Behrend Lions Athletic Hall of Fame
1992 Inductees
RICHARD
J. DILL: HONORARY
To say that Dill, a 1955 graduate of Cathedral
Prep, has contributed to the Penn State Behrend athletic program is a
great understatement.
Dill
is a member of both Penn State Behrend Council of Fellows and the
athletic committee. He has devoted countless hours of service
and personal resources to the Penn State Behrend athletics program.
Dill went to University Park on a football scholarship and lettered
two of the four years he played. In lacrosse, he lettered,
captained, and received All-American honors in 1958.
After
graduating from University Park in 1959, Dill remained dedicated to
sports. He was the Erie master's racquetball champion in 1987
for singles and 1988 for doubles.
The Richard Dill Service Award, presented annually to the person who has provided outstanding volunteer service to Penn State Behrend athletics, is named in Dill's honor.
CLARENCE "SHORTY" STONER: COACH
A 1967 University Park graduate and first team All-East player,
Stoner was drafted his junior year by the New York Yankees and senior
year by the Oakland Athletics. After graduation, he played two
years in the Oakland farm system, where he was selected MVP of the
Gulf Coast League.
In
1969, Stoner was hired at Penn State Behrend to teach physical
education and coach baseball. Over the 12 years of his tenure,
he compiled a record of 156-122 (56%). His 20 wins in 1981 are a
college record for a single season. In both 1979 and 1981 he was
selected Coach of the Year for NAIA District 18. One of the best
testimonials to his success as a coach is the fact that three of his
former players are in the Penn State Behrend Hall of Fame, including
two from this year's class, James Davis and Roger Nolan.
After
the 1981 season, Stoner moved to University Park to become head coach
of the NCAA Division I Nittany Lions baseball team. He coached
there until 1990, accumulating a 216-171-1 (55.8%) record. He is
currently an assistant professor of exercise science at University
Park.
MARY E. (ROSE) DOLAK
Dolak
was a triple letter winner in volleyball, basketball, and softball
during her four years at Penn State Behrend.
In
all, she received 8 letters and captained both the volleyball and
softball teams. Dolak was selected to the second team Keystone
Conference softball team in the spring of 1979. During that
season, she was also the recipient of both the Scholar/Athlete and
Athlete of the Year awards.
Since
graduating in 1982, Dolak continues to be active in numerous softball
and bowling leagues.
JAMES J. DAVIS
Davis
played basketball and baseball for three years at Penn State Behrend.
During his career, Davis broke the career basketball assist record
(266) and career baseball batting average record (.447).
Davis
lettered each of his three years, playing baseball under fellow
inductee Coach Stoner and basketball under Hall of Fame chairperson
Dr. Roger Sweeting. During his years at Penn State Behrend, he
received the Male Athlete of the Year award in 1974 and 1976.
Since
receiving his BS degree in accounting in 1977, Davis has become a
certified public accountant. After being out of school for 10
years, Davis returned to Penn State Behrend to receive his MBA in
1989.
DAVID
W. GRZELAK
Grzelak
spent two years on the Penn State Behrend men's tennis team as the
number one-ranked singles and doubles player.
He
has a two-time Commonwealth Campus singles champion in 1968 and 1969.
In 1969, he was also doubles finalist in the NJCAA nationals.
That same year, Grzelak guided the Lions to a second place finish in
the NJCAA regional tournament, where he was selected as a first team
All-Region player. During Grzelak's career at Penn State
Behrend the tennis team lost only one dual match.
Grzelak
received the Penn State Behrend Richard Dill Service Award in 1990.
Currently, Grzelak is Vice president of Marketing for the Kumatsu
Dresser Company.
MICHAEL
MARSH
When
soccer player Marsh was named MVP of the 1970 Penn State Behrend
Invitational as a freshman, it was clear that Penn State Behrend had a
fine athlete in the making. Marsh met all expectations scoring
23 goals in thee years. This was even more remarkable because he
played a defensive position.
Marsh
was also the captain of the men's soccer team in 1971 and 1972.
In 1971, the team won the Commonwealth Campus championship. The
following year, Marsh became a Western PA All-Conference All-Star and
received the team MVP award.
Today,
Marsh is superintendent of the Azcon Corporation in Pittsburgh.
He is still very active in sports as a youth soccer coach and member
of the Hamar Township recreation board.
ROGER
D. NOLAN
During
his career at Penn State Behrend, Nolan was a starter on both the
baseball and soccer teams. Under fellow inductee Coach Stoner, Nolan
had team highs in home runs and batting average.
Both
years that he played, he received the White Letter award. In
1975, Nolan was drafted in the fourth round by the St. Louis Cardinals
baseball team. Nolan also played three years of soccer under
Coach Lauffer and was chosen co-captain his sophomore year.
Nolan
now works for Federal Express. In 1988, he was recognized as
"Manager of the Year" in the Sunshine District. He resides
in East Moline, Illinois.
E.
JOSEPH WILLIAMS
A
1964 graduate of Academy High School, Williams played two seasons of
basketball and baseball at Penn State Behrend.
Williams
captained the basketball team that won the PJCAA state championship in
1967, and was named MVP for both 1965-66 and 1966-67 seasons. He
led both teams in scoring and rebounding and broke career records for
both.
In
baseball, Williams was repeat letterman in 1966 and 1967 as a power
hitting first baseman. During the 1967 campaign, he was named to
the All-Region team. At that year's state junior college
tournament, he was selected to the All-Tourney team.
Because Penn State Behrend offered only two-year degrees at that time, Williams transferred to SUNY Fredonia, where he completed his bachelor degree. He continued to be an outstanding performer in basketball and baseball there, and was named one of the Outstanding College Athletes of America.