Southern jump starts Hall of Fame
FRANKLIN TWP. — Southern Columbia has had no shortage of athletic success to celebrate through the years.
Now, the school district wants to honor such excellence by opening its new Athletic Hall of Fame this fall.
The inaugural class, consisting of 10 athletes, coaches and contributors, will be announced in June and inducted at a banquet during homecoming weekend in September.
According to its website, the nine-person committee will honor those who “have made significant athletic contributions that brought recognition to the Southern Columbia Area School District.”
The committee’s by-laws state the following criteria must be met in order to be considered for the Hall of Fame:
• A student-athlete must be at least 10 years removed from graduation.
• A coach must be at least a school year removed from the nominated position.
• (Contributor) is still eligible even if they are still actively contributing to athletics in some fashion.
There is not yet a home for the Hall of Fame. Both the lobby of the gymnasium — where there is already a plethora of accolades on display — and a wall outside the school are being considered. No matter its location, it will be open to the public.
Shoo-ins
Committee president Dave Fegley mentioned, “some athletes like Henry Hynoski, Bryan Delsite, Jerry Marks, Erin Spotts, Mary Helwig and Freda Dalious are no-brainers.”
Another one that falls into that category is football coach Jim Roth. However, for that to happen, the committee would have to make an exception to its rules.
“Roth will be a subject for discussion simply because of his résumé,” Fegley said.
That résumé includes a career record of 444-63-2 and a PIAA record 10 state championships.
Another interesting case is being made by wrestling coach Marks who is more than likely to be honored for his own athletic success, claiming state titles in 1987 and 1988. He has since helped guide the Tigers to a trio of second-place finishes in the Class 2A team tournament, claiming the team title in the 2019 individual tournament.
“He can certainly be nominated as an athlete, and he’s a hall of famer in both aspects, being he’s a state champion athlete and coach,” Fegley said. “... I don’t think he’ll be inducted twice, but we could certainly add to his plaque, adding his coaching résumé.”
There are no plans so far by the committee to induct select teams because of the hardware and banners already on display.
Induction process
Fegley says the general public can nominate anybody who attended Southern Columbia or the former high schools that now make up the district — Catawissa, Ralpho Township and Roaring Creek.
The committee extended its nomination deadline from April 30 to the end of May due to schools being shut down for the coronavirus outbreak.
If a nominee is not inducted, the committee will keep all available information and consideration open for up to four years. If not inducted during that period of time, that particular person will have to be nominated again.
The first two years will see 10 honorees. The number will drop to five thereafter.
“Early on, we wanted to make sure we get some more people inducted. We know with some, we want them to enjoy this as they’re older. Some, unfortunately, have already passed away,” Fegley said. “... The biggest concern is making sure we don’t forget anybody when doing this.”
Fegley says the committee is still looking for a venue to host the induction banquet, adding that he’s been in contact with some places and “they may become sponsors, allowing us to rotate them each year.”
Moving forward
According to the Hall’s by-laws, the initial funding will be provided by sponsorships from outside companies and organizations.
With the COVID-19 outbreak, promoting the Hall has been problematic, but Fegley remains optimistic about doing events over the summer to get the word out.
“I want to do something where we potentially honor the senior athletes that unfortunately had their careers cut short,” he said. “But down the road, I want to be able to reward future student-athletes. My vision is to have scholarship opportunities and have a keepsake for inducted athletes.”
Link to story: https://www.pressenterpriseonline.com/daily/page/story/southern-jump-starts-hall-of-fame
