Charles Berry crossed the river from his native
Phillipsburg, NJ 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.
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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, Delaware. 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.
