For the past 60 years, The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame has honored and inducted over 780 incredible men and women who have made a lasting impact in Pennsylvania through extraordinary athletic achievement and contributions. Whether these activities have been achieved on or off the field, we honor them. Through our future virtual museum, we educate and celebrate their achievements for years to come.
The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame’s 2024 Induction Ceremony and Dinner is Saturday, November 2, 2024 at Delaware County’s The Drexelbrook Event Center..
Harold "Pie" Traynor
Deceased
Year Inducted:1963
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Harold “Pie” Traynor (November 11, 1898 – March 16, 1972) was a National League third baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1920 to 1935 with a stint as Pirates’ manager from 1934 through 1939. He was considered the best fielding third baseman of his era. Traynor batted .320 over his career with two All Star appearances in 1933 and 1934. Traynor was part of the 1925 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates when they defeated the Washington Senators. Later in his career he was a Pirate scout and radio broadcaster. In 1948 the Baseball Writers placed Traynor in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was a finalist for MLB’s All Century Team in 1999.
Chuck "Concrete Charlie" Bednarik
Deceased
Year Inducted:1963
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Charles Philip Bednarik (May 1, 1925 – March 21, 2015), nicknamed Concrete Charlie, was a professional American football player, known as one of the most devastating tacklers in the history of football and the last full-time two-way player in the National Football League. He was selected to the Pro Bowl 8 times and won 2 NFL Championships. 10 time First-Team All-Pro and member of the 1950s All-Decade Team. He won the Maxwell Award in 1948, was inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame who also retired his number (60) for their team.
Roberta Bonniwell
Deceased
Year Inducted:1963
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Roberta Bonniwell own career was cut short when an injured knee kept her from competing in the 1936 Olympic Games, then four years later when the 1940 Tokyo Games were cancelled because of World War II. This revolutionary figure for women’s gymnastics did, however, enjoy much success on the national stage as a coach for three Olympic Games. It is believed that Bonniwell was responsible for the first class of women in the US Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1974.
Henry "Barney" Ewell
Deceased
Year Inducted:1963
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Henry Norwood "Barney" Ewell (February 25, 1918 – April 4, 1996) was an American track star, winner of one gold and two silver medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics. While a student at Pennsylvania State University, he ran the 100 m and 200 m races and won 12 gold medals and championships in collegiate meets between 1940 and 1942. He also won 11 gold medals in AAU national meets between 1939 and 1948.
Glenn G Killinger
Deceased
Year Inducted:1963
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William Glenn Killinger (September 13, 1898 – July 25, 1988) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He was a 3 letter Athlete at Penn State University and All-American Football player in 1921. He then played in the National Football League for the Canton Bulldogs, New York Giants, and for Philadelphia Quakers of the first American Football League in 1926. He served as a head football coach for numerous college teams including Dickinson College (1922), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1927–1931), Moravian College (1933), West Chester University of Pennsylvania (1934–1941, 1945–1959), and with the North Carolina Pre-Flight School (1944),with a career college football record of 176–72–16. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1971.
John "Hans" Lobert
Deceased
Year Inducted:1963
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John Bernard "Hans" Lobert (October 18, 1881 – September 14, 1968) was an American third baseman, shortstop, coach, manager and scout in Major League Baseball. Lobert batted .274 for his career and played 14 seasons (1903, 1905–17) with five National League clubs, including regular stints as a third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds (1906–10) and Philadelphia Phillies (1911–14). He also played with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1903), Chicago Cubs (1905) and New York Giants (1915–17). During his career, Lobert was known as one of the fastest players in the game. Throughout his career he stole 316 bases over 14 seasons. He later coached the United States Military Academy at West Point University and then served as a full-time scout for the New York Giants in 1928.
Cornelius "Connie" Mack
Deceased
Year Inducted:1963
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Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an MLB player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins (3,731), losses (3,948), and games managed (7,755), with his victory total being almost 1,000 more than any other manager. Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics for the club's first 50 seasons of play. He retired at age 87 following the 1950 season. He was also a part-owner from 1901 to 1954. He was the first manager to win the World Series three times, and is the only manager to win consecutive Series on separate occasions (1910–11, 1929–30); his five Series titles remain the third most by any manager, and his nine American League pennants rank second in league history. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.
Stanley "Stan" Musial
Deceased
Year Inducted:1963
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Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial (November 21, 1920 – January 19, 2013), nicknamed "Stan the Man", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and first baseman. He spent 22 seasons playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, from 1941 to 1944 and 1946 to 1963. Musial batted .331 over his career and set National League (NL) records that have since been beaten for career hits (3,630), runs batted in (1,951), games played (3,026), at bats (10,972), runs scored (1,949) and doubles (725). He was a seven-time batting champion and MVP winner 3 times. He also won 3 World Series Championship titles with St. Louis while being selected for 24 All-Star games. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 and later was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2011. He was selected to the MLB All-Century Team in 1999.
Arnold D Palmer
Deceased
Year Inducted:1963
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Arnold D Palmer (September 10, 1929 - September 25, 2016) was one of the greatest golfers to ever live. His career spanned more than six decades during which he won 62 PGA Tour Titles from 1955 to 1973 making him fifth on the Tour's all-time victory list. He won seven major titles and is widely considered along with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player to be responsible for popularizing and commercializing golf around the world. He also helped break down the perception of golf being only an upper-class pastime with his humble beginnings.
James F. "Jim" Thorpe
Deceased
Year Inducted:1963
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James Francis Thorpe May 22 or 28, 1887 – March 28, 1953) was a Native American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. He was a member of the Sac and Fox Nation. Thorpe was the first Native American to win a gold medal for his home country. He is still considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports. Winner of Olympic gold medals in the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon, and played football (collegiate and professional), professional baseball, and basketball. He lost his Olympic titles after it was found he had been paid for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics, thus violating the amateurism rules that were then in place. In 1983, 30 years after his death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) restored his Olympic medals.
Thorpe played six seasons in Major League Baseball with the New York Giants. He also played for six teams in the NFL winning three championships with the Canton Bulldogs. He was the first president of the American Professional Football Association which later became the NFL in 1922. He was an amazing athlete and was a force to be reckoned with in every different sport he ventured into.
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