Each week in April, the Progress will partner with the Penn Hills Sports Hall of Fame to present biographies of this year's inductees.

The induction ceremony will take place April 25 at the Green Oaks Country Club, 5741 Third St. in Verona. The evening will include a 6 p.m. cocktail hour, dinner at 7 p.m. and the inductions at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online at PennHillsSportsHOF.com or by emailing Cindy McCue at cindymcq1@gmail.com.

Barry Church

Football and track

Church graduated from Penn Hills High School in 2006. He began his sports career playing football in the Penn Hills Midget Football program.

During his high school years, Church played football and was a member of the track team. During his senior year, he played two positions, linebacker and wide receiver. In that same year, as a linebacker, he had 80 tackles, nine sacks and four interceptions; as a wide receiver, he caught 30 passes for 670 yards and four touchdowns.

Church was named to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Terrific 25, Second-Team All-State Class AAAA and First-Team WPIAL and played in the Big 33 Football Classic.

As a member of the track team his junior year he was the indoor state triple jump champion.

After his high school graduation, Church accepted a four-year athletic scholarship in football to the University of Toledo, where he was a four-year starter and team captain during his senior year. He was named First-Team All-Mid-American Conference four straight years and became the first Toledo player to achieve this recognition and only the third player in MAC history to achieve this. He was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. Church played in the All Star East–West Shrine game and attended the NFL Scouting Combine.

Church currently is a starting safety for the Dallas Cowboys and recently completed his fourth season with the team, in which he led his team and all NFL defensive backs in tackles with 135. His Cowboys teammates voted him the Ed Block Courage Award winner. This summer, with the help of a teammate, he will host a youth football camp in Dallas.

Fred Chirieleison

Football and track

Chirieleison is a 1965 graduate of Penn Hills High School, where he participated in both football and track. After graduation, he attended Penn State and earned a bachelor's degree in comprehensive social studies in 1969 and a master's degree in education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1972.

In 1970, Chirieleison began his career as an educator in the Penn Hills School District, teaching at Penn Junior, Linton Middle and Penn Hills High schools. Upon earning his secondary school counseling certification from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1995, he moved from the classroom at the senior high school to the guidance department as a secondary-school counselor.

During his tenure in the Penn Hills School District, Chirieleison coached seventh- and eighth-grade football for 26 years. Under his tutelage as head coach, his teams won 86 percent of their games and had many undefeated seasons and Junior Valley League championships.

Chirieleison also coached the Lady Indians varsity track team as an assistant coach for two years and co-head coach for four years, along with three years as head coach. During that time, the Lady Indians won section championships, invitational championships and three WPIAL championships — 1983, 1984 and 1986. On an individual basis, dozens of Lady Indians qualified for states and won state-level medals.

Now retired and living in Spring Church, Pa., Chirieleison is spending time with his wife, Linda; his daughters, Kelly and Karen; and grandchildren, Courtney, Nicholas, Allison and Alaina.

Meghan Flati

Soccer and cheerleading

Flati is a 1995 graduate of Penn Hills High School. She was a soccer player and a cheerleader for all four years of her high school career.

Excelling in soccer, Flati was a four-year starter on the girls team and the team captain her senior year, during which she was named to the All-WPIAL and All-Section teams.

In addition to soccer, Flati was a Penn Hills High School varsity cheerleader. She was the cheerleading team captain her senior year.

Upon graduation, Flati attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania on a soccer scholarship. She earned a starting spot in every game of her four years at IUP and was named team captain her senior year.

Flati twice was named to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Scholar Athletic Team and also named to the PSAC All-Conference Team her senior year. She accomplished this all while consistently focusing on her education and making the dean's list each semester of her IUP career.

After graduating from IUP with a criminology degree, Flati pursued a career in law enforcement.

She has been a Pennsylvania State Police trooper for the past decade and resides in Monroeville.

Ken Pizzica

Golf

Pizzica graduated from Penn Hills High School in 1962 and lettered in golf his junior and senior years. Upon graduation at age 17 he turned professional and worked as the assistant golf pro at the Longue Vue Club in Penn Hills.

In 1965, Pizzica was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Thailand.

He graduated from Professional Golfers Association Business School and was elected to membership in 1968. He attended Duquesne University from 1971 to 1975. He was active in the Tri-State PGA Section with leadership roles as chairman of the tournament, rules and Junior Golf committees. In addition, he held the office of treasurer, secretary and president.

Pizzica's entire career has been at the Longue Vue Club. He progressed from assistant professional from 1962 to 1972 to head professional from 1973 to 2006. He was director of golf in 2007 and 2008. He is semi-retired and works as a golf professional emeritus/teacher.

Pizzica was the Tri-State PGA long-drive winner in 1976 and the sectional and regional long-drive champion in 1979. Tournament wins include the St. Clair Open, Foxburg Presidents Cup, Tri-State Open, Phillip Dupre Open and the Master Professional Team Championship.

He has been recognized for his contributions to the game of golf and has received awards, including twice being named Tri-State PGA Golf Professional of the Year, achieving Master Professional status in 1994 and being inducted into the Tri-State PGA Hall of Fame.

Pizzica‘s charity involvement includes volunteering as Wendy's Children Hospital Pro Am Chairman for nine years and vice president and tournament chairman of the F.C. Snyder/Longue Vue Club Scholarship Fund for 23 years.

Pizzica and his wife, Flo, live in Hampton Township. They have two sons, Rob and Jon, and five grandchildren, Sienna, Rob III, Jon Jr., Colton and Zoe.

— Submitted information

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