Von Walker among newest inductees into the West Branch Sports Hall of Fame
WILLIAMSPORT, PA – Three honorees with connections to Clinton County were among the class of ten inductees into the West Branch Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Von Walker, Dick Rhoades and Tina Martin were part of the class enshrined Sunday night at the annual Hall of Fame banquet at the Genetti Hotel.
The Hall of Fame credentials for those with the Clinton County connections:
VON WALKER – (Central Mountain H.S.– Football, baseball)
An all-state football and baseball player that became one of eight two-time football team captains in Penn State’s history (2015-16), Walker was also a two-time all-league and two-time all-area selection in football at Central Mountain.
He broke 14 school records, including points in a game (32) and a season (118) and was named all-state in 2011 and 2012, as he compiled more than 3,600 rushing yards and threw for more than 1,600 yards in his career. Walker garnered all-state honors as an outfielder during his senior campaign in 2012.
Walker was a three-time first-team all-league pick while batting .456 in his career and setting six school records and earned Penn State’s 2014 Walk-On of the Year award and earned two Academic All-Big 10 honors (2014, 2016) … played in three bowl games, including the 2016 Rose Bowl.
DICK RHOADES – (Lock Haven University–Coaching, wrestling)
Rhoades notched a 399-116-9 record in 35 years as a wrestling coach, including three at Fabius (1968-70) and 32 years at Bald Eagle Area (1971-02). He was a 1999 Wrestling USA and USA Today National Wrestling Coach of the Year and named District 6 Coach of the Year 14 times and PIAA Coach of the Year twice (1997, 1999). He helped Bald Eagle Area to five undefeated seasons, won 14 district titles, six regional titles, a state championship and a state dual meet title (1999), and coached 77 district champions, 44 regional champions, 15 state finalists and five champions.
He was a NAIA All-American at 137 pounds for Lock Haven University in 1966, taking third and was also a member of the Lock Haven University (1993), District VI Wrestling (2006), Pennsylvania chapter of the National Wrestling (2007) and Centre County Sports (2018) Halls of Fame.
TINA MARTIN – (Williamsport H.S., LHU–Basketball, coaching)
Notched a 414-272 record in 23 years as head NCAA Division I women’s basketball coach, Martin went 408-238 in 21 years at the University of Delaware (1996-17), finishing third all-time in Colonial Athletic Association history with 210 wins and helped team to five regular-season championships, three conference tournament titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances. That included a Sweet 16 appearance in 2013. Martin was a two-time NCAA Division II All-American at Lock Haven University and a four-time first-team All-PSAC selection (1983-86) and two-time league Player of the Year (1985-86).
She finished career as PSAC’s all-time leading scorer with 2,157 points, which is now fifth. Her No. 33 is retired at Lock Haven and she was inducted into the Lock Haven University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
The induction class also included living inductees: Dominick Bragalone, D.J. Flick, Carter “Butch” Giles, Christa Matlack, Mark Molesky and Heidi (Loudenslager) Russell. The deceased inductee was David Scott.
