CURBSTONE COACHES HOF BANQUET SET FOR MAY 4

The 47th Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame Banquet is May 4 at Mr. Anthony’s Banquet Center. Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi will serve as the guest speaker. Tickets are $50 each and can be obtained by calling Mike Murray at 330-565-7820. Following are the 14 sports figures to be enshrined:

Dan Birmingham BOXING

He went 13-3 as an amateur and in 1968, was runner-up in the Golden Gloves where he fought as a 112 pound hopeful. He trained at Art Mayorga’s Home Club Gym and later became one of the most respected trainers in the game. He was the Boxing Writers Association “Trainer of the Year” in 2004 and 2005. He trained and took Winky Wright to the WBO, WBA, WBC and IBF junior middleweight title and later trained Jeff Lacey when he won the super middleweight crown. He has also trained Chad Dawson, who later became light heavyweight champion of the world and was inducted into the Florida Boing Hall of Fame in 2010.

Dorothy (Bowers) Collins BASKETBALL

Arguably the most recognized YSU women’s player in the school’s 39-year history, she attended East High School where she averaged 23.1 points and 19.2 rebounds during a stellar scholastic career. An All-City Series and All-NEO selection all three varsity seasons, she earned All-State honors her junior and senior seasons as well. She spurned myriad collegiate offers by opting to stay home where she graduated as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,324 points. She was named to the Ohio Valley Conference all-freshman team, earning second-team All-O.V.C. honors as a sophomore and first-team laurels her final two seasons her final two years when she was named the league’s “Player of the Year” as a senior. She was inducted into both the East High School and YSU Athletics Halls of Fame (1997) and on January 14, 2006, her familiar #33 was retired by YSU.

Don Brunetti FOOTBALL

An All-City Series selection in both football and basketball during his scholastic days at Chaney High School, he set the all-time Cowboys’ foul-shooting record by converting 89 percent of his free throws, once connecting on 30 consecutive free throws. He was all-conference in both baseball and football at Hiram College, earning an NCAA post-graduate scholarship to further his academic studies. He was one of just 33 athletes selected nationwide for the exclusive honor. The 1973 Hiram “Male Athlete of the Year,” he coached the local Babe Ruth team to the 2003 national championship and in both 2002 and 2004 and advanced to the World Series tournament.

Bud Frazier TRACK AND FIELD

A 1961 graduate of Boardman High School, he set the Spartans’ 120 yd. high hurdles record and for 40 years, held the 220-yard dash record. A member of his alma mater’s hall of fame, he also held the 180-yard low hurdles mark. It’s a record that stood for 40 years upon his graduation. In 1960 he was ranked fourth in the U.S. in track & field in the low hurdles (19.0) and set the low and high hurdles records at both the Mahoning County and Steel Valley Conference track meets. He set the 400 meter hurdles mark at Ohio State University and after transferring to Kent State University, held the same mark his sophomore thru senior seasons.

Nick Gavolas SWIMMING & DIVING

Considered one of the greatest divers in the history of the YSU swim program, he is a former standout who has since turned to coaching to build the Penguin diving program into one of the most consistent and respected programs in the Midwest. A YSU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee (Class of 1986), he competed for the Penguins from 1967-72 and became YSU’s first three-time diving All-American. He earned national runner-up honors at the College National Swimming and Diving Championships in 1969 and was a national qualifier for the AAU diving team as well. Currently in his 18th season as YSU assistant swimming coach/head diving coach, he has helped develop many men’s and women’s hopefuls and for his efforts, earned the 2002-03 and 2003-04 Horizon League “Diving Coach of the Year” as he led 10 YSU divers to individual conference titles. He has also coached five NCAA Zone C Championship qualifiers as well as two YSU Student-Athletes of the Year. He has coached each of the top 10 women divers in school history. He also went through extensive coaching and training under highly-renowned diving coach Dick Kimball; a six-time Olympic coach and former diving coach at the University of Michigan and for over a decade, has been the owner, director and coach of Timberbrook Diving.

Dan Guerrieri BOWLING

A 1978 graduate of Ursuline High School, he has rolled 70-300 games; 37-800 sets and posted a career best 241 season average. When he wins a championship, he doesn’t just win a title; he finds a way to duplicate and repeat and has done so on many occasions in both singles or doubles play, and also in team play. A Youngstown City Tournament Singles champion, he is a five-time Youngstown City Tournament Doubles champion and 12-time Youngstown City Tournament Team champion. He’s also a seven-time Youngstown City Tournament All Events champion. A member of the Professional Bowlers Association for 12 years, he is also a two-time member of the PBA Central Region Resident Pro Team. A PBA Miller Lite Open champion, he posted a Top-20 Doubles finish at the 2008 United States Bowling Congress National Championship.

Dennis Krancevich BASEBALL

A 1980 Austintown Fitch High School graduate and 1987 YSU alum, he earned four letters for the Falcons (1977-80) under the watchful eye of legendary Falcons coach Rich Coppola, starting at second base his final three campaigns where he was an All-Steel Valley Conference selection as a senior. During the summer months he competed in the local Class “B” League and was a three-time Connie Mack Tournament selection (1978-80). From 1983-85, he was a three-year starter at second base for the late Dom Rosselli’s YSU diamond squad, earning induction into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996. During a stellar baseball career for the Penguins he was a three-time team “M.V.P.” (1983-85), two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference selection (1984-85) and led the O.V.C. in hitting his junior year with a .424 average. He batted .381, .424 and .353 during his three collegiate campaigns and as a junior, finished 19th in the nation in NCAA/Division I in batting average. Upon graduation he held no less than 11 career and single season batting records and still remains tops in career batting average (.383) and slugging percentage (.578). He joins his father, Elmer, as one of just a handful of father-son combinations to be so honored by the organization.

Ron Lynn FOOTBALL

A 1962 graduate of Struthers High School, he started for three seasons at both quarterback and defensive back while lettering and playing on the first of two undefeated regular season Wildcats’ hardwood teams. Upon graduation he enrolled at Mount Union College where he was a three-year starter at both quarterback and defensive back, also earning four letters in baseball where he helped the Purple Riders to multiple league titles. Upon graduation he earned his MA from the University of Toledo and served as a graduate assistant on the Rockets’ grid staff. Over an illustrious coaching career he has spent time on both the collegiate and professional levels with stops at Mount Union, Kent State University, University of Pacific, California and now Stanford University listed on his ever expanding resume. He coached in the now-defunct USFL for the Oakland Invaders and in the NFL with stops at the San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers along the way.

Carol Pennington BOWLING

One of three bowling honorees and the only woman kegler in his year’s class, she is a 1969 graduate of Mathews High School; the same year that she decided to hit the lanes and take up the sport. She began in the Warren Women’s Association and for three years averaged less than 100 in each of those seasons. She quit the sport completely for seven years, not letting an inauspicious career start deter her from returning to the game that she so loved. She returned in 1978 with a vengeance and has left her mark on the game ever since. In 1982 she won the Warren Women’s All-Events “B” title and the following year won the “A” All-Events title, becoming the only woman to win “B” and “A” titles in back-to-back years. In all, she has won the All-Events “A” title on eight separate occasions, has rolled numerous 700 series with her highest being 789. During the 1990-91 season, her 785 series was the highest in the state. Overall, she has rolled a perfect game with numerous 270+ games as well to her credit.

Jim Pepperney SPECIAL AWARD

This year’s lone special award honoree is a longtime area official and coach. He is a 1958 graduate of Ursuline High School where he was a member of the Fighting Irish football and tennis teams for four years. Upon graduation he attended Youngstown State University where he was a two-year member of the Penguins’ tennis squad. He’s been a local volleyball official for the past 37 years, has officiated 36 sectional and regional tourneys, 35 district tournaments and the OHSAA state volleyball tournament for the past 28 consecutive seasons. A charter member of the Mahoning Valley Volleyball Officials Association, he currently serves as secretary/treasurer. It’s a post that he has held for the past 36 years. Along with officiating partner and Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame honoree, John Rorick, they’ve officiated for over 20 conferences and leagues statewide. Together, they’ve also officiated post-season all-star matches for the OHSVCA (Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association), TCL (Tri-County League), ICL (Inter-County League) and Districts I & II. They have also been instrumental (through the MVVOA) in petitioning the OHSAA to change the volleyball officials’ uniforms to include shorts for regular season matches. In addition to petitioning the OHSAA for a uniform change with shorts, they were also credited with petitioning the governing body to change the officials’ game shirts, going from its former black and white stripes to the current solid white shirt. He is the former head baseball coach and director of athletics at Jackson-Milton High School.

Richard Skelton BOWLING

A 1986 graduate of Mineral Ridge High School, he is a past member of the Professional Bowlers Association. During his scholastic career he rolled two 300 games and carried a 200+ average as a Junior Bowler. His four Junior Tournament Bowlers Association Tournament wins are the most of anyone since 1985 and he has won multiple singles, doubles and team Junior Tournament championships in the city. He also won the Pennsylvania Scratch Junior Bowlers Tournament as well. He turned pro at age 20 and bowled in regional professional tournaments with his best effort professionally a sixth-place finish in Michigan. A three-time winner of the Youngstown Masters Tournament, he has carried a 200+ average every year since he was 16 years of age with a high average of 234. He is the architect of 36 300 games and seven 800 series with his highest an 847 roll.

Robert Winterburn FOOTBALL

He is a 1949 graduate of Jackson-Milton High School where he starred in football, basketball and baseball. He was awarded the first ever Billy Patton Memorial Award, emblematic of the best all-around athlete at the school. He played football and baseball at Heidelberg College and as a senior was MVP of the team’s Ohio Conference football champions. He was the head football (22-2-2) and track coach at Canfield, leading the football team to three consecutive Inter-County titles. As head football coach at Austintown Fitch (14-4-1), they were the 1962 Steel Valley Conference champs. He is a member of the Canfield Athletics Hall of Fame.

Jackie (Bak) Yost SWIMMING & DIVING

A graduate of Boardman High School, she was a member of the Spartans’ inaugural swim team in 1985 and for the next three seasons, proceeded to set all but one of the school’s swimming standards. Many of them stood for over 20 years and one which still remains nearly 30 years after it was set. A two-year team captain, she was a district champion, three-time state qualifier and two-time state finalist. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where she was a key member of school’s swim team, she set the Quakers’ 100 and 200 backstroke records. She also competed for the YMCA Neptunes while in high school and from 1984-88, qualified for the YMCA national championships.

Dan Zarlingo BASKETBALL/FOOTBALL

A two-sport star for the Lowellville Rockets, so legendary were his accomplishments on both the gridiron and hardwood that jerseys worn from both sports were retired by the school upon graduation. He was a four-year letterwinner for the Rockets in both basketball and football, wearing #1 while on the gridiron and #33 as a standout on the hardwood. In football, he was an Inter-County League All-Star during his sophomore, junior and senior seasons and was named to the NEO First-Team as a junior and senior; earning NEO “Back of the Year” laurels that junior campaign. On the basketball court, however, his star shone brightest. He graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer by hooping 1,627 total points; all before the three-point line came into existence. Under the tutelage of head coach Dick Williams, he scored 1,627 career points which remains the school’s all-time scoring standard. A four-time Inter-County League all-star, he was a three-time NEO First-Team pick; was NEO “Co-Player of the Year” his senior campaign; earned Associated Press First-Team All-State honors as a senior while being named to the UPI Third-Team on three separate occasions (sophomore, junior and senior seasons). After completing his scholastic eligibility, he was selected to play in the prestigious Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Dapper Dan Roundball Classic. He played football at the University of Indiana upon graduation for famed ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso where his 39.4 yard punting average for a career remains ninth on the Hoosiers’ all-time list.