SYRACUSE --
The 2010 class of inductees for the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame was announced on Monday at the organization's exhibit location at Driver's Village in North Syracuse. The 24th Class of the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame includes the following:Chuck Bisesi - High-school basketball star at St. Lucy's and later very successful coach
Frank DiChristina - Long-time varsity baseball coach at Chittenango and key administrator for Section 3 for 52 years
Larry Hart - Outstanding multi-sport high school coach for both boys and girls sports at Tully, West Genesee and Homer
Len Rauch - Bishop Ludden High-School and LeMoyne College basketball and baseball standout
Nini Sgroi - Outstanding bowler who distinguished himself during the 1960's with a composite average of 203
Joan Skiff - (Deceased) - Top Central New York skier and golfer
William Dennis "Doc" Scanlan - Selected as the 2010 Old Timer's Inductee. Major league pitcher with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates, pitching six shutouts in 1906
The 2010 Class brings the total number of inductees to 181 since the inception of the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. All inductees will be honored and officially installed at a dinner at 7 p.m. on Monday, October 18 at Drumlins Country Club.
BRIEF PROFILES OF THE 2010 CLASS OF THE GREATER SYRACUSE SPORTS HALL OF FAME
CHUCK BISESI - You can't mention the storied Parochial Basketball League without mentioning Chuck Bisesi. A standout at St. Lucy's, Chuck's 1,480 points in his four year high school career have never been surpassed. His points per game average in high school were astounding. As a freshman he averaged 15 ppg; sophomore - 20 ppg; junior - 25 ppg and senior 33 ppg. And, against Most Holy Rosary his senior year, he set the Parochial League all-time single game scoring record of 63. He had 26 field goals and converted 11 of 13 free throws - all this long before the three- point field goal. He was Parochial League first team in his junior and senior years and has been honored as one of the top 100 players in the history of the league in addition to being ranked as one of the best players to ever suit up for St. Lucy's. He maintained his love for basketball by entering the high school coaching ranks as head coach of Bishop Cunningham in Oswego. From 1980-1992 his teams won five OHSL division titles, four Section 3 titles and the New York Class D title in 1985.
FRANK DICHRISTINA - You can't mention Section 3 high school sports without thinking of Frank DiChristina. He was involved for 53 years within the organization, including terms as president, vice-president and chairman of many committees. A fixture at Chittenango High School, Frank was athletic director in addition to coaching baseball, football, cross country and wrestling. As athletic director, he expanded the school's sports programs from 10 to 60. His 41 Chittenango High baseball teams (1956 - 1997) won more than 350 games, five Tri-Valley titles and he was three-time coach of the year. As an athlete in his own right, he played four years of football at Brockport, captaining the 1955 team. He also played baseball two years. He earned his masters degree from Syracuse University in 1961 and athletic administration certification in 1966. Deeply involved in many community organizations, Frank was inducted into the Section 3 Wrestling Hall of Fame and the baseball field at Chittenango is named in his honor.
LARRY HART - A career that spanned coaching six varsity sports, Larry Hart oversaw boys teams in football, basketball and lacrosse and girls teams in soccer, basketball and track. He coached 713 games or meets with an incredible combined record of 544-159-10 over 42 years. His career included time at Sachem, West Genesee, Homer, Tully and Syracuse University. His teams won championships in five sports while in 45 varsity seasons only five teams had losing records. In 28 seasons of girls sports, his teams won 23 league and 14 sectional championships. He coached 28 seasons of lacrosse at junior high, junior varsity, varsity, club and college levels. He had West Genesee's first winning lacrosse teams in 1964 and 1965. He started the lacrosse program at Tully in 1969 and the girls track program in 1975. In 1972, Larry was the Southern Conference Co-Coach of the Year. In 1980-81, Tully's girl soccer, basketball and track teams had a cumulative record of 45-3 and won three league and two sectional championships. In addition to his coaching duties, Larry was athletic director for 17 years during his time at Tully, West Genesee and Homer.
Len Rauch - Another gifted Syracuse area performer, Len Rauch was a superb two-sport athlete in both high school and college. Basketball and baseball were sports he excelled in. At Bishop Ludden High School (1987-1991) he was the featured performer for Hall of Fame Coach Gerry Wilcox. At Ludden, Len was a two-time All City selection, Post-Standard All City in 1987 and All-State honoree. He led the Gaelic Knights to the State Class A championship game, multiple Section 3 team titles and was nominated to the prestigious McDonald's All American High School Team. He also starred for the Ludden baseball team. His college career at LeMoyne College brought him to higher levels of success. He held the LeMoyne record from 1991, broken this year, as all-time leading scorer (1,876 points) and all-time rebounder (1,151). He is No. 3 for the Dolphins for made field goals and free throws and No. 5 for assists (509) and steals (172). He was the Mideast Conference Rookie of the Year and was the first player named all conference in all four years (three as first team). Len was the Conference Player of the Year his senior season and Division II NABC Third Team All-American. He also played baseball at LeMoyne in 1989 and 1990, including a trip to the Division I NCAA Regional Finals, only one pitch away from competing in the College World Series. In 1991 he toured with the Harlem Globetrotters as a member of the Boston Shamrocks. Len was inducted into the LeMoyne College Hall of Fame in 2001. He has, since 2000, become a college basketball official. He also competes as a top local golfer, being a member of the Mitchell Cup Team in 2003, 2004 and 2005. In 2005, he was District Amateur Champion. He also coaches youth basketball and baseball.
Nini Sgroi - Syracuse's rich bowling tradition has been bolstered by the accomplishments of Nini Sgroi. His quiet and modest demeanor cannot understate what impact he has had on the bowling community. In his prime from 1963 to 1972, Nini registered a 10- year cumulative bowling average of more than 200 - an incredible feat given the non-scoring conditions during that era. He made local bowling history during the 1960's by winning back to back Herald Masters Tournaments in 1965 and 1966. Between 1964 and 1970 his average was 203, and he held the record for most consecutive match plays wins (17) until 2009. That record stood until last year when Don Brush toppled it. He was a favorite winner on local televised bowling - Syracuse Bowls - appearing 22 times. He could hold his own against touring professionals. In 1965 he defeated pro bowler Bob Strampe in an exhibition at the Eastwood Sport Center. Sgroi rolled a 792 series to Strampe's 707, including a final perfect game 300. During the 1968 Syracuse Bowling Association championship tournament, Nini became the only person in SBA history to win the championship in all four events in the same year. In 1992, Sgroi was elected to the Syracuse Bowling Association Hall of Fame.
Joan Skiff - Joan Skiff was a fixture in Central New York skiing and golf for more than forty years. Joan's accomplishments as a ski racer included 33 regional, national and international skiing championships. She won national championships over four decades. At 69 years of age, Joan was clocked at 58 miles per hour in competition. Joan started racing in 1965 with her first national championship registered in 1970 in the giant slalom at Vail, Colorado. She was second that year in the slalom and downhill. In 1975, Joan completed her first four race sweep at Big Sky, Montana, winning the super G, giant slalom, slalom and downhill. In 1966, Joan won 21 of 22 races she entered. At 67 years of age and grandmother of 11, Joan was featured in Sports Illustrated for winning eight gold medals in 12 days when she swept the slalom, super G and downhill at both the International Master's Cup and the U.S. Ski Association Alpine Masters Championships. Joan was named to the Masters National Team from 1992 to 1996 and the Spyder U.S. Alpine Masters Ski Team from 1996 to 2001. In 2000, Joan and her husband Marshall were presented the Tobin Award for their outstanding contributions to Eastern Ski racing. Joan was also an accomplished golfer, winning seven club and state championships and firing eight holes-in-one. Joan passed away in 2008 .
William Dennis "Doc" Scanlan - The Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame Old-Timer Inductee - For baseball officianados, there was no pitch count when Doc Scanlan pitched in the major leagues. In fact, in 1906 Doc was only the fourth pitcher in modern major league history to win two complete games the same day - beating St. Louis 4-0 and 3-2 for the Brooklyn Dodgers- back then the Dodgers were called the Superbas. You wonder how many pitches he did throw! Scanlan was a native son of Syracuse, living on Turtle Street and attending Sacred Heart Academy. Collegiately, he played for Manhattan, Fordham and Syracuse. At age 22, Doc hurled a complete game in his big league debut for the 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1904, he was traded to Brooklyn and registered a 7-7 record. In 1905, Doc tossed two shutouts among his 22 complete games in 28 starts. He was 15-11 for the last-place Dodgers. In 1906 he was even better as he won 18 of 31 decisions, authoring six shutouts and going the route in 28 of 33 starts. Following the 1907 season, he completed his medical studies. His last major league season was 1911. He appeared in 182 big league games, won 67 of 137 decisions while his teams were always near the bottom of the standings. He completed an astounding 102 of 149 starts, had 15 shutouts and a sparkling career earned run average of 3.00. Scanlan died in 1949 at the age of 68. He was inducted into the Syracuse Chiefs Baseball Wall of Fame in 2006.
Information courtesy of the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame
