Nov. 12, 2000
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) -
Lafayette College's 15 Greatest Athletes
of the 20th Century will be honored Friday, Nov. 17, at the Maroon Club
Hall of Fame Dinner in Marquis Hall.
From the 1976-77 athletic seasons through last year, the Maroon Club has
inducted at least two former Lafayette student-athletes, coaches,
administrators, or contributors to the Maroon Club Athletic Hall of Fame.
The Lafayette Maroon Club Hall of Fame now totals 82 members.
In celebration and recognition of the year 2000, the Maroon Club Hall of
Fame Committee found it appropriate to honor Lafayette's 15 Greatest
Athletes of the 20th Century.
Listed in alphabetical order, Lafayette's 15 Greatest Athletes of the 20th
Century are as follows:
William H. "Bill" Anderson '19
Bill Anderson's contribution to Lafayette athletics spanned a 45-year
period beginning in 1915. He joined Lafayette's varsity basketball team as
a freshman. By the time he was graduated in 1919, Anderson had become the
school's first 1,000 point scorer, spent two years as Lafayette's one and
only player-coach, and captained the 1918-19 team. His scoring total of
1,211 points remained a Lafayette record for half a century. Anderson
coached Lafayette's basketball team for a total of 11 seasons (1917-19,
1920-25, 1945-49), racking up 139 wins and 82 losses (.629 winning
percentage). He became Lafayette's athletic director in 1945 and his first
post-war team won 17 of 20 games to produce the best record ever for a
Lafayette basketball club. His 1948-49 squad was the first 20-game winner
(20-9) in school history. In 1949, he decided to concentrate his energies
as athletic director and remained in that position until 1960.
Francis X. "Frank" Baur '90
Lafayette's career passing leader with 8,399 yards, Frank Baur '90 owns or
shares 15 school passing records. He was at the helm of the 1988 squad
which won the Colonial League title, and the following year was elected
team captain. His 400 yards passing against Army in 1987 still stands as
the school record, and is just one of his 13 games in which he passed for
over 225 yards. Honored as a First-Team All-American in 1988 by both the
Associated Press and Football Gazette, Baur owns six school total offense
records. He was the first Leopard to ever participate in the Hula Bowl for
college all-stars.
Charles F. "Charlie" Berry '25
Charles Berry crossed the river from his native Phillipsburg, N.J. to
become one of the all-time gridiron greats at Lafayette. He played four
years of football and baseball and captained both teams as a senior. In
1924, Walter Camp named him to his All-America team at end and he later
played with the Pottsville Maroons of the National Football League. He was
an outstanding baseball catcher and played for the Philadelphia Athletics,
Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox of the American League. After his
playing days, Berry turned to coaching and produced a 33-6-4 record in five
years as head football coach at Grove City College. He also managed the
Philadelphia A's farm club in Wilmington, Del. His versatility continued
as he gained fame as a major league baseball umpire for 20 years and pro
football head linesman for 24 campaigns. He is the only man ever to work a
World Series and NFL championship in one year. He once umpired a baseball
doubleheader in Chicago in the afternoon and officiated the College
All-Star grid classic in the evening. In 1969, Berry was named to the
Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
Stacey Cagenello '87
Stacey Cagenello ranks among the great student-athletes in Lafayette
College history. A standout basketball and softball player, Cagenello won
the Charles L. Albert '08 Award as the outstanding athlete of her senior
class. As a guard, she played in all 115 games during her career, helping
the Leopards to an 85-30 record. She owns three basketball school records
and is the program's second-leading scorer (1,521) and 10th leading
rebounder (518). She got off to a super start as a freshman in 1983-84,
earning the East Coast Conference's (ECC) Rookie of the Year prize after
leading Coach Pat Fisher's team in scoring (13.9), games (26), assists (67)
and steals (57). She helped the Leopards to the ECC Championship as a
sophomore, winning tournament MVP honors. The 1984-85 squad finished with
a school-record 24 wins and a 16-game league winning streak. She became
the fourth female player to clear the 1,000 point plateau as a junior, when
the team compiled a 21-8 mark. For her efforts, Cagenello earned a spot on
the All-ECC second team. The Leopards clinched their second ECC crown in
three years behind Cagenello's 20 points in the final against Lehigh. She
was chosen to the All-Tournament team and named a first team All-ECC
selection. She ended her basketball career as the third-highest scorer in
conference history. On the softball diamond, Cagenello was a two-time ECC
MVP as a shortstop and hit for a career .347 average.
Peter J. "Pete" Carril '52
No one loves the game of basketball more than Pete Carril, a diminutive
former guard at 5'6, who starred on Lafayette's 1951-52 team coached by
Butch van Breda Kolff. He captained the club, leading the Leopards to a
15-9 record with his 18.0 points per game scoring average. He had several
30-point games his senior year including one 34-pointer against Bucknell,
which at the time tied George Davidson's '51 record for most points in a
game. He was named to the first Associated Press all-state team with Tom
Gola, Bill Milkvy, Jesse Arnell, Dick Rickette, Ernie Beck and Larry
Hennessey. Carrill was further honored by being selected to the Little
All-American team for players under 6'0. Following a short stint in the
Army, he moved on to his most successful profession, that of coaching. He
entered the field as junior varsity coach at Easton High School in 1954,
and after coaching the varsity at Easton and Reading High Schools, the
Bethlehem native got a chance to take the helm at Lehigh University in his
hometown. In his first and only season there, 1966-67, Carril lifted
Lehigh to an 11-12 record, its best season in 15 years, climaxed by a sweep
of the two-game series with his alma mater, the first time the Engineers
had accomplished that feat in 20 years. Later in 1967, Carril was off to
Princeton, succeeding his former college coach van Breda Kolff. In 1975,
his Tigers upset the field to win the NIT. Perhaps one of the best
defensive teachers of all-time, Carril's squads were perennially in the top
10 in the nation in defense. Carril retired from coaching at the conclusion
of the 1995-96 season with a career coaching record of 514-261.
Otis B. Ellis '89
A stalwart on the last Leopard men's basketball team to win 20 games, Otis
is still the second-leading scorer in school history with 1,870 points. An
awesome rebounder, Otis led the team in that category for all four seasons
he played. In addition, Otis led the team in scoring as a sophomore,
junior and senior. With 35 points in the Leopards' 83-68 upset of NCAA
Tournament bound Notre Dame, Otis recorded Lafayette's 16th-highest
single-game point total. He helped lead the Maroon and White to a combined
69-48 record in his four seasons of basketball on College Hill.
Frank W. Hiller '43
Frank Hiller used a brilliant high school and college pitching record as a
springboard to 12 professional baseball seasons, the longest professional
status of any Lafayette College alumnus. He was undefeated at Irvington
(N.J.) High School and compiled a 22-2 record at Lafayette before being
signed into the professional ranks by the New York Yankees. He had also
been the interest of the Philadelphia Athletics. Bucky Harris, manager of
the Athletics in 1943 remarked, "I like the boy because he has intestinal
fortitude, the most important thing for a pitcher to have next to a steel
arm." After several seasons in the minor leagues, Hiller made his first
major league appearance for the Yankees in 1946. He was traded to the
Chicago Cubs in 1950 and welcomed the trade by turning in his best major
league season. He posted a 12-5 record with a 3.53 earned run average
while appearing in 38 games. That same year, and again in 1951, he won
complete nine-inning games while facing the minimum of batters (27), but
did not pitch a no-hitter. This is believed to be a major league record.
In 1952, Hiller was traded to the Cincinnati Reds and he concluded his big
league career with the New York Giants in 1953. He retired after pitching
for the San Francisco Seals of the Giants minor league system in 1954. In
five full and two partial big league seasons, Hiller pitched in 138 games
with a record of 30-32.
J. Alfred LeConey '23
No Lafayette track star has gained more fame than J. Alfred LeConey. At
Lafayette he set numerous sprint records including a 9.7 clocking in the
100-yd. dash which remained intact until 1974. He won three IC4A
championships as a senior. But he is remembered most for his performance
as the anchor man for the 1924 U.S. Olympic 400 meter relay team which took
the gold medal in Paris with a world record clocking of 41 seconds. After
his return form the Olympics, LeConey entered a challenge match with the
famous Charley Paddock. LeConey covered the 100-yd. distance to win in 9.4
seconds- the fastest ever recorded to that time. The effort was later
disallowed when judges ruled that the time was wind-aided. In 1932 he
received an unusual honor when a picture of him at the 1924 Olympics was
used by the U.S. Post Office in developing a commemorative stamp.
Erik J. Marsh '95
The all-time rushing leader in both Lafayette and Patriot League football
history, Erik Marsh '94 made an imprint on the Lafayette program that will
be talked about for years to come. In fact, he is the only honoree being honored who is not yet in the Maroon Club Hall of Fame, because he just
graduated in 1995. A Hellertown, Pa., native, Marsh rushed for 4,834 yards
in his four years at tailback while also setting the Lafayette and Patriot
League mark for single-game rushing attempts with 46. The All-American
candidate was the 1991 Patriot League Rookie of the Year and helped
Lafayette to the 1992 Patriot League title as the league's Offensive Player
of the Year his sophomore season. Marsh received the league's Offensive
Player of the Year honor again in 1993, as the Leopards were the Patriot
League runners-up. A two-time first-team All-Patriot League selection,
Marsh missed only two games (to injury) during his collegiate career and
holds school records for career all-purpose yardage (5,569), single-season
rushing attempts (304) and single-season yardage (1,441). Marsh closed out
his senior season as a co-captain and the Patriot League's MVP selection,
and was signed as a free agent by the New York Jets following graduation.
Maureen E. McManus '87
One of the greatest athletes to ever play on College Hill, Maureen "Mo"
McManus '87 was a stalwart on the hardwood for the women's basketball
program. McManus is the school's all-time leading scorer, amassing 1,813
points from 1983-87. Upon induction, she held 12 additional school marks,
including most points in a season (626). Known as a potent scorer, McManus
was just as effective on the glass. She hauled in 783 career rebounds,
good for third place on Lafayette's all-time list. In addition, she led
the Leopards to an incredible 85-30 record over her four seasons. A
two-time league MVP, winning the award her junior and senior seasons,
McManus led Lafayette to East Coast Conference Championships in 1983-84 and
1986-87.
Thomas E. Morgan '58
Thomas Morgan batted better than .400 as a junior and senior and was one
of the sparkplugs who helped Lafayette's baseball team advance to the NCAA
Tournament in each of those seasons. In 1958, with Morgan as a senior
captain, the Leopards went beyond regional play and became one of the eight
teams to advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. And even
though they were eliminated with two straight losses, Morgan was recognized
as a second team All-American. His .447 batting average that season ranks
among Lafayette's best ever. A pesky singles hitter who rattled the
opposition with his daring baserunning skills, the 5'8", 160 pound Morgan
improved his yearly batting averages from .326 as a sophomore, to .411 as a
junior, to .477 as a senior, for a career average of nearly .400. The
team's record for three seasons with Morgan as a starter was 56-21-1.
Janet E. Murray '80
Janet Murray is considered by many to be the best female athlete of the
first decade of co-education at Lafayette College. She is the first woman
inductee of the school's athletic Hall of Fame. During a brilliant
collegiate career, she won an incredible 11 varsity letters and never
played on a losing team. The 11 varsity teams for which she played owned a
combined win-loss record of 110-49-9. As a senior, Murray captained
Lafayette's field hockey, basketball and softball teams. She was a two
time MVP in field hockey and MVP in basketball as a junior. Her field
hockey coach at the time, Sharon Mitchell, labeled Murray, "the finest
athlete I've ever coached." Murray earned the compliment by being a
four-year starter who was talented enough to try out for the U.S. Olympic
Team.
In basketball as a 5'6" guard, Murray scored a modest 353 career points,
but played in nearly every game over four years. Other career totals
include 234 rebounds and 146 assists. In the spring, Murray turned to
softball after being persuaded to try out for the team by head coach Pat
Fisher. She proved to be a timely hitter who finished with a career batting
average of .318. Soon thereafter, when the sticks, balls and bats were put
away, Murray was recognized at graduation as the winner of the Charles A.
Albert award for top athletic accomplishment.
Frank J. "Dutch" Schwab '23
"Dutch" Schwab ranks with "Babe" Rinehart as the finest football linemen
ever to wear a Lafayette uniform. He captained the 1920 and 1922 Lafayette
teams and twice earned first-team recognition at guard from Walter Camp.
He starred on Lafayette's undefeated team in 1921. In 1969, he was named
to the ECAC's all-time Collegiate Grid Team representing players form the
previous half century. Schwab was the first Lafayette player to be
inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1958. Four
years later, he was named to the Helms Foundation All-Time team for the
post 1920 era.
F. Tracy Tripucka '72
Perhaps no other athlete in Lafayette sports history did as much on the
field of play to bring the College national recognition as did Tracy
Tripucka. Tripucka, the youngest inductee ever to enter the Hall of Fame
at age 29, ushered in the Leopards' bright basketball era of the 1970's in
spectacular fashion. A native of Bloomfield, N.J., Tripucka scored 1,973
points in just three varsity seasons, shattering the previous Lafayette
career mark by more than 700 points. A slender 6-5 180-pound forward,
Tripucka led his teammates to two consecutive Middle Atlantic Conference
West Section championships, and climaxed his great career by helping
Lafayette gain a memorable 72-71 victory over nationally-ranked Virginia in
the opening round of the 1972 NIT. In his final two seasons of basketball,
Tracy was a major factor in Lafayette's drive to prominence in the east,
leading the Leopards to a combined 38-15 record under former coaches Hal
Wissel and Dr. Tom Davis. A tireless worker and probably the best pure
shooter in Lafayette basketball history, Tripucka won individual honors
almost too numerous to mention, including All-America honorable mention for
three consecutive seasons. He was the ECAC's Sophomore-of-the-Year after
setting a school single-season record with 628 points (a mark he later
surpassed), and was also named to the MAC West Section all-star team for
the first of three straight seasons. As a junior, he was first-team
All-East, the MAC West's' Most Valuable Player, and ranked 15th nationally
in scoring with a school record of 672 points (later topped by his brother
Todd). He was also selected to the Associated Press All-Pennsylvania First
Team, and scored a career-high 42 points against Syracuse. As a senior,
Tripucka made just about every pre-season All-America team and finished the
year with a raft of individual awards and College career records, including
most points (1,973), best scoring average (25.0 ppg.), most field goals
(760), most free throws (453), best field goal percentage (.516) and best
free throw percentage (.834) (later surpassed).
Martin "Marty" Zippel '49
The first 1,000-point scorer in modern Lafayette history, Marty Zippel
ushered in a new era of prominence in Leopard basketball when he came to
the Hill in 1945. Renowned as much for his rebounding, defense and
playmaking as his scoring, Zippel dominated the Middle Atlantic Conference
during his brilliant four-year varsity career. An honorable mention
All-American, Zippel scored 1,067 career points and led the Leopards to the
1947 Middle Atlantic Conference championship. He also captained the
1948-49 Leopard basketball team, which ran up a 20-9 record. Marty was
also an outstanding baseball player at Lafayette. In 1948, he was one of
the leading hitters on the Leopard team which went on to win the NCAA
District championship and later competed in the national collegiate
tournament. A Philadelphia native, Zippel picked up the prestigious Class
of 1913 Trophy as Lafayette's top scholar-athlete as a senior. Following
his graduation, he turned down a professional baseball contract with the
Detroit Tigers, opting instead to play professional basketball. He was
drafted by the Baltimore Bullets of the old National Basketball
Association, but signed instead with the Wilkes-Barrre Barons of the former
American Basketball League. He played for the Barons for three seasons and
was one of the leading scorers in the league at the time a knee injury
ended his professional career.
