CURBSTONE COACHES \ Hall of Fame Banquet

BOARDMAN -- Gino Torretta, the 1992 Heisman Trophy winner, will be featured speaker at the 40th Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame Banquet May 6 at Mr. Anthony's Banquet Center. Torretta, one of the most celebrated football players ever to play for the University of Miami, was named the 58th winner of the Heisman. Fifteen inductees will be honored at the banquet. Tickets are 40 each and can be obtained by calling (330) 726-9829 or visiting the organization's Web site, www.curbstonecoaches.org. Following are biographies of this year's inductees:
Lou Blaney (auto racing): A 1958 graduate of Hartford High School, Blaney has earned his place as one of the most successful, respected and popular drivers of all time in the Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio areas over the past four decades. Winning more races (600) and track championships than any other area driver, he holds the dirt modified all-time record at four different speedways (Lernerville, Mercer, Raceway 7, and Sharon and is tied for the record at Tri City. In 1973 he won the points championships at Lernerville, Mercer and Tri City. He began by driving coupes and super sprint cars under his dad's tutelage and for the next 23 years raced sprint cars at area tracks while accumulating hundreds of wins.
Tony Buttar (track and field): He started his coaching career in 1960 at Mooney High where he qualified the cardinals' first track entry for the state meet in 1961. The longest tenured track and field coach in the state, he started the program at Warren JFK in 1966 and remained with the Eagles for 35 years, qualifying a minimum of one and as many as seven athletes to the state tournament an unprecedented 29 consecutive years. Inducted into the Sate of Ohio Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame in 1998, he was also inducted into the Warren City All-Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Trumbull County Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. In 1999, he was recognized by the State Track Coaches Association as one of only three track and field coaches in either Ohio high school or college history to coach 40 years.
Jim Cramer (basketball): He set the Liberty High freshman scoring record (1951-52) with 331 points, a mark that still stands, and helped the Leopards to the TIA championships in 1952-53 and 1953-54 before earning a scholarship to play at Northwestern University. He returned home to play for YSU and in two seasons (1957-58 and 1958-59) he scored over 800 points.
Clarence Parks Custer (tennis): A native of Midland, Pa. he was one of the original directors of the Canfield Swim and Tennis Club. He won numerous squash titles -- he was the YMCA squash champion in 1963-64 and 1969, and won the bronze medal at the Ohio State YMCA Squash championship in Dayton from 1964-66. The former manager of the Youngstown Tennis Center, he was a senior racquetball champion and was chosen as Olympic Torchbearer for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, representing Flagler, Fla.
Joe DeRosa (special award): A 1975 graduate of Lowellville High, he was a standout in three sports before earning a degree at John Carroll University. He turned to basketball officiating and has completed 18 seasons in the NBA. He has officiated the NBA playoffs every year since 1995 and has been selected to work the NBA Finals every year since 2003, including two games last year. He was also chosen for the 2006 NBA All-Star Game. He serves as supervisor of basketball officials for the American Mideast Conference and the Ohio Community College Athletic Association, is AAU Region 6 Track and Field regional director and a member of the AAU Track and Field National Executive Committee.
Michael Dworak (bowling): He started to bowl while attending Struthers High School. As a member of the Holiday Bowl traveling league team, a bowling match was rolled against a West Virginia All Star team. Dworak's team rolled a 3319 actual three-game series which was a national high at the time. He rolled his first 300 game in 1971 as a junior in high school. He has helped establish the Tod Benefit Moonlight Bowling event for the past 18 years, and the Junior Achievement bowl-a-thon, which has been held for 17 years.
Donna (DInino) Lorenzi: She began bowling in 1971 in the Sunday Nite Mixed League at Gran Lanes. She has rolled six 700 -plus sets (789) while rolling a career-best 299 game. She was Youngstown City Tournament All-Events winner in 1985 and 1989, capturing the actual singles championship in 1989. She was Buckeye Belle tournament champion in Ohio in 1986 and earned induction into the YWBA Hall of Fame in 1995. She served as president of the Austintown Glenwood Cycle League for nine years and secretary of the Friday Nite Classic League at Hy-Skore for one year.
Tom Koczwara (softball): A Youngstown native, he was a graduate of Wilson High. He played three decades of fastpitch softball with the Golden Eagles, Lighthouse Tavern and Mahoning Metal Marts, among many others. He was a pitcher in the Lil' Parker fastpitch league for over three decades. While in the service, he was member of the 1943 World Service Softball champions, the 448 Headquarters in Germany and also pitched against the famed touring team, the King and His Court, featuring Eddie Feigner.
Rob Luklan (special award): Played baseball at Mooney High and YSU. He has officiated high school football for 16 years and basketball for 18 years. Luklan has officiated in seven state basketball tournaments (four boys/three girls) and has worked Mid-American Conference football games since 1999. Luklan was the back judge in the 2003 Ft. Worth Bowl and the 2005 Poinsettia Bowl.
Jack Pierson (football): A 1951 graduate of Ursuline High School, he coached football at North Lima High (1956-58), McDonald High (1958-67), Howland High (1968-80 and (84-86) and Niles High (81-83). From 1987-98 Pierson was the head football coach at Hollywood Hills (Fla.) High. His overall record is 207-154-16.
Bill Ruby (football): Graduated from Hubbard High in 1957 with 10 varsity letters, he earned a football scholarship to Wake Forest as a two-way end. Ruby signed with the Washington Redskins in 1962.
Bob Stoops (football): A 1957 graduate of East High, he was on the football coaching staff at Wilson, Canton Central Catholic, Ursuline and Austintown Fitch before assuming the head coaching duties at South High. In four years at South he won three City Series titles with a 33-6-1 record. Later he was an assistant football coach at Mooney and was on the staff at Youngstown State when the Penguins won four national titles.
Rob Todor (sports media award): A member of The Vindicator sports department since 1990 and sports editor since 1999, he has covered several notable sporting events, including Super Bowl XXIX, when the San Francisco 49ers of Eddie DeBartolo Jr. defeated the San Diego Chargers; two World Series; three college football national championship games, and countless high school state finals. During his tenure as sports editor, The Vindicator sports department has won numerous statewide awards for writing and best section.
Lenny Villers (boxing): After graduating from South High in 1975, he registered a 66-11 amateur boxing record from 1972-78. As a professional, he chalked up a 22-8-1 mark. Villers was featured in Ring Magazine's "Punch of the Month" for his win over O'Dell Leonard in 1982.
John and Denise DeBartolo York (contribution to sports): Best known for their role as owners of the San Francisco 49ers, but also generous contributors of their time and resources to the area. Together they have contributed 500,000 to the Youngstown State women's athletic programs and over 1.5 million to the university's other programs. They have provided over 250 million to organizations throughout the Valley and both give generously of their time as volunteers.
Curbstone Coaches