The Class of 2014 has been announced for the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame.
Seven new member will join the exclusive club during the 21th annual banquet at The Willow Room in Rostraver Township on June 20, at 5:30 p.m.
The class of 2014 comprises Milfred “Bubby” Holmes, the late John Maczuzak, Maurice Mathieu, Heather Ferrari Milkent, Tony Segzda, Chuck Smith and Ed Zuraw.
•Milfred “Bubby” Holmes: A 1973 Monessen graduate, Holmes was a most gifted athlete in football breaking records with the Greyhounds running 3,746 yards and scoring 304 points. Holmes was a rare three-time Mon Valley Conference selection and made the Big 33 team. Holmes was featured in Sports Illustrated's “Faces in the Crowd” at the age of 14 in the Oct. 27, 1969 issue when he scored nine touchdowns in two games on 17 carries at Monessen Junior High. He received 150 offers for colleges and chose the University of Minnesota where he was a running back and a teammate of Tony Dungy, the Gophers' quarterback. Injuries plagued Holmes during his college experience. Today Holmes makes his residence in Invergiore Height, Minnesota.
•Maurice “Moe” Mathieu: A graduate of Monessen High School in 1957, Maurice was the Mon Valley Football Big 6 All Conference scoring champion with 132 points in 1956. Coach Armand Niccolai singled out Mathieu as one of his best players and rival Coach Rab Currie of Charleroi liked the running back so well that he persuaded the youth to attend Miami University on a football scholarship. Constant knee injuries eventually ended his college experience. Maurice and his wife Sylvia became house parents for the prestigious Milton Hershey School from 1989 until 2004. Maurice was inducted into the Monessen Quarterback Hall of Fame in 1972.
•John A. Maczuzak: A graduate of Ellsworth High School in 1959, Maczuzak lettered three years in varsity football and basketball and captained both teams as a senior. At 6'5” 240 pounds, he received 27 scholarship offers choosing the University of Pittsburgh. In football Maczuzak started as a tackle on both offense and defense anchoring the left side of the offensive line protecting quarterback Fred Mazurek and halfback Paul Martha. In 1963, the team had but one loss at Navy and ended the year ranked fourth by AP with a record of 9-1. When a late season contest against Penn State was postponed by President Kennedy's assassination, the team was lost in the mix for premiere bowl games and decided not to take a bid. He would sign a one-year contract with the AFL Kansas City Chiefs in 1964. He did well enough that ownership wanted him to continue to play but he opted to begin a 38-year career in the steel industry. He passed away this past Dec. 27.
•Heather Ferrari Milkent: Heather is a 1990 Belle Vernon Area graduate who has the distinction of being the first female from BVA to receive a Division I scholarship in softball. In high school she was named High School Section 3 AAA Player of the Year, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 9 and Herald Standard Diamond Girl. Heather was inducted into the Robert Morris Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000 and her number 7 shirt was retired. Since her time at Robert Morris she maintains 11 career records in softball. She played shortstop and outfield and twice was named all-NEC Tournament.
•Tony Segzda: A baseball lifer, Tony spent seven decades around the game. Tony became a star player at California High School in the outfield and as a pitcher. In 1947, his senior year, he pitched California to the Section 17 title, ending Charleroi's hold on the title for five years. The Pittsburgh Pirates signed him when he pitched a no-hit shutout in American Legion ball that summer. Segzda played minor league ball for the Pirates in Uniontown for three years with the Coal Barons and later with class B York. Drafted in 1952, he served in Korea. He played a couple more years for the Pirates at Class A Charleston, S.C. and Williamsport in the Eastern League. Tony pitched six seasons in minor league ball compiling a record of 30-34 with an ERA of 4.56. Segzda was hired by Fred Uhlman, MMVASHOF '03, of the Baltimore Orioles as a scout in the late 1980s.Segzda signed California University of Pennsylvania pitcher Rick Krivda in 1991 who went on to have a distinguished 12-year professional baseball career along with a gold medal in the 2000 Olympics.
•Charles “Chuck” Smith: A 1973 Ringgold High graduate, Chuck was the Rams' first two-time All-Mon Valley Conference selection both in 1971 and 1972 as a defensive tackle. More than 100 colleges enlisted his services. West Virginia University was Smith's choice where he put his name in the school's record book with 100 assisted tackles, which is still tops today. Smith was an Honorable Mention All American and was named to WVU's 1970-79 all-time team. The Cleveland Browns signed Smith to a contract where he played in an exhibition game before the cuts. Next, Smith played for semipro teams, the Clarksburg Red Raiders and Washington Generals, all the while nursing a hip injury. With a Master's degree in safety engineering, Smith is president and founder of West General Transit, Inc. along with Cambros Manufactured Housing, and Ave and Bell Estates.
•Ed Zuraw: A 1957 Charleroi High graduate, Ed began competitive pole vaulting at age 13. Ed would set Mon Valley Track Meet records of 10'10” as a junior and 11'9” as a senior. A graduate of West Virginia University in 1966, he set records for pole vault hitting 15 feet as a senior. As a coach at Herndon High in Virginia, his teams turned out several local, regional and state champions. In 1979 he began coaching at George Mason University. One of his players was Rob Mussio, a decathlon competitor in the 1992 Olympics. In the 1980s Ed competed on the US Senior Masters Tour and at one point was ranked as a No. 1 pole vaulter in his class. Ed is the second member of his family to be inducted into the MMVASHOF. His brother George Zuraw, a longtime Major League baseball scout and executive, was elected in 2001.
Along with the Hall of Fame inductees, 18 senior scholar athletes from Mon Valley high schools will also be honored. Those high schools are Belle Vernon Area, Bentworth, Brownsville, California, Charleroi, Elizabeth Forward, Monessen, Ringgold, and Yough.
The MMVASHOF selection committee includes Chairman Brian Herman, Carl Crawley Jr, Dale Hamer, Tom Jenkins, Bill Kubin, Randy Marino, Stan Milchovich, Steve Russell, and Bill Hughes.
The Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame is one of 28 chapters of The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame comprised of four geographical regions. Organized with its induction class in 1963, the state ceremonial dinner rotates between the four regions. The Mid Mon Valley chapter has inducted 17 members into the state Hall of Fame.
Tickets are $40 and seating is limited. To reserve tickets contact Steve Russell, Hall of Fame General Chairman, at (724) 258-3823 or email at stephenrussell1106@comcast.net.
Mid Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame memorabilia can be viewed at the Hall of Fame museum at the Bentleyville Best Western Garden Inn (724-239-4321). The Sports Hall of Fame web site is http://www.monvalleysportshalloffame.com.
