INDUCTEE Steve has been recognized as the leader of the Tornado Red Death defense which many believe to be the best front seven in MCA history. Sinkovich led the team in tackles the past 2 seasons and finished his career with 347 – 3rd best in school history. Steve also played nose guard, tight end, fullback and tailback during his career as well as his linebacker position. Steve is also being recognized today for his winning the PIAA AA State Wrestling Championship in 1998 at 171 pounds. He is only the 5th athlete in MCA history to win a state title. An injury to his shoulder during the football season cut short his wrestling career however he has received a full scholarship to Hofstra University and will resume his wrestling career there.

INDUCTEE Jason has been a three year starter at defensive tackle for the Big Red and has been named to an all-state team for 3 consecutive years and first team in 1998 and 1997. Jason has been in on 292 tackles during his career, the 6th best total in MCA history and the most for a down lineman. His 14 QB sacks during the 1998 season established a new season record while hie 32.5 sacks in his career establishes a new career mark. With Jason anchoring the defensive line, the 1998 team, in giving up 533 yards rushing in 15 games, established an all-time mark for one season. Jason will continue his playing at Rutgers University.

INDUCTEE Big Jon has been the anchor of the Tornado offensive line for the past three years where he has started at center for 42 consecutive games. During Jon’s tenure, the Tornadoes have won 39 games and lost 3 while winning 2 State Championships in 1996 and 1998. With Jon at center, both the 96 and 98 teams have gained over 5000 yards in total offense, the only 2 teams in Tornado history to accomplish the feat. Else is one of 8 two-time all-state players in MCA history and was named Offensive lineman of the year by both the Reading Eagle and Bloomsburg Press Enterprise. Jon will continue his career at Lycoming, Susquehanna or Wilkes.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT Pete Dray has established himself as one of the best long distance runners to ever come out of Mount Carmel Area High School. During the 1998 cross country season, Dray went undefeated and established new course records on 10 different courses. Pete won the Schuylkill League Championship for the 3rd time and set a new standard with a time of 15:37. He won the Dist. IV championship after finishing second twice. He is a 3 time state qualifier, finishing 38th his sophomore year, 10th his junior year and just this past season placed third – the best finish ever for an MCA runner. Dray placed fourth at the 1998 state championship track meet in the 1600 meter with a time of 4:22.0. Peter has just concluded the indoor track season winning the state championship in the mile at Lehigh University with a time of 4:21.

INDUCTEES 30 years after they walked off the football field following their 47-6 thrashing of the Valley View Cougars in the Eastern Conference Championship game at the Silver Bowl, the 1969 football team remains the measuring stick by which all Tornado teams are compared. The Mount Carmel Area squad blew through the 69 season with a perfect 12-0 record and left little doubt that they were the premier team in eastern Pennsylvania. As August of 1969 rolled around, expectations were high coming into the season, since the Tornadoes were coming off an 11-1 season with the loan loss coming at the hands of Blakely in the Eastern Conference Championship in 1968. Led by their All-American running back, Gary Diminick, the Big Red handled their opponents with relative ease. The closest game during that year was a 19-6 win at West Hazleton followed by a 28-6 win against rival Shikellamy. The offensive machine scored over 40 points in 4 games and went over the 50 point mark in 4 others. Two 30 point efforts that year completed the scoring on the way to a 504 point season. The 42 point per game average still ranks as the nest in the 106 years of Mount Carmel Area football. The 64 rushing TD’s that season still ranks as the most ever while the 388 yards in total offense per game ranks as the second best in MCA history. Another indication of how good that football team was can be found in the fact that no less than seven players from the team were honored with Division One football scholarships as well as a number of other at D-2 and D-3 schools. The seniors on that team had only experienced three losses during their 4 years at MCA while winning an amazing 43 games. Under today’s system of state playoffs, its scary to think about how far they might have gone. Captained by Gary Diminick and Bob Churpinki, the team was lead by head coach Joe “Jazz: Diminick and assitants George Wrona, Ralph Evans, Joe Greco, Len Guarna, Al Santos and Steve Zarlinski. There is no doubt that the 1969 edition of Red Tornado football will always be included as one of the best teams to ever play the game in the history of Mount Carmel Area High School.

INDUCTEE Frank has coached wrestling for 30 years, including 25 years at Mount Carmel Area. He began when he introduced the sport at Susquenita in 1959 and produced 6 Sectional champions and coached the school’s first District champion. In 1964, Frank became Mount Carmel’s head coach and went on to compile the best winning percentage in school history. Frank’s teams posted a 75-21-1 record – 77.3% – and during wrestling’s “Golden Era” from 1967-69 managed a 37-3-1 record – 90.2%. During that time, Tornado wrestlers posted a 25 meet win streak at home and 20 consecutive dual meet victories overall. Impressive wins were posted over Shamokin – the Susquehanna Valley League Champ; Line Mountain – the Mid State League Champ; and North Schuylkill – the Tri County League Champ. Frank’s teams won the Northumberland County Team Championship in 1967, 68 and 69 and were Dist. IV Southern Sectional Champs in 1969 and 1970. His 1969 team placed third in Dist. IV out of 44 teams when there was only one classification. Frank coached one state champion in Bob Sacavage and had 13 Southern Sectional champions during his reign. In 1968, Frank became the first MCA coach to defeat Shamokin in 25 years and twice stopped North Schuylkill winning streaks at 23 in 1969 and 26 in 1971. Frank’s overall record of 98-48-3 was compiled against wrestling hall of fame coaches Larry Lachie – Shamokin, Larry Sinabaldi – Shikellamy, Dale Cochran – Milton, Joe Cesari – North Schuylkill and Paul Stehman – Line Mountain. Frank is married to the former Rose Marie Wojcik and has two sons, Joseph, Gettysburg and Frank, Mission Viejo and is the proud grandfather of four.

INDUCTEE Bob Parker was an athlete whose greatness was not appreciated or recognized until he had gone on to other things. He was an athlete at Kulpmont High School immediately before the Golden Era of Kulpmont sports from 1938 thru 1945. He was an outstanding track athlete for then Coach Glenn Menges and lettered for four years in both track and cross country before his graduation in 1935. After leaving Kulpmont, Bob enrolled at Bloomsburg State Teachers College where he repeated as a four year letter winner in both cross country and track and field. During 1937and 1938, he was a member of the Bloomsburg track teams which went on to win the Pennsylvania State Teachers College Track and Field Championship. The Bloomsburg team had also won the championship at the famed Penn Relays in 1938. He was one of five seniors on that team who had never lost a dual meet their four years on the team. Following graduation from Bloom in 1939, Bob returned to Kulpmont where he coached basketball for a number of years. During that time he was also an outstanding sandlot basketball player for a team know as the Imperials and also played basketball with the Mercuries. Bob later earned his Master’s degree from Columbia University before moving to Bucks County with his wife Helen. They eventually returned to his beloved cola region and retired in Denmar Gardens, Kulpmont.

INDUCTEE Today, Jake joins his father John F. Patrick, Sr. and his uncle, Clem Patrick as a member of the Ed Romance Lower Anthracite Chapter of the PA Sports Hall of Fame. A graduate of the class of 1946, Jake’s athletic career included three years of high school football under Coach Joe Ambrose. He was co-captain of the 1945 squad that posted a record of 8 wins, 2 losses and 2 ties. He played basketball for three years for Coach Frank Kostas and was a steady contributor to the track team, where he ran the which and low hurdles and was a member of both the mile and half mile relay teams for Coach Gerald Breslin. He was a member of the Tornado squad which captured the mile relay at the Penn Relays and went on to win the Pennsylvania State Championship in June of 1945 along with George Teufel, Bob McCann, and Adam “Ace” Williams. Jake continued running in the Navy where he won the 50 yard dash and placed third in 100 in an AAU meet held aboard the flight deck of the USS Randolph while docked in Boston. Following his Navy Service, Jake walked on at Villanova and after one week of practice was awarded a full scholarship by Coach Jordan Oliver. During the next 4 years, Jake played in 20 varsity games that included wins over Penn State, Boston College, Texas A&M, NC State, Army, Duquesne and others. Jake played both offensive and defensive end early in his career before establishing himself as a starting quarterback during his junior season. Unfortunately, a serious knee injury after 2 games of his senior season limited his playing time during that season. He then entered the teaching profession and coached football and track at Lakewood High School in NJ where his track team won the Shore Conference Championship twice and had four state champions during his tenure. He has enjoyed success in tennis and golf since leaving contact sports and was honored as a recipient of the N.J.A.S.A.’s Distinguished Superintendent’s Award upon retirement.

INDUCTEE Bob Muolo exemplifies what it means to be a Red Tornado. When Bob couldn’t break into a very talented offensive and defensive backfield, he told Coach Diminick that he would do whatever had to be done to get on the field. He won a position as a starting guard on a team that went 12-0 and won the Eastern Conference Championship in 1973. During his 3 years as a letter winner at MCA, Bob was part of 2 Eastern Conference champions and left with a 24 game win streak. Bob was also a 4 year letterman with Coach Gerry Breslin’s track team which won 2 District IV Track Championships and individually was part of the 880 yard relay championship team in 1972. Following high school, Bob went on to Dickinson College where he continued to be a 2 sport athlete. As a member of Dickinson’s football team, Bob became a 3 year starter; one defensive end and 2 at defensive back where he lead the team in interceptions in 1975. He was a 4 year letterman in track while at Dickinson and captained the 1978 Dickinson College track team. He was a member of the 440 yard relay team which won the MAC Championship for Dickinson. Bob has remained active in sports presently coaching football for Selinsgrove Midget Football League. He also maintains a position as an assistant track coach with the Shikellamy High School girls track team. Bob is currently a partner in Wiest, Saylor, Muolo, Noon and Swinehart Law Firm in Sunbury.