Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Massive class headed to Hall
20 people and three teams to be inducted in two ceremonies
WEST GROVE » It’s been a busy summer for the Chester County Sports Hall of Fame, and the payoff comes this fall when a total of 20 individuals and three teams are to be inducted in two ceremonies.
The list includes seven that make up the 11th class of regular honorees, who will be enshrined at a banquet on Nov. 10 at Downingtown Country Club. An eighth individual will join that group: former CCSHOF President, Jerry Schneider, who recently ended his 10-year reign. He was replaced by Julian McCracken.
“I did it for 10 years and had a lot of fun with it,” said Schneider, who lives in West Grove. “But I’m still involved.”
The rest (12 individuals and four teams) will go into the hall of fame at the organization’s Second Annual Historic Member Induction Luncheon, slated for Sept. 14 at Timothy’s Restaurant in West Chester.
According to Schneider, the idea of a local sports hall of fame came in the mid2000s, when friends Dick Yoder, Howie Bedell, Roy Jackson and Schneider were having lunch. Yoder brought up the idea of building a minor league ballpark on the Wyeth Property in West Chester.
“I said, ‘well, if we are going to have a stadium, we have to be like Wilmington and have a hall of fame,” recalled Schneider, who was referencing the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame that is located in Frawley Stadium, which is home to the Wilmington Blue Rocks.
“I heard that (current vice president) Charlie DeMarco and (former Daily Local News Sports Editor) Greg Greenday had been talking about a hall of fame, so I hooked up with those guys and we put the thing together.”
Schneider became one of the founders of the CCSHOF. He was unanimously voted in by the organization’s board of directors, who cited his “low-key yet firm leadership.”
“I’m really pleased with what’s happened through the first decade,” he said. “We recently counted it up and we’ll have 158 individual inductees, nine teams and one horse.”
Here is a synopsis of the remaining members of the 2018 Class:
Kathy McCartney
The longtime head basketball coach at Villa Maria, she has guided the Hurricanes to 588 victories in 21 seasons. Along the way, Villa Maria has captured 15 league titles, 10 District 1 championships and made five PIAA semifinal appearances. As a player, she was the first 1,000-point scorer at Bishop Shanahan and played collegiately at Manhattan and La Salle.
Stephen Dennis
A three-year high school basketball starter at West Chester Henderson, Dennis led the Warriors to three Ches-Mont titles, and was a two-time All-League player and the Daily Local News Player of the Year as a senior. At Kutztown, he was a starter and All-League selection for four years. His senior season, he averaged 26 points a game and was named the Division II Player of the Year. Dennis exited as KU’s all-time leading scorer (2,406) as well as assists leader (447). He plays professionally in Israel.
David Domsohn
Set the Coatesville High School and ChesMont league soccer scoring record with 109 career goals. A graduate in 1985, Domsohn was a four-time, first-team All-League pick and twice the league MVP. His 31 league goals as a senior set a Ches-Mont record and earned him AllState honors. At Bucknell, Domsohn was a first-team All-Conference pick, and he wound up setting career records for goals (52), assists (34) and points (138). He grabbed All-American honors in 1988 and 1989 and scored more career goals than any player in East Coast Conference history.
Payton Black Hobbs
One of the most decorated basketball players in county history, Black was a high school All-American at Unionville in 1996. She was a four-year All-League pick and amassed 1,737 career points. As a senior, she was also All-League in tennis and lacrosse. Black went on to star at Duke, where she scored 1,312 points and grabbed 514 rebounds. She also played professionally in Germany.
Cheryl Holland Hunstock
A three-sport standout at Great Valley, Holland was a two-year All-Ches-Mont selection in field hockey, basketball and Lacrosse. At West Chester, she earned 10 varsity letters and was a member of the 1975 and 1977 WCU field hockey teams that won national titles. She was also the team captain in basketball her senior year. Holland was inducted into the WCU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.
Bruce Davidson
One of the area’s most accomplished international equestrian competitors, Davidson first joined the U.S. Olympic team in 1971, and went on to win two gold medals in 1976 and 1984 and two silvers in 1972 and 1996. In the mid-1970s, the Unionville resident became the first rider to win backto-back World Equestrian Championships. Davidson was named the U.S. Equestrian Association’s leading rider every year from 198095.
David Strock
A three-sport athlete at Owen J. Roberts, Strock was the kicker at Virginia Tech for three seasons. He once booted a 59-yard field goal that set an NCAA record. Strock was a punter/ kicker for the USFL’s Florida Blazers in 1974. He went on to serve as the athletic director at Owen J. Roberts for 33 years.
The following are thumbnails of the Historic Member Class of 2018:
Henry ‘Ted’ Baldwin
A native of Chadds Ford, Baldwin played professional baseball for eight seasons, including a stint in 1927 with the Philadelphia Phillies. He also spent four seasons (1923-26 with the Seattle Indians of the Pacific Coast League and was later a player-manager with the Portland (Maine) Mariners of the New England League. Baldwin died in 1954 at the age of 69.
Thomas D. ‘Jake’ Cauller
One of the two top local softball pitching aces along with ‘Sudden’ Sam Riccardo (CCSHOF Class of 2013), Cauller dominated the fast-pitch scene for decades. A native of Coatesville, Cauller once pitched 32 straight innings at the 1965 Class A Pennsylvania Championship for the host Wagontown Flyers.
W. Burling ‘Burley’ Cocks
A longtime resident of Unionville, Cocks was the nation’s leading trainer of steeplechase horses five times from 1948-1986. He conditioned 49 stakes winners, including Hall of Famer Zaccio. In 1985, Cocks was inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame.
Dr. Benedict E. ‘Ben’ Coren
An All-American lineman at West Chester, Coren was a fierce 165-pound guard for legendary coach W. Glenn Killinger. He played in the Burley Bowl in 1947 and the Cigar Bowl in 1948, and was later inducted into the WCU Football and the Pennsylvania Sports halls of fame. Coren also coached West Chester and Sun Valley high schools and on the staff at Cheyney.
John S. ‘Pop’ Corkhill
Born in Parkesburg in 1858, Corkhill played Major League Baseball for 10 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, the Philadelphia Athletics and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He died in 1921.
George ‘Lefty’ Demko
An outstanding player on outstanding teams in the last 1950s, Demko was a dominating two-way lineman at West Chester. Hailing from Catasauqua, he was a co-captain of the 1957 Golden Rams squad that was undefeated. The team’s record during his three years was 21-4 under head coach W. Glenn Killinger. Demko is also a member of the WCU Athletic Hall of Fame.
Charles L. Graham
Coached six different sports at WCU from 193651. He began the school’s swimming and diving program, and amassed a 52-49 record. He was also 48-19-1 coaching the cross country team (1936-50) and 1311-2 as the head men’s soccer coach (1942-45). West Chester’s Graham Natatorium is named in his honor.
Alice Gray
Born in Cambridge, Mass., but raised in West Chester, Gray was an outstanding amateur golfer. She won the Pennsylvania State Women’s Amateur crowns in 1961 and 1963. She was also the club champion at West Chester Golf and Country Club and Merion Golf Club, where her father was president. Gray later served as the club pro at West Chester and Edgmont country clubs.
Erma Keyes
Born in Frazer in 1926, Keyes played in the AllAmerican Girls Professional Baseball League in the early 1950s. She later won the Pennsylvania State Women’s Golf Association Seniors Championship three times.
Bayard H. ‘Bud’ Sharp
The West Chester native played two seasons with MLB’s Boston Nationals, and six additional seasons with the Oakland Oaks. Illness ended his playing career, where he became the Oaks’ manager, and he led Oakland to the PCL pennant in 1912. He died at age 34 in 1916.
Marion Lawrence ‘Larry’ Shields
A premier middle-distance runner, Shields grabbed a bronze medal in the 1,500 meter at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. The West Chester native was also part of the U.S. gold medal winning 3,000 meter relay race.
Thomas W. Taylor
A captain and second baseman for the Brandywine Baseball Club for 18 seasons, Taylor was instrumental in starting the club.
Brandywine Baseball Club
Formally organized in 1865, the team featured 2530 young professionals, students and clerks.
Kennett Gray Sox
One of several all-black community baseball teams that played across the country in the first half of the 1900s.
Kennett Mohicans
Founded in 1875, the Mohicans boasted one of the best amateur baseball squads in the late 1800s. Major Leaguer Mike Grady got his start with the team in the 1890s.
Parkesburg Iron Company
The PICO baseball teams from 1917-21 were the most acclaimed in the region. The team played numerous Major League and Negro League teams of the era, including a game against Ty Cobb and the Detroit Tigers. In 1920, the squad beat the Philadelphia Phillies and pitcher Casey Stengel.
The semi-pro PICO basketball team started in 1919, and went 71-2 before being outlawed by the Eastern League, where many of its players hailed from. When the 1920-21 season ended, the PICO team had won 45 in a row.