Inductees

National Baseball League (13 years) 1923-1935. 286 batting average in 5557 at bats. 1424 games. Cubs, Pirates, Cardinals and Reds of the National Baseball League. Played for Cardinals in 1931 World Series. Defeated Philadelphia Athletics in 7 games. Born in Tremont, PA.

3 All-Pro game starter. Played for Green Bay, NY Titans, Steelers, Eagles. 23 North Carolina state records. Second nationally in scoring, 1958. AII- American in 1954. Scored 29 points in a 29-26 win over South Carolina. Returned 2 punts for touchdowns vs. Broncos. Olympic USA High Diving Champion. High School All-County, All-Catholic, All-City.

University of Pittsburgh, 1946-1949. 4-year letterman. 2-way All-American guard. “Colliers” Walter Camp Coaches selection. Jock Sutherland’s “Lineman of the Year,” Was on Tom Harmon’s All-Pennsylvania, N EA, AP, UPI First Team All-Star. Drafted by Pitt Steelers, 1950. Captained U.S. Navy Goslings Champions, 1950. Kulpmont (PA) High School fullback 1945 All-State team and PA Eastern Football Conference Champions. Was team Captain and 4-year starter.

Rookie of the Year, Cincinnati, 1969. All-Pro 1974-76-77-78 Philadelphia Eagles. Led Eagles, tackles, 6 years, 234 in 1976. First Team All-American, 1966. Eagles MVP 1974-76-77. Delco Chapter Hall of Fame, 1987. MVP Pecan Bowl, 1968. Shrine Game, 1968 College All-Stars, 1969 Senior Bowl, 1968 Voted top player in Arkansas State History. Beginning in 1976, he started 79 consecutive games for the Eagles.

Winning Basketball Coach. Coached Williamsport and St. Joseph’s High Schools for 29 years, accumulating 527 wins and 183 losses. 2 PCIAA Eastern Championships. 8 PIAA District Championships. Started basketball program at Northeast Area High School. Initiated Scranton Diocesan Basketball Clinic at St. Andrew. Officiated college and pro basketball. Inducted into the West Branch Valley Chapter (Williamsport, PA) in 1977.

10 Major League seasons with Pittsburgh Pirates. Compiled a record of 103 wins and 76 losses. Hero of 1971 World Series with complete game wins in games 3 and 7. Co-winner of the prestigious Pittsburgh Dapper Dan Award, 1968. Member of 1972 All-Star Team. Very active in Muscular Dystrophy Charities, Childrens Hospital, and Big Brothers. Current Pirate announcer. An inductee of the Western Chapter Hall of Fame, 1981.

“City of Philadelphia Hostess” educator, athlete, official, administrator. Member of Frankford High School, 1922, Field Hockey Champions. Turngemeinde Gymnastics Champions, 1930. All-Sports Official, 1930-1945. Manager/Umpire U.S. Field Hockey Association Team (Australia, 1938). National Chairman, USFA Umpire Committee (1935-1940) Gymnastics Judge, Olympics: London, 1948; Helsinki, 1952; Melbourne, 1956; Rome, 1960; Tokyo, 1964. World Championships: Moscow, 1958; Director of President Roosevelt’s Physical Fitness Program, 1941; Kelly Athletic Award. Inductee of the Philadelphia Chapter Hall of Fame.

Quarterback: Giants, Steelers, Hamilton Tiger Cats, Eagles. 1948-49 NFL Champions. At Nevada University, broke 2 NCAA passing records. Average 24.9 per completion still stands. Delco Chapter Hall of Fame, 1974. Head Coach Springfield High School, 25 years. President, Eagles Alumni. Vice President of Eagles Fly For Leukemia.

Football and basketball official. One of founders of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Served as President, Vice President, Director. One of the founders of the Western Chapter of the P.S.H.F. Inducted into the Western Chapter, P.S.H.F. Dapper Dan Service Award. Football Coach of The Year Clinic. Officiated High School and Major College basketball and football, 35 years. President, original member Collegiate Football and Basketball Officials.

Head Football Coach at Gettysburg College and Norwich University, VT. 3-time letter winner at Penn State University. Captain of the 1957 team. Honorable Mention All-American. Member All-East team. Played in North- South Shrine Game. Head football coach at Mechanicsburg High School. Outstanding fullback-linebacker at Coal Twp. High School. All-State selection in 1952.

Pro football 1935-1942. 2-way 60 minute man, Shenandoah Presidents, PA Professional Football League. Reading Keys, Baltimore Bluebirds, Patterson (NJ) Panthers. Signed contract with Phila. Eagles. Pro basketball with the Mahanoy County (PA) Miners, Schuylkill Haven (PA) Coolerators. Line Coach Western Maryland and George Washington Universities. Scholar Athlete at Western Maryland. Named to All-Maryland Football Team, 1931-32-33. On college All-Opponent Teams, 1931-32-33. Co-capt. senior year at Western Maryland. Honorable Mention and All-American, Western Maryland. First team center on the All-Maryland College Basketball Team, 1933. Outstanding Coaches Award, Montgomery County (MD). Coaches Association, 1958. Inducted into the Western Maryland College Sports Hall of Fame as one of eleven Charter Members, 1978. Inducted in the Jerry Wolman Chapter, P.S.H.F., 1982. Inducted into the Pottsville Area High School All-Sports Hall of Fame, 1986. Inducted into the Allen-Rogowicz Chapter, P.S.H.F., 1988.

Inducted into the Oregon State Sports Hall of Fame in 1985. An assistant coach under Jack Ramsey of the Portland Trailblazers of the NBA. Played for the Trailblazers from 1976-1981. Was a member of Trailblazers 1977 NBA Champions defeating the Phila. 76ers in 6 games. Honored by Sporting News with cover photo and 4-page story in 1978. Played for Old Dominion University where he was co-capt. and MVP for 3 years. Was on many AII-Star, AII- State and All-America teams. Dave was co-capt. of Middletown High School’s 1964-65 undefeated basketball team. Team won Class B, District 3 and PA State Championahip in 1965-66 while he was co-capt. Dave’s High School, Old Dominion, and Trailblazer uniforms have been retired from service. He retired as an active player from the Trailblazers in 1981. Dave worked as Director of Community Relations for the Trailblazers until 1986.

About This Inductee:

• Kingston, Pennsylvania native
• Basketball Coach Perry Joint High School-2 seasons
• West Pittston High School-7 seasons, won 2 league championships
• Coughlin High School-3 seasons won public school city championship
• LCCC-nearly 3 decades, won 9 season championships, 6 post season titles ten-holiday tournament championships, won 459 games and lost only 202
• Wilkes University-2 seasons/Coach of the Year-13 times
• Overall record of 651 wins and 308 losses
• January 2007 LCCC renamed their gym the James T. Atherton Gymnasium
•1990 inducted into Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame
• Inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2007

1990
Jim Atherton is Director of Athletics and basketball coach at Luzerne County Community College. As a high school and college coach, his teams have won 524 games. During his 20 year career at Luzerne, his teams have won seven conference championships five post-season tournaments and eight holiday tournaments. Luzerne, while playing at four different sites, was unbeaten in 55 consecutive home games. He has been selected twelve times as basketball coach of the year by various media. Atherton was featured in the Wilkes University Quarterly (1977) as one of its outstanding alumni. He coached basketball two years at Wilkes and was the recipient both years of the prestigious Schoenfeld Award presented by the C.B.O.A. basketball officials to the team and coach which best-exemplified integrity and sportsmanship. Atherton began his coaching career at Perry Joint High School, New Bloomfield. During his two years on the Perry staff, they won one conference title. As a coach at West Pittston High School for seven years his 59-60 team won the first championship in the history of the school. West Pittston again repeated as conference champion going undefeated in league play and winning 22 consecutive games in 1965. During his three years as basketball coach at Coughlin High School, his teams won one public city championship and never had a losing season. Jim has served two terms as President of the Eastern Pennsylvania Community College Conference and has been Director of basketball camps at the Catholic Youth Center, Wilkes-Barre, the Jewish Community Center, Wilkes-Barre and Camp Saint Andrew, Tunkhannock. He also has given basketball clinics in South America and was guest lecturer at the Federal University of Brazil. He is married to the former Patricia Rosenbaum. They are the parents of five children, daughters Debbie, Lynn and Trish and sons Jim Jr. and Mark.

2007
Jim Atherton began coaching at Perry Joint High School in 1956 when he was appointed one of that school’s co-head coaches. One year later, he was named head coach and in the process, claimed his first championship. He moved on to West Pittston High School where he served seven seasons. The highlights of his young coaching career came in 1960 when his team won the league championship, the first in the school’s history. He would win one more title before accepting the head coaching position at Coughlin High School in 1965. In just three seasons, Jim turned the Crusader basketball team from losers to winners and along the way won the public school city championship. In 1968 Jim turned his attentions to a new community college that had recently graduated its first class and was in need of a coach and a director of athletics. Luzerne County Community College would be home to “Gentleman Jim” Atherton for nearly the next three decades. His Minutemen (now the Trailblazers) would win nine regular season championships, six post-season titles, and ten-holiday tournament championships. As the Community College moved from its facilities in Downtown Wilkes-Barre to its permanent site in Nanticoke, the basketball team was without a gym to call its own. Despite that little inconvenience, Jim’s teams mounted a 55 home game winning streak that would find them playing their “home” games at the Kingston Armory, the Catholic Youth Center, Bishop Hoban High School and finally at LCCC. Jim’s tenure at LCCC was interrupted for two seasons, 1981-1983, as he returned to his alma mater, Wilkes University, to coach the Colonels. During that time his teams finished second in the N.E. Division of the MAC Conference. Coach Atherton amassed an overall record of 651 wins and 308 losses. While at LCCC, he watched his teams win 459 games and lose only 202. During his career, he was selected Coach of the Year by various groups 13 times. He was twice featured in the Wilkes Alumni Magazine as one of its outstanding graduates. The Wyoming Valley Basketball Coaches have recognized him by naming the Outstanding Division II Player award in his honor. He served two terms as President of the Eastern Pennsylvania Community College Conference as well as serving on the organization’s Standards and Ethics Committee. He was also chairman of the State Basketball Committee. Atherton served as Director of Basketball Camps for the following organizations: Camp St. Andrew, the Jewish Community Center, and the Catholic Youth Center. In addition to directing camps, he has lectured at many throughout the country and was a guest lecturer at the Federal University in Brazil, South America, where he conducted a two-week clinic. Jim retired from LCCC in 1997. On January 20, 2007, LCCC held a ceremony renaming their gymnasium in Jim’s honor. Jim and his wife, Patti, have been married 48 years and are now parents of six, Debbie, Jim Jr., Trish, Lynn, Mark and the late Michael Atherton. They also have 12 grandchildren. Jim was inducted into the Luzerne County Sports Hall Of Fame in 1990. “Gentleman Jim” was inducted to the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

He died December 10, 2010.