Fayette Hall calls nine people, three teams
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame inductees for 2015 include (from left) Lawrence Curry, representing Gene Huey; Tom Sankovich; Geibel Catholic High School girls basketball teams from 1993-96 represented by George Bortz; 1981 Uniontown High school boys championship basketball team represented by Tony Carter; Tom Hull and Don “Doc” Franks.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standand
Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame inductees for 2015 include (from left) Rudy Marisa; Robert Fee represented by his son Bob Fee; Samuel Sims represented by Ronald Burden; 1925 Uniontown High School boys basketball team represented by George Von Benko and Bus Albright represented by Ken Misiak. Also elected into the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame is Sam Mannery, who is not pictured.
Coaching is the theme of the seventh class to be inducted into the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame.
The local Hall of Fame will hold its seventh induction ceremony and banquet at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.
Sure, there are great coaches being inducted in the coaching category, like Albert Gallatin football coach Doc Franks, who posted a record of 178-50-11, and the legandary Rudy Marisa, who coached at Dunbar Township and Albert Gallatin high schools before winning 565 games at Waynesburg University.
But that’s far from the end of this year’s list of successful coaches being enshrined.
There’s Tom Sankovich, who is being inducted as an outstanding football and baseball player (1900-1959 era) from North Union Township, but who also won a PIAA baseball championship as baseball coach at Connellsville High School.
There’s Gene Huey, who was a terrific football, basketball and track athlete at Uniontown (1965 graduate, 1960-69 era) and at the University of Wyoming, who ended up coaching both Marshall Faulk and Edgerrin James as the running backs coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
Two other enshrinees in this year’s class at least cut their teeth in coaching. In fact, Lafayette Junior High’s Bob Fee helped many a young Tiger become a Red Raider in his 38-year career coaching basketball, football and track. Fee and Bus Albright, who not only played on Uniontown’s 1925 state championship basketball team but also coached the Red Raiders in the mid 1940s, founded the Uniontown Recreation Playground and ran it until 1969, will be indicted postumously, as will the great Sam Sims, who played football, basketball and ran track at German Township.
“There’s always a question about some guys,” said Chris Cluss, chairman of the Hall’s board of directors. “Sank was such a great player at North Union and at Maryland, but most people remember him best from the coaching he did at Connellsville.
“I know Gene was a tremendous athlete because he was a great teammate of mine. He was the No. 1 receiver at Wyoming and is in their Hall of Fame, but he’s probably best known as a Super Bowl winning running backs coach in Indianapolis.”
None of that takes anything away from the guys who actually hung their hats on coaching. Or, as Cluss put it, “Rudy and Doc speak for themselves. When you look at guys like Bob Fee and Bus Albright, it really speaks well of this area and its coaching pedigree.”
Speaking of Albright, Cluss came up with a special memory of Sims, as well, that happened to relate to the Uniontown playground system.
“The Uniontown playground guys lived in fear of no one,” Cluss. “But Sam Sims got their respect.”
Of course, the coaching theme continues when you look at the championship teams being inducted.
Uniontown’s first state title team, the 1925 unit, was coached by A.J. Everhart Sr. and featured Albright as a player. The second Uniontown team to be honored this year is the 1981 PIAA title-winning squad coached by Hall of Fame member Lash Nesser.
Also being enshrined are Geibel Catholic’s girls basketball teams from the four-year span of 1993 through 1996 that won a quartet of consecutive WPIAL gold medals behind coach George Bortz.
“It makes me happy to see the Geibel girls teams going in,” said Cluss, who coached most, if not all, of Bortz’s players in AAU seasons.
It seems like a crowded field already, but there is plenty more in this 2015 class.
In the 1970-79 era, the Hall welcomes Tom Hull, who excelled at Uniontown and at Penn State University, where he played linebacker on three straight bowl-winning teams and played two years in the NFL. Hull also played in the Big 33 Game coming out of Uniontown.
“I’m honored, but more humbled by the group of people who I’ll be joining in the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame,” said Hull, who was joined by his wife and soon-to-be professional football playing son, Mike, the defending Big 10 Linebacker of the Year.
In the 1980-94 era, German Township great Sam Mannery was selected. Mannery played four sports at German (football, basketball, wrestling and baseball), but made his mark in football.
He may be the only player in history to become a star quarterback for teams nicknamed the Uhlans and Vulcans. Mannery remains the only player in California (Pa.) University football history to start all four seasons. That helped him become Cal U’s all-time leader in passing yards with 8,680. He’s also third in TD passes with 64.
Mannery took ill and had former receiver and current Albert Gallatin Athletic Director Duane Dupont speak on his behalf.
As a tribute to Mannery’s versatility as an athlete, Dupont said, “To be honest, Sam’s best sport was probably baseball, but the program didn’t last. Most of all, he was an awesome team leader. His team came first.”
This year’s class was announced at the Ivory Ballroom in Uniontown Wednesday night. The annual Hall of Fame golf outing will be held this year at Pleasant Valley Country Club at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, June 19, and is expected to sell out, as it has in each of its first six years.