INDUCTEE “Greb” Grabuski was a terrific three sport athlete at Mount Carmel High School in the late 1930’s. He was a catcher in the first organized High School Baseball Team at Mount Carmel High. He also played two years of varsity Basketball for the “Big Red”. He was a four year starter on the Football Team that “Greb” found his niche. He was known for his toughness and strength. A battering ram of a fullback on offense and a defensive end that could not be blocked, he constantly was targeted as the man to stop teams who played Mount Carmel in the four year period. People who played with Grabuski, and others who saw him play talk over and over about the respect opponents had for him. Jerry Kornacki, whose brother is one of our nominees, recalls a story about attending a track meet years later and having a person he met there want to talk about playing against “Greb”. The ultimate compliment was paid him by the Shenandoah Merchants Association. After a 60 minute war between the “Tornadoes” and the “Blue Devils”, which was finally settled wen “Greb” tackled a Shenandoah runner in the end zone to give Mount Carmel a 2-0 win; the Shenandoah squad and their merchants awarded Grabuski with one of their own Blue and White letter sweaters. Grabuski was given an athletic scholarship at Wake Forest University and planned to attend. As in the case with so many others, the war and family obligations intervened and his dreams of playing college football never materialized.

INDUCTEE Bob Pollock was an outstanding high school athlete whose athletic ability enabled him to excel at three sports. In addition to his national ranking as one of the outstanding college prospects in the country as a football player, he also received statewide recognition as a Discus Thrower in track and a tough rebounder and inside scorer in basketball. Bob capped his great high school football career by being named to the All State and All American Teams. After sifting through dozens of college offers he decided on the University of Pittsburgh because of their excellent program in Dentistry. He had an outstanding career as a Defensive Lineman at Pitt. And as a senior he had an All-American type year. He co-captained the Pitt squad in 1956 along with another All American, Joe Walton. Pollock and Walton led the “Panthers” to a great season which culminated in their invitation to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Bob was named All East First Team, All Pennsylvania First team, and MJ’s Annual One All American Team. He also was invited to play in the Senior Bowl College All Star Game. The Pittsburgh Press awarded him their Dapper Dan Award as the outstanding Defensive Player that same year. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL; but decided to enter Pitt’s Dental School instead. He is now a practicing Dentist in Western Pennsylvania. Bob was another of those outstanding coal region athletes who was able to parlay his great athletic ability into an outstanding career.

INDUCTEE Jim Beierschmitt lettered in four sports at Mount Carmel. In his senior year he was elected co-captain of three teams – Football, Basketball, and Track. He was a member of Mount Carmel’s Penn Relay Team for three straight years ad was runner-up in the District Four 440 yard run and represented Mount Carmel in the State Meet at University Park. As a Quarterback of the Red Tornadoes in 1957 and 1058, Jim was noted for his fine and accurate passing, strong running ability and adept tackling on defense. He received numerous athletic scholarship offers his senior year but eventually chose the Manlius School in Syracuse, new York before going on to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. At Manlius Jim played both Quarterback and Defensive Halfback. He was captain of what was to be The most successful football team in the school’s history. Jim threw touchdown passes in each game while leading Manlius to a 6-1 record. Their only loss was to the Army freshman team by a score of 15-14, the only points scored against Manlius during the entire season. During Jim’s senior year, he was starting defensive halfback for the Army eleven. He was selected co-captain for Army’s game with undefeated Penn State. He shut down PSU’s top receiver Don Caum, and helped Army win 10-7. He made key defensive pays and interceptions against Air Force and Pittsburgh. After graduating from West Point in 1964, he served two tours of duty in Vietnam. He was wounded twice and won the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Combat Infantryman’s Badge. He served 23 years in the Army and retired in 1987 as a Lieutenant Colonel. He presently works for U.S. Petroleum Corporation in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has two sons; James, a junior at the Air Force Academy, and Michael, a high school senior.

SCHOLAR ATHLETE Marcus continues the fine tradition of outstanding scholar athletes honored by the Ed Romance Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. He is a three-year letterman in football where he was an outstanding fullback and linebacker for the Tornadoes. He also lettered two years for the Tornado Baseball Team and was named the team’s most improved player last year. Marcus scored 1290 out of 1600 on the College Boards; and his 730 out of 800 in the Mathematics portion of the Scholastic Achievement test put him solidly among the Nation’s elite in that category. His grade point average at Mount Carmel high School is a perfect 4.0 never having gotten anything but an “A” in any subject. His total cumulative average is 97.31. He has accomplished this while taking the most difficult Science and Mathematics Course the school offers; including Advanced Placement (College Level) Calculus and Biology. Marcus has accepted an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and will report there on July 3, 1990. He follows his brother, Ron, to the Naval Academy. Ron is a 1988 graduate of the Academy. Marcus is the son of Elizabeth and Ronald Startzel of Strong, Pennsylvania. The Hall of Fame is proud to include Marcus on it’s list of Blue Ribbon Scholars.

INDUCTEE In mid-September 1932, a meeting took place which changed athletic picture at Mount Carmel Catholic High School. Father James Clark, later Monsignor Clark, called a gathering at Joe Young’s Drug Store at Second and Oak Streets. Mr. Young incidentally was the son of Joe Young, Dr., who was Mount Carmel’s first big league baseball player with the old St. Louis Browns. At that time, Mount Carmel Catholic had only a two-year high school, and wanting to make it a four-year school, Father Clark thought he needed something to attract male student athletes, and decided to add a football program. At that first meeting, in addition to Joe Young, were Mr. Young’s son, John, who was one of the two Juniors; Francis Crawford, who later became Father Francis Crawford, and was honored by the Hall of Fame; Jerry Breslin, who became Mount Carmel Catholic High School’s first football coach, and; Herb Curley, who from the very beginning was a trainer, friend, confident, and father confessor to Mount Carmel Catholic High School athletes. The first squad had only fifteen to eighteen players and had to invite various town teams in order to hold practice scrimmages. Herb was an assistant coach, but more importantly, as a trainer, had a tremendous job trying to keep eleven players healthy enough to play. With the same gently fatherly approach that characterized all his dealings with kids, Herb was able to get a team ready for Mount Carmel Catholic’s opening game. The brand new team played its first game in a brand new stadium- the Mount Carmel Silver Bowl. The game was played as part of a double header, in which Mount Carmel Catholic played Pottsville Catholic, followed by the Mount Carmel Township Golden Bears vs. the Susquehanna University Reserves. Herb Curley was a integral part of Our Lady’s School and Mount Carmel Catholics sports for the next 25 years. There is not a single athlete who played at Mount Carmel Catholic who does not have fond memories or a favorite Herb Curley story to tell.

INDUCTEE Dan Ficca, already inducted in the Pennsylvania State Sports Hall of Fame; and a1976 Inductee in one of our sisters chapters, The Jerry Wolman Chapter, is along overdue addition to our local Hall of Fame. But that’s all right; because more than one “chapter” is needed to chronicle all of his sports accomplishments. He was a consensus all-state first team lineman as both a junior and senior at Mount Carmel. Parade Magazine named him to their First Team All America and called him and Bob Lilly, the great Dallas Cowboy all-pro, the nation’s two best college prospects. He was also a first team all America selection of the Wigwan Club; capped his great career by being named to the first Big 33 Team. As a high school trackman he was that State Champion in the Discus and a fourth place finisher in the Shot Put. His best Shot Put of 57’5” was among the country’s best. Competing in both spring sports at Mount Carmel, he found time to hit .585 and lead his team to the District IV baseball playoffs as a senior. Dan headed west to Southern Cal University to continue his outstanding career. The “Trojans” were putting a monster team together, aided by a brash young recruiter/talent scout named Al Davis, now owner of the Oakland Raiders. His teammates included 12 future pros…names like Ron Mix, Monte Clark, Jo Arnett and the McKeever Twins. None shone brighter than Dan Ficca. He started as a sophomore, playing more minutes than any previous sophomore ever, he was Honorable Mention All American in 1959 and first team All American in 1960. Dan also competed for the Trojan Track Team. Under famed coach Brutus Hamilton, did well enough to be invited to tryout for the 1960 Olympic team as A Discus Thrower. After graduation, Dan was drafted by the NFL Eagles and the AFL San Diego Chargers. He signed with the Chargers but delayed his pro career until 1962 while he finished college. He was traded off season to the Oakland Raiders and then to the New York Jets in 1963. He became and AFL All-Pro in 1964 as part of what many consider the finest offensive line in Jets history. Some Jets teammates at that time were Joe Namath, Don Marnard, George Sauer, Matt Snell and Sam Deluca. Dan is currently president of the Ed Romance Chapter and one of the Regional Vice Presidents of the State Sports Hall of Fame.

INDUCTEE Kitty Boyer was born to shoot. The first time Penn State Football Coach, Joe Paterno, saw Ted Kwalick the future all-pro was just a high school freshman. But Paterno saw enough to say “What God has in mind here was a football player”. Similarly, what God obviously had in mind with Kitty Boyer was a trapshooter. Kitty grew up loving sports and animals. She was a pretty fair lawn tennis player in her teens; and all the neighbors brought her animals for her “tender loving nursing care”. She was attracted to trapshooting early, but was not encouraged by her father because he felt the recoil of the shotgun was more than she was able to handle. She persisted however, and finally was given an opportunity to shoot. Using her brother’s shotgun, she broke 10 rocks out of 25 the very first time she shot. She tried another 25 rocks and this time broke 18. The rest, as they say, is history. Within two years she went from the point to a National Championship. The front page of the Mount Carmel Item of August 22, 1928 announced that, “The greatest honor ever achieved by a son or daughter of Mount Carmel in the sports world was won by 19 year old Kitty Boyer, who broke 186 out of a possible 200 to capture the Ladies National Championship of the Grand American Trapshoot”. She was the youngest person to ever hold the National Championship. The Chairman of the Pennsylvania Trapshooters Hall of Fame said, “What a remarkable year for Kitty Boyer. It is a shame she did not continue her career to any degree after that ‘one great season’.” She maintained an interest in related activities, however. And gained an excellent reputation as a horsewoman and animal rights activist. Mrs. Kitty Boyer Culbert died November 14, 1987.

INDUCTEE The Syracuse University Varsity Club honored John Hordines at a ceremony in the Carrier Dome in September 1985. The certificate it presented to Mr. Hordines exemplifies why the spirit of Coal Region Athletes is so important, and how athletes like Mr. Hordines inspired those who followed. In part, the certificate said: “John Hordines, 1934 graduate in education, you hitchhiked to Syracuse University in 1930 to try out for the football team, and thus began a college athletic career during which you earned letters in football, crew, track and wrestling. You played semi-pro football, edited a wrestling magazine, wrestled professionally and originated the Mr. American contest before you found your true calling in life: working as athletic director, coach and industrial arts teacher at the New York State Institute for the Blind. “With a will as hard as anthracite, you taught young men to see without eyes. You established a Boy Scout Troop of the Blind. You organized and coached a Blind Rowing Crew and took them into competition. Your dream today is to establish a Hall of Fame to honor handicapped persons. “Your story of personal triumph and of meeting the great challenge of teaching self esteem to those less fortunate provides inspiration for all. We are honored to name you a Syracuse letterman of distinction.” Mr. Hordines still lives in New York near his alma mater. Though retired, he still dreams of ways to help the blind complete in athletics and life.

INDUCTEE Louis Kleman was an outstanding athlete at Mount Carmel Township High School in football, basketball and baseball in the mid-20’s. In addition to his high school athletics, he played on many of the local baseball and basketball teams that were sponsored by the communities at that time. In the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, while attending Mount Saint Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Maryland, Louis again excelled at football, baseball and basketball. In baseball he received recognition as the Most Valuable Player for two consecutive years. After college, he joined the teaching staff at Mount Carmel Township and accepted the position of head basketball coach, serving this capacity into the late 1940’s. During this time, he also held positions as assistant football coach and baseball coach. During the 1950’s and early 1960’s, Louis served as freshman basketball coach at Mount Carmel High School. Louis retired in 1968 and passed away on February 6, 1970.

INDUCTEE Mike “Sugar” Lashendock was the outstanding Quarterback and Team Leader of Kulpmont High School’s last great athletic dynasty before his jointure. He was a three sport dynamo, a very intelligent player with great speed, which helped overcome his great lack of size. As Quarterback of the “Wildcats” he led his team to a 23-3 record in games he started. His Senior Year his team went 11-0 and won the Eastern Conference Championship. Along the way he set passing records for yardage and completions which undoubtedly can never be erased. In addition to playing Quarterback he played Safety on Defense and returned Kickoffs and Punts. He was the centerfielder and leadoff man on the Wildcat Baseball Teams where his outstanding speed could be utilized. In Track he ran the 100-200 and 440 yard dashes. Mike ran them well enough to finish fourth in the 100 and 5th in the 220 at States. This, by the way,, was before the State was broken up into classes according to enrollment as they are today. His flat time in the 100 held up as a league mark for some time, before being erased by Gary Diminick of the Tornadoes. After graduation, Lashendock, played Quarterback and Safety for the Bloomsburg University Huskies. He set passing records while at Bloom, and once again showed his talent as a leader and winner by pacing Bloomsburg squad to the State Teachers College Championship in 1951. In all the years he played competitive sports he never played on a losing ream. After graduation he began his teaching and coaching at Sun Valley High School in Philadelphia Suburban League. In a 30 year coaching career that ended in 1982, he helped coach 3 undefeated teams and won 6 championships in a 10-year period. Mike is married to his childhood sweetheart Charlotte Pettello, who was his neighbor in Marion Heights. They have two daughters and three grandsons.