Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame

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THE ORIGIN OF THE MON VALLEY SPORTS WRITERS HALL OF FAME

Johnny Bunardzya

Johnny Bunardzya
Founder of the Mon Valley Sports Writers Hall of Fame, 1951

The Mon Valley Football Conference was organized in 1925 as the Big Five Conference, and over the years additional schools were admitted. Floyd France, sports editor of the Daily Republican in Monongahela, formulated the original plans for the conference. The initial Big Five Conference included California, Charleroi, Donora, Monessen and Monongahela High Schools. In 1935, Brownsville was added for a Big Six Conference. Over the years additional schools included Belle Vernon, Clairton, South Allegheny, Laurel Highlands, Redstone, Thomas Jefferson and Elizabeth Forward. In 1939 Mon Valley Conference stars were honored at a banquet in Monessen High School cafeteria sponsored by the Monongahela Valley Press Association. The following year it was held in Monongahela. In late December 1941 it was decided by the Press Association to drop its annual banquet and that the trophy and emblems would be awarded to the winning team and honored players at a banquet held annually by each school. The conference would become the oldest high school football conference in the WPIAL and the oldest scholastic group in Pennsylvania. The conference was phased out in 1980 through a realignment of schools by the WPIAL due to a declining enrollment at most schools.

At a meeting for selection of the 1950 football conference all-stars, John Bunardzya, then sports editor of The Charleroi Mail, suggested that a firstclass banquet should be held to honor the All-Star football players. The initial banquet was held in the fall of 1950 at Paci’s Restaurant near Brownsville and was sponsored by the Mon Valley Press Association. Assisting Bunardzya in planning the banquet were Bob Petriello, sports editor of the Brownsville Telegraph; Allen Kline, sports editor of The Monessen Daily Independent; Bob Wood, sports editor of the Uniontown Morning Herald; and Floyd France of the Monongahela Daily Republican. Jim Tatum, head football coach at the University of Maryland, was principal speaker. Bob Prince, voice of the Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club, was toastmaster. Vic Janowicz, the Ohio State Heisman Trophy winner was also in attendance.

The initial banquet was staged by the Mon Valley Sports Writers Association. In later years sportscasters of the Mon Valley were added to plan the annual banquet and select the All-Conference team. The Mon Valley Principals Association also became active in organizing these affairs.

In 1951, the second annual Mon Valley Football Conference banquet was held at the beautiful Twin Coaches Supper Club on Route 51 in Rostraver Township. The popular nightclub was owned and operated by Tony and Rose Calderone and became the place to host banquets, be it a political rally or athletic awards program. Over the next quarter of a century not only did the Mon Valley Sports Writers Hall of Fame honor great sports figures, but it also showcased some great floor shows including Liberace, Dean Martin, Pearl Bailey, Nat King Cole, The McGuire Sisters and Bobby Vinton just to name a few artists. Bob Petriello, President of the Mon Valley Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association, remembered attendance at over 1,000 people every year until the Twin Coaches was destroyed by fire on October 10, 1977.

It was in the formative second year that the writers decided to name sports personalities to a mythical Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame, although it wasn’t necessarily referred to as Hall of Fame until the sixties. In 1951, Stan Musial and Bert Rechichar were selected by the writers as the first inductees. The honorees in the early fifties were presented as personalities and distinguished guests usually acknowledged after the Big 5, Big 6 awards. From 1957 to 1963 inductees were referred to as “Special Awards.” In 1964 the title became “Special Awards Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame.” In his column, Sportraits, on December 9, 1960, sports editor Johnny Bunardzya of The Valley Independent wrote the following: “That old codger, 77 yearold John ‘Scissors’ McIlvain of Charleroi, gave the most touching speech of the night when he said being inducted into the Mon Valley’s make-believe Hall of Fame was a double pleasure for him ‘because a baseball man was being honored at a football dinner.’” The Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame was founded by John Bunardzya assisted by sportswriters Bob Petriello (Brownsville), Floyd France (Monongahela), Allen Kline (Monessen), Bob Wood (California and Washington), and Clair Brown (Belle Vernon). A few years later, Frank Buscanics, Bob Gardner, Ed Gray, Ron Paglia, Todd Trent, Fred Hevia, Brian Herman, as well as, other press writers from the Mon Valley, also served with Bunardzya on the Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

Writers and broadcasters continued to select former valley athletes to the Hall of Fame and honor them at the annual banquet throughout the next three decades. The Hall of Fame portion of the banquet was secondary to the main emphasis of the gathering which was to salute outstanding Mon Valley high school football All-Stars. The selection of Mon Valley Conference All Stars was a mainstay at these banquets along with keeping a yearly listing of the scoring leader from 1925 until 1979 when the Mon Valley Football Conference ended its run because of a change in alignment of teams by the WPIAL. A treat at these banquets was the star quality of the main speakers which gave class and charisma to the affair. They included the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame; Woody Hayes and Earle Bruce, head football coach’s at Ohio State University; Jesse Owens of Olympic Games fame; Bill Veeck, a baseball owner and promoter; and Ara Parseghian, the head football coach at Notre Dame along with many other personalities. Although this kind of prodigious entertainment ceased in the late 1970’s, these banquets were affairs to remember. In fact, the program books from these banquets, with their artist drawings of famous sports personalities on the cover, have become treasured valley sports memorabilia. Frequently on the night of the banquet, guest speakers who were featured on the cover requested extra copies of the book. Some of the speakers asked if they could obtain the actual drawing. Some of the artwork was created by longtime newspaper photographer and artist James “Scoop” Altemare. The program books were initially printed by the MMM Publishing Company in New Eagle. Attempting to put together a set of these books through the years would be no easy task.

The 30th consecutive All Conference football banquet would come to an end with the 1979 presentation. The end of the annual banquet was due to the WPIAL realignment of schools which had competed against local school district teams. With the change the Mon Valley Conference no longer competed against one another and the banquets came to an end.

Fortunately, the tradition, set by John Bunardzya and the Mon Valley Sportswriters, is being carried on today by the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame.

FORERUNNER TO THE MON VALLEY SPORTS WRITERS HALL OF FAME

Floyd France

Floyd France

Meet the founder of the Mon Valley Football Conference sportswriter Floyd France of the Monongahela Daily Republican. The first class of football All-Conference Team stars in 1925 includes past inductees James Adamson, George Chacko, John Martak, Harry McCurdy and Tom Parkinson. The Big Five Conference schools included California, Charleroi, Donora, Monessen, and Monongahela. Mr. France was an inductee himself to the Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 1957.

1925 All-Conference Valley selected by Floyd France:

  • Ends: George J. “Beans” Chacko, Charleroi John Kuzma, Monessen
  • Tackles: Harvey Longhead, Charleroi Anton Koeninger, California
  • Guards: Clarence E. Stump, Donora Bernard “Tuffy” McManus, California
  • Center: Frank Maykovich, Monessen
  • Backs: James H. “Kayo” Adamson, QB John R. Martak, Donora, RB Harry P. “Yi” McCurdy, Monongahela, RB Thomas H. “Pug” Parkinson, California, FB

ORIGIN OF THE MID MON VALLEY ALL SPORTS HALL OF FAME

Bernard T. Sarra, Sr

Bernard T. Sarra, Sr
Founder of the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame, 1994

The Mid Mon Valley Chamber of Commerce, formed in 1988, was comprised of valley chamber organizations and concerned leaders of the communities.

In 1994, Bernard T. Sarra, Sr., a member of the Regional Chamber from Fayette City, proposed the idea of forming a special event committee representing sports-minded people from the Mid Monongahela Valley. Sarra’s idea was to bring valley communities together with the areas sports interest, since there was a mood of community isolation instead of Mon Valley camaraderie. Since the Mid Mon Valley produced some very fine athletes over the decades why not celebrate this fact and bring the communities together for the common good? The Regional Chamber formed a special event committee, chaired by Bernard T. Sarra, Sr. with representation from the Greater Mid Mon Valley communities.

This committee held its first event, an All-Sports Tailgate Party, on September 29, 1994, at the Charleroi Elks Club. This event drew hundreds of sports-enthusiasts, many of whom had supported the Mon Valley Sports Writers Hall of Fame originally founded in 1951 by sportswriter Johnny Bunardzya. Bernard T. Sarra, Sr. proposed that the old Sports Hall of Fame be reinstated which lapsed in 1977. On July 21, 1995, a second tailgate party was held at the Washington Township Social Hall in Belle Vernon honoring eight high school scholar-athletes from each of the eight schools that would now constitute the geographical boundaries of the new Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame. The eight schools comprising the region would include Belle Vernon, Brownsville, California, Elizabeth Forward, Monessen, Charleroi, Ringgold, and Yough. Clair Brown of Belle Vernon was the toastmaster, as he was in 1994.

In the fall of 1995, the special event committee appointed a Sports Hall of Fame selection committee, headed by former sportswriter Clair Brown. The committee included past inductees to the Hall of Fame from the original Mon Valley Sportswriters Association. Included in this diverse group of educators, coaches and media were Joe Gladys, Fred Hevia, Loretta Manus, Ron Paglia, Steve Russell, Joe McCune, P. Bud Roman, Brian Herman, Bob Petriello, Bill Kubin, Sherman Brizzi and Bap Manzini. It was decided that eight sports personalities would be elected to the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame for 1996. This class would become the first group of the newly revived Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame.

On July 26, 1996, at the St. Spyridon Social Hall in Monessen, after a nineteen year absence, the first inductees of the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame were enshrined. The number of scholar-athletes representing each school district was expanded from eight to sixteen with each school choosing a male and female student. Attorney Melvin Bassi of Monongahela hosted the gathering as toastmaster. Attendance was over 400 persons.

The Mid Mon Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce dissolved on March 21, 1997. Bernard T. Sarra, Sr. initiated a plan to form a separate entity, the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame. The members of the special event committee proceeded to elect a Board of Directors on April 29, 1997, to oversee the operations of the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame. Bernard T. Sarra, Sr. became the first Chairman of the Board of Directors. Andrew Solan of Rostraver Township was appointed special event committee chairman. Clair Brown of Belle Vernon was named chairman of the selection committee. Steve Russell of Monongahela was named general chairman acting as a liaison among the three groups of the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame. Kathy Krisfalusy of Monongahela was selected treasurer.

A home for the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame had been under consideration and review since August 1997. The Holiday Inn of Belle Vernon, at the intersection of Route 51 and Interstate 70, was chosen with the cooperation of hotel manager Robert Palmer, and owner Jay Lustig. In the fall of 1998, a permanent exhibit located in the Holiday Inn lobby was opened to the public. The display consisted of pictures, standees, trophies, and general memorabilia of past and present Sports Hall of Fame personalities. Steve Russell assumed the duties of curator for the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame exhibit. On December 31, 2008 the Holiday Inn closed its doors and the exhibit was dismantled. The exhibit was extremely popular throughout its tour. In May of 2009 the exhibit was moved to the Bentleyville Best Western Garden Inn through the graciousness of the owner and Hall of Fame supporter Dr. Kamlesh Gosai. On April 11, 2010 a grand opening was held for the public officially opening the Hall of Fame exhibits. In attendance were Hall of Fame inductees Louis Cecconi, Dennis Laskey, and James “Mouse” Chacko.

In 1997 and 1998 a total of sixteen more inductees were elected to in the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame. In 1999, the Board of Directors accepted a plan to name between four and eight inductees in future years. In 1999, a barrier was broken when the first woman, golfer Suzy Williams Broadhurst, was elected to the Hall of Fame. After a three year run at the St. Spyridon Greek Helenic Center in Monessen, the Hall of Fame banquet was moved in 1999 to the Carroll Township Social Hall in Monongahela.

In 2000, the duties of toastmaster transferred from attorney Melvin Bassi of Monongahela to former NFL player Bill Priatko of North Huntingdon. The banquet moved to the campus of California University of Pennsylvania. In 2000, the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame officially became affiliated with the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. The guidelines for the State Hall of Fame were adopted by the Mid Mon Valley Chapter on October 10, 2000 and a change in eligibility was recommended. Sports figures must have been retired from the sport or athletic position a minimum of three years, or reached their 55th birthday, or have been in the sport or position a minimum of 25 years.

The Hall of Fame published a biographical journal written and compiled by Steve Russell in 2001. The book represented the first attempt to keep a permanent written history of all 133 sports heroes elected to the Hall. Lee Oliver Hewitt, graphic designer for The Valley Independent, did line artist drawings for each biography. The task of locating a suitable photograph of each inductee from 1951 to 2001 was completed with much effort.

On October 8, 2002, Bernard T. Sarra Sr., Chairman of the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame, passed the leadership role to his successor Ron Paglia of Charleroi. Paglia was a logical choice to succeed Sarra, since he had a long and distinguished career at The Valley Independent newspaper performing duties in the sports department and eventually as the newspaper city editor. Dennis J. Stitch of Charleroi succeeded Ron Paglia as Chairman in April 2003. Continuing in leadership positions would be Andrew Solan as secretary and Steve Russell as general chairman. A change in the chairmanship of the selection committee was made earlier in 2002 with the naming of Brian Herman, Sports Editor of The Valley Independent. Kathy Krisfalusy relinquished her role as treasurer to Jeffrey T. Vitale of Monongahela. Vitale would hold the position until 2011. In 2012 Thomas J. Jenkins became secretary.

On November 6, 2004 at the 42nd annual Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame induction dinner held in Warrendale, the Mon Valley had two of its own personalities enshrined. A Donora flavor was present with the induction of Ken Griffey, Sr. and the late Arnold Galiffa. They joined fellow Mid Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame inductees Stan Musial, Bert Rechichar, Dan “Deacon” Towler, Armand Niccolai, John Potsklan, and Sever Toretti. The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame had its first induction dinner in 1963 and today is made up of 28 different chapters of which the Mid Mon Valley is one.

At the 2005 banquet the organization introduced the first in a series of card sets depicting Hall of Fame inductees and a brief biography. The first series included inductees from 2001 thru 2005. One-thousand sets were made for the first series of thirty-six cards. In following years sets were limited to a production of 500 and each set would include previous inductees along with recent selections. Ross Farmer of West Newton and Lee Hewitt of Newell joined forces to work on the bios and artist drawings depicted on the cards.

On November 4, 2006, in Greater Hazleton, Pennsylvania, two additional Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame members were inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Bap Manzini and Jim Russell, represented by his son, Steve Russell, were inducted at the 44th annual banquet held at Genetti’s Motor Lodge with over three hundred people in attendance. On November 3, 2007 Myron Pottios was inducted into the state Hall of Fame in Essington, Pa.

On June 13, 2008 the Hall of Fame banquet returned to Rostraver Township at Don Ivill’s The Willow Room. A commemorative badge was issued to all in attendance honoring the inaugural inductees from the Twin Coaches in 1951 Stan Musial and Bert Rechichar. On November 1, 2008 Fred Cox was inducted into the state Hall of Fame in Washington, Pennsylvania.

Dale Hamer performed master of ceremonies duties at the 2010 banquet succeeding Bill Priatko who relinquished that role. On October 16, 2010 Bill Malinchak was inducted into the state Hall of Fame in Danville, Pennsylvania. Bill Hillgrove, the Voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh football and basketball became the fifth master of ceremonies at the 2011 banquet. On October 22, 2011 Lou “Bimbo” Cecconi was inducted into the state Hall of Fame in the Philadelphia area. At the 2012 banquet University of Pittsburgh’s Pat Bostick accepted the role of master of ceremonies. On November 10, 2012 Dale Hamer and Sam Havrilak were inducted into the state Hall of Fame at the banquet in Cranberry Township, Pittsburgh.

The goal of the present Sports Hall of Fame is to continue to promote harmony and good will throughout the communities of the Mid-Monongahela Valley through a common bond in our great sports heritage as well as to maintain the rich historical legacy of sports in the Mon Valley.

HISTORY OF MMVASHOF BANQUET PROGRAM BOOKS 1950 TO 2016

MMVASHOF Banquet Program Books

The Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame has compiled a complete collection of program books that were printed since the Hall of Fame concept was introduced at the Mon Valley Football Conference Banquet by the Mon Valley Sports Writers held at the Twin Coaches in 1951. These books, especially from the 1950s until 1970, display noteworthy artwork on the covers. Indeed, the drawings were so fascinating that, frequently on the night of the banquet, guest speakers who were featured on the cover requested extra copies of the book. Some of the speakers asked if they could obtain the actual drawing.

The idea for the original artistic design is credited to the father of the Mon Valley Sports Writers Hall of Fame, John Bunardzya. Some of the artwork was created by longtime newspaper photographer and artist James “Scoop” Altemare. The books were initially printed by the MMM Publishing Company in New Eagle, so named for the three owners whose last names all began with an “M.”

With the revival of the Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, the books were initially printed by Copycat in California, Pennsylvania. Bernard Sarra III was in charge of the publishing of the program book through 1998.

In 1999 the program book began to resemble the original books from the former Sports Writers Hall of Fame. The difference was that the newer models featured annual Hall of Fame inductees instead of noteworthy guest speakers. The notion to change the program book back to its original view was the idea of educator and general chairman of the Hall Steve Russell. Steve enlisted one of his former students, Lee Hewitt, to design an artistic cover for the program book. As indicated by this display, Lee, an artist for The Valley Independent, has been doing an extraordinary job! The books have been published by the Roscoe Ledger and Little Printing of Uniontown and currently by Badzik Printing Service, Inc. in Donora.

We know you will enjoy reliving the history of our local Sports Hall of Fame through these unique program books. Most of the program books from the original Hall of Fame were donated by Brownsville newspaperman Robert Petriello, class of 1969. Our collection is now complete with the help of the Donora Historical Society who hold the collection of famed Mon Valley football coach James K. Russell, class of 1955.

Enjoy the exhibit!
Steve Russell, General Chairman

 

© 2023 Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame.