JAMESTOWN – The Board of Directors of the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame has announced the inductees who will comprise the Class of 2019. The living inductees are Cheryl Bailey (Southwestern, Track & Field), Tiffany Decker (Jamestown, Trapshooting), Vince Gullo (Fredonia, Baseball), Mike Lopriore (Jamestown, Baseball and Sports Training), Bob Palcic (Dunkirk, Football) and Mark Weaver (Jamestown, Martial Arts). The deceased honorees are Jack Harper (Jamestown, Baseball), Charles Johnston (Fredonia, Tennis) and Luella Kye (Cassadaga Valley, Softball and Baseball).
These nine individuals will be formally inducted at the CSHOF’s 38th Annual Banquet, Monday, February 18, 2019, at the Lakewood Rod and Gun Club. The new honorees will bring the total number of CSHOF inductees to 200.
Tickets for the induction dinner are priced at $50. 2019 banquet reservations can be made by calling chairman Chip Johnson at 716-485-6991.
Cheryl Bailey
- Born 1955; graduate of Southwestern Central
- Track and field athlete at SWCS, North Park College & Slippery Rock University
- Head coach Women’s Soccer, Denison University 1979-1988
- Head coach Women’s Track & Field, Denison University, 1981-1988
- Athletic Director Denison University 1979-1990
- Senior Associate Athletic Director University of Wisconsin 1990-2005
- Chair NCAA Women’s Soccer 1987-1993
- Chair NCAA Women’s Basketball 2001-2004
- General Manager US Women’s National Soccer Team 2007-2011
- Executive Director National Women’s Professional Soccer League 2012-2015
Tiffany (Seekings) Decker
- Born 1970; graduate of Jamestown High
- Trapshooter 1991-present
- Competed and won at meets in NY, PA, OH, NC & FL
- Many-time champion in singles, doubles, handicap, high all around & high over all events
- 10-time Amateur Trapshooting Association All-New York State Team 2009-2018; including multiple team captaincies
- 7-time Amateur Trapshooting Association All-American Team 2013-2019
- Inductee NYS Trapshooting Hall of Fame 2018
Vince Gullo
- Born 1967; graduate of Fredonia Central
- Baseball, soccer and basketball player at Fredonia High; Baseball at Brockport
- Head baseball coach at Fredonia Central 2002-present
- Record 305-106-1
- Nine CCIAC League championships
- Ten Section 6 championships
- Five NYS Far West Regional championships
- Two NYS Class B championships 2006, 2013
- Four-time Post-Journal Baseball Coach of the Year 2006, 2009, 2013, 2016
- Two-time NYS Class B Coach of the Year 2006, 2013
- Coached seven All-Western New York players
- Coached two NYS Class B Players of the Year
Jack Harper
- Born 1878; died 1950
- Lived in Jamestown (1908-1950) following his retirement from baseball
- Pitcher in minor leagues 1898-1900; won 20 games for Ft. Wayne in 1990
- Pitcher in major leagues 1899-1906: Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Browns, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs
- Major League record: 80-64, 1208 innings pitched, 466 strikeouts, 3.55 ERA
- Record of 23-13 with Cardinals in 1901
- Record of 23-9 with Reds in 1904
- Believed to be the first player in history of Organized Baseball to receive a portion of his sale to another team – Garry Herrmann, owner of Cincinnati, reportedly gave Harper $1000 of the proceeds when he was sold to Chicago in 1906
Charles Johnston
- Born 1930; died 2017
- Tennis coach Fredonia Central 1962-1989
- Overall record 374-47; seven undefeated seasons
- Seventeen Chautauqua County championships
- Thirteen Section 6 championships
- NYS Coach of the Year 1982
- National Coaches Association Northeast Coach of the Year 1983
- Section 6 Tennis Chairman 1972-1985
- CCIAC Tennis Chairman 1970-1985
- Fredonia High School Wall of Fame 2003Grape Belt Hall of Fame 2003
Luella (Baker) Kye
- Born 1932; died 2012; graduate Cassadaga Valley Central
- Catcher for Koch’s Annies softball team 1949-1953
- First female umpire east of the Mississippi River (1961)
- Umpired baseball and softball for 20 years
- Instrumental in introducing Babe Ruth League softball in Chautauqua County; coached and organized clinics
- Inductee Chautauqua County Umpires Association Hall of Fame
- Inductee Western New York Softball Hall of Fame
Michael Lopriore
- Born 1950; graduate of Jamestown High
- Certified athletic trainer 1977-2012
- Head athletic trainer at University of New Orleans
- Head basketball trainer University of Louisiana-Lafayette & Kansas State U
- Athletic trainer for Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers & LA Dodgers
- Rehab director for New York Mets & Arizona Diamondbacks
- Head athletic trainer for Santurce Crabbers (LA Dodgers winter ball)
- Athletic trainer for Seattle Seahawks & Cochise College
- Appearances at numerous NCAA Division 1 basketball and baseball tournaments and championships
- 1988 World Series champion with Dodgers
Bob Palcic
- Born 1948; graduate of Cardinal Mindszenty High (Dunkirk)
- Captain University of Dayton football team
- Coached football at University of Dayton, Ball State, University of Wisconsin, University of Arizona, Ohio State University, University of Southern California, University of California Los Angeles, Southern Methodist University
- Coached 12 years in the NFL with Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints
- Coached 2 years in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts
- Coached the Ljubljana Silver Hawks in Slovenia
- Coached 3 Outland Trophy winners: Joe Thomas, Jonathan Ogden, Gabe Carimi
- Coached in 12 college bowl games, 4 NFL playoff games and 2 Grey Cups
Grandmaster Mark A. Weaver
- Born 1970; works at GA Family Services in Jamestown
- 42-year involvement in martial arts; recipient of 8th degree black belt
- Proficient in disciplines of karate, Gung-Fu, Kuntao, Ninjitsu, kickboxing, Shaolin Yangshen Kung-Fu; trained in Japan, Singapore, Korea and Thailand
- Founder/CEO Warrior Combat International
- Inductee USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame (2015)
- International Fellowship of Martial Arts Grandmaster of the Year in Asian Martial Arts (2016)
- Action Magazine Martial Arts Hall of Fame Excellence in Teaching Award (2017); named in Who’s Who in Martial Arts book
- USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame Kung-Fu Master of the Year (2017)
- Coached U.S. National Martial Arts Team (2015, 2018)
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