Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Pottstown greats headline Tri-County class

Call it an even split.

That’s what the final ballot revealed for this year’s Tri-County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame, with three of Pottstown High School’s former standouts and three coaches (two of whom weren’t bad athletes in their day, either) picking up enough votes to make up the 32nd class of inductees.

Scott Glenn, Paul Green and Michael Perate, who excelled on Pottstown football, basketball, wrestling, track and field, and baseball teams during their careers, along with coaches James Goodhart, Bruce Hallman and Tom McGee, will be honored at the annual induction dinner Saturday, Oct. 17 at The Elks.

“We’re very proud of our newest class of inductees,” said Elmer “Chump” Pollock, president of the organization and chairman of the Hall of Fame program.

Glenn was a three-sport standout at Pottstown before graduating in 1984. He was the captain of the football team, earning All Ches-Mont League honors as a running back in his junior and senior seasons. He also served as the captain for the basketball and track teams. In track, he was a district and state qualifier in three events – the 100 and 200 meters as well as the long jump.

Glenn’s football career continued at West Virginia Tech, where he starred as a running back, setting the school’s career rushing mark – which still stands – and earning honorable mention All-American honors. Glenn has since coached football at Unionville High School and returned to his alma mater as an assistant for two seasons.

Green was a standout in football and wrestling at Pottstown before graduating in 1984. Coaches and fans first learned of Green when he posted an undefeated (93-0) record as a junior high school wrestler. After moving up to the high school team, he went on to win two section, three district and two regional championships, capping his career with the PIAA-Class AA state title and an 80-8 career record.

The younger brother of the late Jeff Green – who was previously inducted into the Tri-County Chapter’s Hall of Fame – Green’s wrestling career continued at Morgan State University. He was selected to the Freshman All-American team, won four Mid-Eastern Conference titles, and finished up with a 147-24-4 career mark. Green later served as an assistant wrestling coach at Morgan State and Coppin State University, and is currently the head coach at Falls Church High School in Va.

Perate had outstanding basketball and baseball careers at Pottstown before graduating in 1994. A three-year starter for the Trojans’ basketball team, he was a three-time All-Pioneer Athletic Conference and Mercury All-Area selection, and finished with 1,315 career points. He also earned All PAC-10 and Mercury All-Area honors in baseball for his efforts as a first baseman-pitcher – hitting over .400 and compiling a 5-1 mark on the mound as a senior.

Perate accepted a scholarship to play baseball at Villanova University. He played four seasons for the Wildcats, serving as the team captain his senior year.

Goodhart was an outstanding baseball player at Pottstown, where he had been a very successful manager for the Steelers’ American Legion team before expanding opportunities for Pottstown-area youngsters by starting up, supervising and coaching the Pottstown Police Athletic League program.

A 1968 graduate of Pottstown, Goodhart was an All Ches-Mont League selection and the Steelers’ team MVP in 1967 and again in 1969. He attended Moravian College, where he was a two-time All-Middle Atlantic Conference second baseman and later named Moravian’s Athlete of the Year in 1972. He served as the Steelers’ manager for four summers, then was instrumental in starting up the PAL Spartans’ ballclub. Goodhart’s success – more than 300 wins as a coach – and his dedication to baseball has enabled the PAL program to expand to three additional teams.

Hallman was a wrestler and member of the track and field team at Boyertown High School before graduating in 1971. He once owned both the school and league pole vault records, and excelled in the event at Shippensburg University.

After returning to his alma mater, Hallman served as an assistant wrestling coach for the Bears before taking over the program in 1981. Before he stepped down from the position after 24 years, his teams won section titles in the Berks Conference, Pioneer Athletic Conference championships as well as section and district titles in District 1. A recipient of a Summit Award three years ago, Hallman – who compiled a 303-140 career record at Boyertown – has been inducted into the District 1 Wrestling Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame.

McGee, a native of the Norristown area, graduated from Hofstra University in 1971. His basketball coaching career began at Norristown’s Rittenhouse and Eisenhower junior high schools, where he had a combined 94-12 career record.

After taking over the St. Pius X boys program in 1978, McGee led the Lions to a pair of District 1 titles, the PIAA-Class A state championship in 1979 and an overall mark of 187-143 in 13 seasons. He returned to coaching in 1993 at Norristown High School, and in seven seasons helped the Eagles to four Suburban One League titles and four appearances in the state playoffs before finishing with a 145-48 overall mark. McGee, who was recognized six seasons as the Coach of the Year by The Mercury and Times Herald during his career, was a Summit Award recipient two years ago.