Sunday, October 27, 2002
The Youngstown State University Athletics Hall of Fame will induct six new members prior to the Homecoming football game against Southern Illinois on Saturday. The ceremony begins at 10:45 a.m. at the Chestnut Room in Kilcawley Center. The inductees are Mike Zaluski (baseball, 1974-77); Sam Pagano (football, 1951-54); Archie Herring (football, 1987-90); Dave Roberts (football, 1989-92), Diane Rappach McFadden (women's basketball, 1988-92), and Sam Colucci (contributor)., who died in 1998.
MIKE ZALUSKI
For his career, Zaluski, a first baseman-outfielder finished with a .325 batting average (138-for-425), with 84 runs scored, 61 stolen bases, 24 doubles and 59 RBIs in 131 career games. He was one of the toughest batters to strike out in school history, whiffing only 23 times in 425 at bats. The Penguins won more than 20 games in each of his four seasons posting an overall mark of 88-43. During his senior campaign, YSU advanced to the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament in Edwardsville, Ill., and set a then-school-record for victories in a season.
ARCHIE HERRING
Herring was the best kickoff return specialist in YSU history. He holds the school record for career kickoff returns, return yardage and return average. He finished with 86 total returns for 2,156 return yards, averaging 25.1 yards per return. That average ranks as one of the top 30 all-time in NCAA Division I-AA history. His efforts helped the Penguins make the playoffs three out of the four seasons he was a member of the squad. He still ranks third in school history in career all-purpose yardage with 4,331 yards and is 14th in career rushing at 2,103 yards.
SAM PAGANO
Pagano was a lineman when the Penguins had two of their most successful seasons in their first 40 years. In 1953, the Penguins were 7-1 and followed that in 1954 with a 7-2 mark. During the 1954 campaign, Pagano led the team as a team captain. He earned the game ball for his performance in an upset victory over Great Lakes, which featured two future professional players, but Youngstown proved to be too much in a 34-32 triumph.
DAVE ROBERTS
Roberts was a key member of the playoff teams from 1989-92. He began as a wide receiver before moving to defense as a sophomore and was never out of the starting lineup. He was also a kick return specialist. Roberts is one of two individuals in YSU history to play in the Blue-Gray All-Star Classic. He finished his career with 226 total tackles and ranks second with 28 pass breakups and 22 interceptions. He ranks first in career punt return average (15.0) and is third in total punt return yards (346). In 1992, he was a consensus first-team All-American; a team captain that year, he tied the school record with nine interceptions. Roberts averaged 18.7 yards on punt returns.
DIANNE RAPPACH MCFADDEN
The most prolific 3-point shooter in YSU women's basketball history, McFadden had a stellar career. She made a school-record 198 3-pointers and finished with a career total of 1,198 points, the 11th-best total in school history. She ranks third in career assists with 503 and third in steals with 275 and grabbed 333 rebounds. She played in all 111 games of her career and started 103. She made 37.7 percent of her 3-point attempts and had a 77.8 free-throw percentage (126-of-152) ranking her seventh in school history. For her career, she averaged 10.8 points, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game. In her career, the program had a 74-37 record in her four seasons, including posting one of the top winning percentages (.857) in school history with a 24-4 mark in 1990-91. As a senior in 1991-92, she played in 28 games and started 27 contests as a team captain.
SAM COLUCCI
Sam Colucci was a longtime supporter of YSU athletics and a believer in providing opportunities for as many individuals as possible. His generosity helped such projects as refurbishing Dom Rosselli Court in the Beeghly Center, obtaining a scoreboard for Stambaugh Stadium, adding goalposts to the old Liberty High School practice field for the football team, organizing YSU's first golf tournament at Avalon Lakes and co-sponsoring a golf scholarship for the school. A Youngstown native, he played an active role by serving on the Penguin Club Board of Trustees and was a Penguin Club Man of the Year. Colucci, who passed away in 1998 at the age of 73, was the owner and founder of Supreme Steel Co. A 1943 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High, he was an avid golfer and a veteran of World War II. Other honors earned by Colucci include begin inducted into the Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame (1992), the Woodow Wilson High School Hall of Fame (1981). In 1994, he was named the "Italian Man of the Year" by the Greater Youngstown Italian Fest.