Browsing: Fame

By: Ed Weaver  /  April 24, 2023

The Wellsboro Sports Hall of Fame committee is proud to announce its class of 2023.

The Class of 2023 is comprised of Jim Dinsmore (coach), Dr. Donald Shaw (contributor), and athletes Alexis Getty and Sallie Lewis.

Dinsmore was a prominent fixture on Wellsboro sidelines since the late 70’s. After a two year stint at rival North Penn, Dinsmore joined the Wellsboro coaching staff for their 1977 NTL championship season. After that year he moved down to the junior high level, where he was both the head and assistant coach in multiple appointments until he retired in 2008. Coach Dinsmore not only prepared hundreds of future varsity players for their next challenge, but also instilled the love of the game in all his athletes. In his career Coach Dinsmore’s teams went undefeated six times, had four seasons with just one loss, and only had three losing seasons. Even in retirement Coach Dinsmore still actively supports all Wellsboro athletic programs and attends multiple sporting events each year.

Dr. Shaw served as Wellsboro’s team physician for 29 years (1988-2017), providing medical coverage at games as well as supporting Wellsboro’s athletic trainers. Shaw went to Roxborough High School in Philadelphia then attended Dartmouth College after graduation. In 1978 Shaw graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine before moving to Wellsboro in 1981. Dr. Shaw went above and beyond his required hours to make sure Wellsboro’s athletes were ready to play each week. In the years since his official departure from Wellsboro athletics, he and his wife, Deb, continue to be avid supporters of the Wellsboro sports programs: attending nearly every home football game since their sons, Tim and Ben, graduated; and maintaining the long-standing tradition of weekly football team dinners. Shaw was also inducted into Mansfield University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

Getty (soccer) was a multi-sport athlete at Wellsboro, playing 4 years of soccer, a year of basketball, and 4 years of track. She was a two-time MVP for soccer, a three-time NTL All-Star, and all-state selection, and the first Wellsboro girls soccer player to score 50 career goals. She currently holds the record for 82 goals in her career and was the 2011 Shelly Taynton Memorial Award winner. In track Getty was a PIAA state qualifier in the 100m, 400m, 4x100m and 4x400m relays and was part of the school record-holding 4x400m relay team in 2010 (3:55.04). After graduation Getty attended Mansfield University and played soccer for 4 years. During her time as a Mountie, she received the “Most Improved Player” award after bouncing back from multiple ACL injuries. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with an accounting concentration.

Lewis (basketball) played several sports while at Wellsboro, but was a standout in basketball. She was fortunate enough to have been selected to play on the Varsity squad while in the 9th grade, and set individual High School scoring records while helping the team to a District title her sophomore year. She was selected to the McDonald’s All-American basketball team, as well as awarded an Honorable Mention as a High School All-American in 1981. As a member of the track team Lewis accumulated 4 varsity letters, helped the Lady Hornets win two NTL championships, went 58-12 overall, and qualified for the 1980 PIAA meet in the javelin. Lewis was also instrumental in Wellsboro winning two NTL and two District IV championships in volleyball. She was co-captain her senior year and co-MVP in her senior year. After graduating, Sallie attended the University of Virginia on a full athletic scholarship for basketball, and now resides in Charlottesville, VA.

The Wellsboro Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will be inducted on Friday, September 8, 2023, at halftime of the Wellsboro-Canton football game.

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By: Ed Weaver  /  May 9, 2022

The Wellsboro Sports Hall of Fame committee is proud to announce its class of 2022.

The Class of 2022 is made up of 5 members, the first time since its inaugural class in 2016. This year’s members include: Steve Radocaj, Janelle Tombs, Alex Marple, Ryan Callahan, and Coach John DeLeonardis.

Radocaj (football) participated in football, track, wrestling, and basketball. Radocaj was members of both the 1974 and 1977 NTL championship teams and earned All-Conference and All-Twin Tiers honors, and was selected to play in the Big 33 Football Classic, Wellsboro’s only selection. As a member of the track team Radocaj set the school’s javelin record and placed 3rd at the PIAA State Championships. After graduation Radocaj spent a year at Wyoming Seminary College Prep then attended Mansfield University. At Mansfield, Radocaj was a four-year starter, set multiple school tackle records, and earned All-Conference, All-Region, and All-American honors, and was selected as Athlete of the Year twice. In 1996 Radocaj was inducted into Mansfield University’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Radocaj would later go on to coach football and track at both Wellsboro and Williamsport, and spent multiple years as an assistant football coach at Lycoming College.

Tombs (girls basketball) is a 1996 graduate who participated and earned four varsity letters in both cross country and basketball. In her freshman and sophomore years she earned two varsity letters in track, while in her junior and senior years she earned two varsity letters in softball. She scored 1,315 points during her career (2nd all-time), with a personal game-high of 33 points. She still holds the record for most three-pointers in a season and the most in a regulation game. She was a three-time Northern Tier League team member and a two-time All-Twin Tiers team member. She was also the 1995-96 Shelly Taynton Memorial Award recipient.

Marple (girls basketball) was named the John Antoine Prevost Female Athlete of the Year in 2011. Marple was a three sport athlete all four years of high school. She was a two-year starter in volleyball and a four-year starter in basketball, where she scored 1,311 career points, which ranks 3rd all-time in Wellsboro history. After graduation Marple attended Division II Le Moyne College in Syracuse and played women’s basketball. During her career she scored 1,234 points, started 85-of-111 games, and was captain and MVP in her senior year.

Callahan (baseball) graduated with honors from Wellsboro in 1994, where he received 14 Varsity letters in baseball, basketball, track, and cross country and was awarded the Outstanding Male Athlete. In 1989, Ryan pitched a “no hitter” striking out 20 of the 21 outs and is currently the 2nd all-time leading boys basketball scorer with 1,713 points. After graduation Ryan received a scholarship to play baseball and Division I Ohio University. He led the team in 1996 with 5 triples and was in the top 3 in hitting with a .380 average. In 1997 Ohio was Mid American Conference champions and participated in the College World Series.

DeLeonardis (coach) is originally from Wilkinsburg (Pittsburgh area), graduating in 1971. In school he participated in football, cross country, and track, with track being his primary sport. Coach Dee attended Millersville University where he ran track until his junior year. He broke records in the 40-, 60-, 100-, and 220-yard dash in college, and currently holds the record in the 100-yard dash. After college, Coach Dee migrated to Wellsboro where he taught at the Charlotte Lappla Elementary School for 34 years, before retiring in 2009. Coach Dee has done stats for multiple Wellsboro athletic programs, most notably he spent 21 years as the football team’s main statistician. He has also been a volleyball official, has volunteered with Wellsboro’s track sprinters since 2005, and was the district’s Strength and Conditioning Coach for 14.5 years.

The Wellsboro Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2022 will be inducted on Friday, September 16, 2022, at halftime of the Wellsboro-Athens football game.

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By: Ed Weaver  /  July 27, 2020

The Wellsboro Sports Hall of Fame committee is proud to announce its class of 2020.

The Wellsboro Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2020 includes two athletes, and John Antoine Prevost Female Athlete of the Year winners: Jessica Kaminski (Wolfe) (1996) and Kelly Mann (Griffith) (1991), and one contributor: Dr. Robert C. Bair.

Bair (contributor) was instrumental in restarting Wellsboro’s football program. Following World War II and medical school, Bair and new wife Grace Conrad, moved to Wellsboro in 1955 and quickly became friends with former principal Don Gill. After Bair insisted on promising aid in any way necessary, Gill agreed to restart the program in 1957 with Bair giving free physicals and volunteering as the team’s physician. That first year Wellsboro did not play other teams. They built a program. The following year, 1958, the Hornets were undefeated.

Mann (girls basketball) is a 1991 Wellsboro graduate who starred in volleyball, basketball, and track & field. Mann is the daughter of state high jump champion, and Wellsboro Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2016 member, Tom Mann. Mann became a 1,000-point scorer for Wellsboro while leading the Lady Hornets to the Class AA
district final (a loss to Danville) and the state playoffs as a junior. In her senior year the Lady Hornets won their first 25 games of the 1990-91 season as Mann went on to be named to USA Today’s national high school girls
basketball all-star team as an honorable mention. Mann played college basketball at both Susquehanna and Geneseo State.

Kaminski (girls track & field) participated in Track, Basketball, and Cross Country all four years. She won 5 state medals in track and still holds the school record in the 800m. She was League Champion her junior year in Cross Country, won District medals and went to states 4 years in a row. She graduated from Millersville University where she was All-Conference in the PSAC in the 800m run.

The Wellsboro Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2020 will be inducted on Friday, September 18, 2020, at halftime of the Wellsboro-Shikellamy football game.

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By: Ed Weaver  /  September 16, 2019  /  Photo: Ed Weaver

The Wellsboro Hornets Sports Booster Club and the Wellsboro Athletic Department held their 4th annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony at halftime of the Wellsboro vs. Towanda football game on Friday, September 13.

Making up the Hall of Fame Class of 2019 are athletes Mike Burns and Susan Sweet (Hars).

Burns was a three-sport star for the Hornets lettering in football, basketball, and baseball. Burns was a member of Wellsboro’s recently reinstated football team as a sophomore in 1958-59 then led the Hornets to a 6-1-1 season in 1959 and went on to earn honorable mention all-state honors as a senior. Burns also helped lead the Hornets in scoring and a Tioga County League basketball titles in 1958-59 and 1959-60.

Burns passed away from complications of Parkinson’s Disease on October 18, 2012.

“It’s a special moment. Mike, my brother, would be very proud to be a member of the Hall of Fame in Wellsboro,” said Tim Burns. “His life here, when we lived here, was based on sports, he excelled in all three: baseball, basketball, and football and he would be very happy he is now in the Hall of Fame.”

“We’re super proud,” said Burns’ sister Barbara Wetzel. “We’re happy for our family but it’s really a special moment for us because Wellsboro was special to him and he excelled in Wellsboro High School. He excelled in sports here, he went on to Xavier University, he went on to be a high school coach and a wonderful teacher of history for 40. This is quite an accomplishment and we’re really thankful for him being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Sweet was a pioneer in girls sports at Wellsboro. After Title IX was passed in 1972, Sweet was in the first class as a 4-year beneficiary of the equal rights amendment to the Constitution. Sweet was a 4-year starter and letter winner in basketball, member of the 1973-74 Tioga County League championship team, and 1975-76 team captain. In addition to her success on the basketball court Sweet was a member of 4 volleyball league championship teams, including the Lady Hornets’ first District IV championship in 1975-76, and held records in the 440-yard relay, 880-yard relay, 880-yard medley relay, and the long jump in track & field.

Sweet passed away on January 5, 2019.

“I think my mom would be honored and would be very humble,” said Sweet’s daughters Alyssa and Kerry Hars. “We didn’t really find out how amazing she was until after she passed away when we came across some old books that had her records in it and if she was here right now she would just be very honored and say it was her teammates that helped her.”

She is survived by her daughters Alyssa and Kerry and dog Gracie of Pittsgrove, NJ..; brother, Phill (Susan) Sweet of Wellsboro; sister, Sally (Chris) Cooney of Athens; mother-in-law, Lorraine Hars of Rockaway, N.J.; brother-in-law Patrick (Laura) Hars of Mt. Olive, N.J.; brother-in-law Bruce (Diane) Hars of Alexandria, La.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

WellsboroAthletics.com would like to congratulate all of the members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2019.

Nominations for the Hall of Fame Class of 2020 are now open, running from now until January 1, 2020.

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By: Ed Weaver  /  September 10, 2018  /  Photo: Ed Weaver

The Wellsboro Hornets Sports Booster Club and the Wellsboro Athletic Department held their 3rd annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony at halftime of the Wellsboro vs. Montgomery football game on Friday, September 7.

Making up the Hall of Fame Class of 2018 are athletes Dale Tombs, Derek Harsch, and Russ Manney, III and coach Russ Manney, Jr.

Tombs (boys basketball) earned nine varsity letters, three each in football, basketball, and baseball, during his sophomore, junior, and senior years. Tombs received the 1963-64 John Antoine Prevost Award as the top male athlete of his senior class and was inducted into the Tioga County (PA) Sports Hall of Fame for baseball in 1990. As a captain of the 1963-64 team, Tombs led the Tioga County League in scoring and helped the Hornets finish 2nd in the league while being named a 1st team TCL All-Star.

“I’m very humbled by this honor. I played sports here and never thought of anything like this, I just loved the game at an early age. My parents let me play sports and I took it from there and fortunately had some great teammates that I played with. It’s just awesome.”

Harsch (football) had a breakout year for the Hornets in 2001, setting not only Wellsboro’s all-time rushing record of 2,064 yards but also setting the Northern Tier League’s single-season record that same year, before it was broken in 2004. Harsch was the first Hornet since 1997 to break the 1,000-yard mark and is the only Hornet running back to ever rush for 2,000 yards in a single season.

“It means the world, I didn’t really expect it. I wouldn’t really say I had a good career because I just went out there and had fun every weekend with my teammates.”

Manney, III (football) was named the NTL’s “Offensive Player of the Year” and “Player of the Year” during his senior season in 1995 as he rushed for 1,351 yards, averaged 7.7 yards per carry, and scored 20 touchdowns. The Hornets finished the regular season 9-1 that year, and Manney was a 1st team All-Twin Tiers selection and District IV All-Star. In wrestling, Manney was two-time sectional champion and competed at districts all four years in four different weight classes. In track, Manney won eight District IV Championship medals and won the 110m hurdle District title in 1995 and participated in the PIAA State Championships in the same event. Manney went on to be named Outstanding Offensive Player in football, Outstanding Wrestler, and Track Athlete of the Year at the annual WHS Athletic Awards ceremony, while also being named the Male Athlete of the Year.

“It’s an honor, it’s a privilege and when I got the news I was really excited. Just to come from Wellsboro, where I’m at now and what it meant to be here tonight and see all these people, and I’m back to where it all started. It’s been 22 years since I’ve been to a game so this is just real special to see the facilities and how things have come. I think all of us through the years, with Derek and my father especially, have left our mark on this and I’m glad the community supports this beautiful place.”

Manny, Jr (coaching) is currently Wellsboro’s all-time wins leader in football. After being an assistant coach with the Hornets during the 1973-77 seasons, Manney became head coach of the Hornets in 1985 and coached until 1997, then later returned for another two years in 2001 and 2002. During that time, Manney won 66 games, with his best season coming in 1995 when he guided the Hornets to a 9-1 regular season record. In 1999, Coach Manney was inducted into the Bernie Romanoski Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2012 he was inducted into the Tioga County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame for his high school athletic achievements and his coaching successes on the gridiron. During his tenure at Wellsboro, Coach Manney also coached wrestling, track, and strength training. He also founded the Wellsboro Gridders Club in the early 1990’s.

“I’ve been here for over 40 years now and my career started at Wellsboro as an assistant coach and just the people and the community, I’m just thrilled that the committee selected me. This is only the third time they’ve had this and I just appreciate what they’ve done and I look at the facilities and see how everything has changed. To be inducted into this is a special moment for me, it’s more of a special moment when I get inducted with my own son. I really appreciate that and Derek, I had the opportunity to coach him during his 2,000-yard season, it’s just a great situation and I appreciate it so much.”

WellsboroAthletics.com would like to congratulate all of the members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2018.

Nominations for the Hall of Fame Class of 2019 are now open, running from now until January 1, 2019.

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By: Ed Weaver  /  September 2, 2017

The Wellsboro Hornets Sports Booster Club and the Wellsboro Athletic Department held their 2nd annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony at halftime of the Wellsboro vs. Sayre football game on Friday, September 1.

Making up the Hall of Fame Class of 2017 are athletes John Deibert and John Antoine Prevost, and the 1998 Girls Track 4x800m Relay State Championship team.

Deibert was a 1960 Wellsboro High School graduate and was a member of the first undefeated Wellsboro Football team in 1958. Deibert played two years of football, three years of basketball, and four years of baseball. Deibert was named Tioga County League MVP in basketball during the 1959-60 season and helped the baseball team win hree straight league championships in 1958, 1959, and 1960.

“Wellsboro High School was where I got my start,” Deibert said. “I was born and raised in Wellsboro, born at Soldiers + Sailors Memorial Hospital in 1942, lived my whole life here until I went to Penn State. This community and the school system and everything is responsible for me having the background to be successful. When I got the notice that I was selected for this honor I told my wife that I had to go. I live in New Jersey but I came up just for this.”

Prevost, who Wellsboro’s Male Athlete of the Year Award and Female Athlete of the Year Award are named after, graduated from Wellsboro in 1953. Prevost was the captain and starting guard of the 1951-52 District IV Boys Basketball Championship team, captain of the 1953 Baseball team, a Babe Ruth Leadership Award winner, President of the Sophomore and Junior Class, members of the National Honor Society, band, Glee Club, and Senior Class play before being killed on Navy Air Duty serving on the U.S.S. Oriskany in Subic Bay, Philippines in preparation for the Vietnam conflict on August 20, 1960.

“It’s everything, his dedication to sports is something that my kids, John, his namesake, Connor, I want them to look up to,” said John’s nephew Matt Prevost. “Our entire family, extended family, we get excited every time we come up to Wellsboro. My dad, my uncles, my aunts, it means a lot to the family as it has over time. Since his passing it means a lot to our family for the namesake and also the tribute to him in the gym.”

The 1998 Girls Track 4x800m Relay Team, consisting of Flori (Simonis) Prough, Daria (Guelig) Keyser, Tara Guelig, and Kim (Sayre) Williams, set a new Wellsboro High School record (9:35.7) in their first time running together the entire year at the District IV Championships at Williamsport Area High School. After a first place finish at Districts, the team won their qualifying heat on the first day of States, then captured the gold medal with a time of 9:36.65, nearly 8 seconds ahead of the 2nd place Nativity BVM (9:44.93).

WellsboroAthletics.com would like to congratulate all of the members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2017.

Nominations for the Hall of Fame Class of 2018 are now open, running from now until January 1, 2018.

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By: Ed Weaver  /  August 22, 2016

The Wellsboro Hornets Sports Booster Club and the Wellsboro Athletic Department held their inaugural Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Swarm the Hive on Sunday, August 21.

Making up the Hall of Fame Class of 2016 are athletes Phil Hickey and Tom Mann, coaches Anne McNaight and Keith Tombs, and the 1997-98 Girls Cross Country State Championship team.

Hickey was a two-time All-State selection in basketball and led Wellsboro to 3 NTL Championships. Hickey currently holds school records in points (2,584), rebounds (1,468), blocked shots (338), foul shots (409-for-607), and field goals made (1,087).

Mann competed in Track during his sophomore, junior, and senior years. Mann was the District Champion in the High Jump all three years, placed 4th in the High Jump in the state meet as a junior, and placed 1st in the High Jump in the state meet during senior year, jumping 6-feet.

Anne McNaight started coaching in Wellsboro during the 1970-71 school year. She first started coaching basketball then went on to start the volleyball and the track & field programs later that year. Combined, her teams won 29 varsity league and district championships, was the top JV team once, the best middle school team twice, and has a combined career record of 589-160-4.

“I’m highly honored and especially honored that it’s the inaugural class,” McNaight said. “I didn’t play but my athletes did all the work. I organized them and took them to the event and they did so well. I’m so proud of all the ones, every one of them. We used to have 82 girls come out for volleyball and I’d have to make cuts, and cuts, and cuts until I got it down to a managable size. Everybody wanted to play, they wanted to be on the team wether they played or not. The parents wanted their daughter on a team to be part of a team. I feel very blessed that I coached when I did.”

Keith Tombs coached for the Wellsboro from 1964-2007. He coached 8 sports for various years which amounted to 72 sports seasons in those 43 years. The teams accumulated over 1,000 victories and over 30 NTL championships. Coach Tombs served as Athletic Director for 12 years in addition to teaching math, os member of the Pennsylvania American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame and the Tioga County Sports Hall of Fame.

“It’s just a tremendous honor and I can’t put it in words to be honest with you,” Tombs said. “This was my home for 70 years and went to school here and graduated so I played, and coached not only the parents of the kids that are here now but some of the grandparents of the kids who are here now. It’s hard to express but I really appreciate the committee in doing this and recognizing people, and for all the other inductees congratulations.”

The 1997-98 Girls Cross Country team is the only PIAA State Championship team in Wellsboro High School history. The girls had an undefeated dual meet season as well as being champs of the Big Valley and NTL Coaches Invitationals. They defeated rival Danville to win the District IV title and then the same Danville team by one point. The team went undefeated in dual meets for 100 consecutive wins, won 5 straight NTL titles, and were 1994 and 1997 District IV champions.

“It was a little nerve wracking because we had to wait because they kept viewing the film to see what team actually won,” said 1997 Girls Cross Country head coach Aaron Yungwirth. “We had a longer wait than usual but were sort of hoping. We knew Danville was probably close but when it was over, it was pouring down rain, but we didn’t worry about any of that stuff. It was a great day. It was a great finish and a great way for a couple of the girls to end their career.”

“It was kind of a surprise because we weren’t positive we were going to win,” said Holley (Sayre) Taboada. “It was a feeling of euphoria really.”

“I remember standing up on that podium and when they announced the runner-up, and it was Danville, so as soon as we heard the ‘D’ for Danville we just erupted,” said Flori (Simonis) Prough. “It was awesome and it was a really good feeling.”

“It was also extra special because we were all best friends already and it made it even more special experiencing that with our friends and sisters,” said Daria (Guelig) Keyser.

“We were standing out in the pouring down rain with all this anticipation waiting for that final announcement,” said Jessica Spencer.

Also taking place at Swarm the Hive was a speech from Strength Coach John DeLeonardis, a class vs. class tug of war competition won by the seniors, music from the band and cheers from the 2016 cheerleading squad, and the presentation of Lettermen’s jackets to eligible athletes.

WellsboroAthletics.com would like to congratulate all of the members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2016, and would like to wish all athletic teams the best of luck during the 2016-17 season. Nominations for the Hall of Fame Class of 2017 are now open, running from now until January 1, 2017.

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