up to me and said ‘you’re the guy tonight.’ I was 14 years old and turned 15 in late September, but it is a very fond memory of mine.”
Jesse Cramer — Part of Belle Vernon’s athletic family since the early 1980s, he has coached football, wrestling, track and even basketball over the years. He presides over the preservation of (former Bellmar) Brewer Stadium and has been Belle Vernon athletic director since 2004.