Daniel E. Rupp
- Post by: mcalibrary
- January 11, 2024
- Comments off
INDUCTEE
FAKE 44 – X CORNER – That was one of the many plays that would separate Danny Rupp from others on his way to becoming the career completion leader at Mount Carmel Area following his graduation in 1980. Dan would connect on 210 of 438 passes from 1976-1979 as a three-year starter for Coach Jazz Diminick’s Red Tornadoes. The fact that he surpassed the legendary, and fellow hall of fame quarterback, Joe Buchinski would make the accomplishment that more meaningful. The completions still rank third today behind David Shinskie and Michael Higgins. His ‘78 season with 89 completions still ranks 9th on MCA’s all-time list. Dan’s single game effort with 15 completions stood atop the list until 2001. Rupp’s season total of 1,502 yards in 1978 was the 3rd best at the time and still ranks 10th all-time. His career total of 3,584 stood behind Buchinski’s 3,763 at the time of graduation and still ranks 4th today. His 32 career touchdown passes still rank 4th all time. All of these marks are more impressive when you consider that Dan played before wide open offenses took over the game of football.
Dan’s career started when he opened at quarterback in the opening game of the 1977 season and lead Big Red to a 50-12 win over Marion Catholic. He completed 4 of 6 passes for 113 yards and 2 TD’s. He would lead the Tornadoes to a 28-7 record over the next three years and register 15 – 100 yard games and 4 – 200 yard games, while throwing at least one TD in 22 games. His 15 of 24 0 257 yard game vs Panther Valley is especially interesting in that all of his completions in that game would go to fellow hall of famers – Paul Szymanski, Jed Karpinski, Ed Diminick, and Bobby Joe Niglio.
Dan would also excel on the track for Coach Diminick as a high hurdler. Following graduation, Dan enrolled at Delaware Valley College and would earn four varsity letters playing for the Aggie football team that won the MAC North Championship in 1981 and 1983 under Coach Al Wilson. He graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and earned the DVC Football Scholastic Achievement Award – given to the graduating senior football player with the highest GPA>
He is currently employed by QTG (Quaker, Tropicana, and Gatorade) a subsidiary of PepsiCo. He is the Senior Manager of Logistics for the Southern Region. Prior to QTG, Dan worked for Nabisco Brands, Inc. in Pennsauken, NJ. He and his wife Susan live in Wewahitchka, Florida with their daughter Sara, 13.