West Branch Valley Hall of Fame inductees have Clinton County flavor
WILLIAMSPORT – A class of 12 inductees entered the West Branch Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame at the organization’s annual awards banquet Sunday at the Genetti Hotel. The class included a number with Lock Haven ties:
Maynard Aungst; Lock Haven High School – Wrestling
Three-time PIAA state semifinalist at Lock Haven High School from 1954-58 … won state titles at 95 pounds in 1956 and 103 pounds in 1957 … a three-time District 6 champion and three-time Central Northwest Regional Champion … wrestled for one year at Bloomsburg, posting a 16-2 record, with his only losses coming to three-time national champion Gray Simons … went on to compete with the Lock Haven YMCA, winning seven state and two national YMCA titles … named state’s outstanding wrestler award five times and the national YMCA outstanding wrestler in 1960 … inducted into Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008.
Doug Buckwalter; Lock Haven High School/Lock Haven University/Central Mountain High School – Coaching
Coached wrestling at Lock Haven High School (1985-95), Lock Haven University (1995-04) and Central Mountain High School (2005-15) … quickest coach to reach 300 career dual meet wins, doing it in 22 seasons … posted career record of 307-78-3 … won 2010 PIAA State Championship, earning state’s Class AAA Coach of the Year honors … 10-time District 6 Coach of the Year …. Coached 54 district champions, 33 Northwest Region champions and nine PIAA state champions … 1984 NCAA Division I Championships qualifier at Lock Haven University … 2016 Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee.
Ken Melchior; Lock Haven University – Wrestling
1968 NCAA Division I Champion at 115 pounds at Lock Haven University … Won three NAIA national titles (115 pounds – 1967-68, 123 pounds, 1969) … 1969 NAIA Most Outstanding Wrestler … a three-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champion (1967-69) … went 98-6 in career … qualified for U.S. Olympic Team in 1968 and 1972 … runner-up at 1971 National AAU Freestyle Tournament runner-up … finished third at 1972 World Military Greco-Roman Championship … two-time New York State champion at Lindenhurst High School … inducted into South Jersey Wrestling, Lindenhurst High School, Lock Haven University Wrestling and NAIA Wrestling Halls of Fame.
Biff Walizer: Bald Eagle-Nittany High School/Lock Haven University – Wrestling/Coaching
A 1963 graduate of Lock Haven University where he was a two-time NAIA champion (1961, 1963, 130 pounds) and three-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champion (1961, 137 pounds; 1962, 137 pounds; 1963, 123 pounds) … recorded a career record of 72-10-1 … notched win in 1963 NAIA finals over two-time Olympian Bobby Douglas … coached high school wrestling for 32 years, including at Bald Eagle-Nittany from 1970-95 … posted a 252-136-5 record, winning 10 district championships … coached 53 individual district, 20 region and seven state champions … a member of the NAIA National Hall of Fame, Clinton County, District 6 and Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association and National Wrestling – Pennsylvania Chapter Halls of Fame.
Tom Poorman; Lock Haven, Pa. – Baseball
First major league player from West Branch Valley (Lock Haven) … played in National League and American Association for parts of six seasons from 1880-1888, playing with Buffalo (NL), Chicago (NL), Toledo (AA), Boston (NL) and Philadelphia (AA) … broke into majors as starting pitcher with Buffalo in 1880 … transitioned to outfield and reemerged in majors in 1884 … led American Association with 19 triples and finished eighth in stolen bases in 1887 for Philadelphia … played parts of 12 seasons of professional baseball … finished major league career with 498 hits, 165 stolen bases, 65 doubles, 43 triples, 12 home runs and two wins as a pitcher.
Bud Stehman; Lock Haven High School – Coaching
Head wrestling coach at Lock Haven High School … coached 1961 team that featured four state champions – Mike Johnson, Lee Deitrick, Gary Cook, and Jerry Swope – who all went on to become NCAA All-Americans … won first District 6 Coach of the Year award in 1960 and repeated honor in 1961 … started wrestling program at Mill Hall High School (Bald Eagle-Nittany) … a member of the first Lock Haven wrestling team in 1939 … won 121-pound Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title in 1941 … inducted into Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 1975 and District 6 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1990.
