Ken Davis - A native of Pottstown, Davis graduated from Pottstown High and East Stroudsburg University. After two years teaching in Bangor, he returned to the Pottstown School District where he taught and coached for the next 30 years. After spending a number of years working his way up the coaching ladder, Davis was handed the reins at Pottstown High in 1980 and has fashioned a 374-101 varsity record since. He wasted little time in establishing his team as a perennial power. By the 1982-83 season he won his first District 1 Class AA championship. His teams would go on to play in 10 district championship games. When Pottstown High moved up to AAA classification, even though the competition stiffened, the dominance continued. Pottstown won the District 1 AAA championship in 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1995. Davis led his team into the state tournament 13 times and made it to the quarterfinal level seven times. The highlight of his career came in 1993 when Pottstown won the state championship. Other high water marks included a 27-1 record in 1988, a 28-3 record before losing in the state title game in 1991 and a 30-2 record in 1995. In eight different seasons Davis received Coach of the Year awards from different organizations.

 

Larry Glueck - One of the most storied athletes ever to come out of Lansdale Catholic High, Glueck was named the MVP in football, basketball and baseball during his senior year, 1958-59. He then went on to a standout football career at Villanova, a three-year starter at running back and defensive back. He played in the Sun Bowl and Liberty Bowl before playing in the historic 1963 College All-Star Game in Chicago, in which the college team defeated the vaunted World Champion Green Bay Packers 20-17. After an injury shortened three-year career with the Chicago Bears, Glueck began his coaching career as an assistant at Upper Merion High under Fran Murphy. Soon he moved to the college ranks, serving as a highly regarded assistant coach at Villanova, Penn, Lehigh and Harvard. His defensive acumen was known throughout the college ranks.  In 1986 Glueck became head coach at Fordham (N.Y.) University. He was immediately honored as Liberty Conference Coach of the Year in 1987 and 1988. The Rams made it into the Division II national playoffs in 1987, defeating Hofstra in a first round game. In 1990 Glueck took on the greatest challenge of his career, leading Fordham in the transition from Division III to Division I AA. He left Fordham after the 1993 season and has kept busy by coaching and teaching independently in camps and instructional clinics.

 

Vonnie Gros - When Vonnie Gros came to Ursinus in the mid-50s, she embarked on one of the school’s most celebrated athletic careers. In 1957 she was named All-American in both field hockey and lacrosse. She then played on the United States National Field Hockey Team for 13 years after graduating from Ursinus. But she would go on to make an even greater name for herself as a coach. At West Chester University she coached the field hockey team to a 118-6-13 record. She also coached the lacrosse team. Gros also went on to coach field hockey at Princeton and Ursinus, but it was on the national and international stages that she really gained recognition. She was selected to coach the U.S. Olympic field hockey team in 1980. It was the athletic highlight of her life, only to be ruined when the United States decided to boycott the Olympic Games in Moscow. Fortunately, Gros would receive a second chance when she was asked to return to coach the 1984 Olympic team. Despite being heavy underdogs, she led the U.S. to a bronze medal in 1984, a breakthrough accomplishment for the country in that sport. She has been inducted into the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame (1988) and the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter Lacrosse Hall of Fame (2002). 

Vince Souto - Not only did Vince Souto give of his timme, leadership and baseball expertise for 27 years at the helm of the St. Titus CYO baseball program, but he molded teams from the tiny parish into powerhouses throughout the Philadelphia Archdiocese. His teams won eight Region 21 CYO championships and twice captured the Philadelphia Archdiocesan title. Souto also spent four years as a coach for the East Norriton Junior Legion team and two years as a coach of the East Norriton 12-year-old girls softball team. A patient coach, with a quiet but firm way of leading his players, Souto made many friends throughout the St. Titus Athletic Association (STAC). Many of his players have kept in touch with him over the years.

 

Mike Creciun - During the ‘80s and early ‘90s, when the Perkiomen Valley Twilight League returned to a position of dominance among amateur baseball leagues in Eastern Pennsylvania, Mike Creciun was one of the most notable figures in the league’s reemergence. First as a player, then as a manager, Creciun was constantly involved in rebuilding the league. After a notable career as a player, Creciun took over the manager’s position with the Norristown A’s. In four seasons he guided them to three final series appearances and one Perky League championship. In 1987 he moved over to rival Collegeville and solidified his role as an outstanding manager. He led Collegeville to six championships in eight seasons, putting a firm grip on the word “dynasty.” It was during that time he did the most to advance the image of the Perkiomen Valley Twilight League.

 

Hank Cisco - Over the years Frank “Hank Cisco&##8221; Ciaccio has been honored on so many different levels that it only seems natural to go back to his younger days when he first made a name for himself. Before he ever became a television show host or the official Ambassador of Norristown, Cisco was a young police officer who took a special interest in kids. Passing on knowledge from his days as a professional boxer, Cisco started programs to take youngsters off the streets and into the gym. Not only did he teach them how to box, he taught them self-respect and the value of self-discipline. Today, there are countless numbers of area businessmen and civic leaders who are proud to say that they learned a bit about boxing under the tutelage of Cisco.

 

Rich Lachenmayer - For 26 of the last 34 years, Rich Lachenmayer has been coaching baseball on some level in Upper Merion Township. He first got involved with the Upper Merion Baseball Association and got involved on a number of different levels. He also served on the UMBA Board of Directors for five years. In 1985 he helped found the Upper Merion High School Booster Club. He then got involved on the American Legion level as an assistant coach for both the Vito’s Pizza and Madison Bank teams. From 1997 to the present he has served as both assistant coach and manager of the Valley Forge Generals in American Legion baseball and has become well-known in area baseball circles.

Bob Levy - Levy’s legacy began 56 years ago, in 1953, when he founded the Little Quakers. No, the Little Quakers is not some sort of peace movement for youth. In fact, the Little Quakers have delivered their share of punishment to those they faced over the last 56 years. Instead the Little Quakers is a non-profit organization founded to promote excellence in youth football for the Greater Philadelphia area. More than 2,000 13 and 14-year-old boys, not weighing more than 145 pounds, have been blessed by Levy’s foresight and generosity. His vision of an outstanding academic All-Star team has withstood the test of time. “I feel very honored to receive this award but, honestly, my work with the Little Quakers has been a labor of love,” explained Levy, when contacted about the award. Over the years Levy has served as head coach and financier of the Little Quakers. A longtime resident of Lower Merion Township, Levy has devoted countless hours to his pet project. Each year a 35-40 boy squad is selected from more than 300 candidates from the top boys’ leagues in the Delaware Valley. The boys are recommended by their league coaches and they must be excellent students academically, as well as being standouts on the football field.

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