Gateway Sports Hall of Fame plans to honor Class of 2022

By: Michael Love
Sunday, May 29, 2022 | 11:01 AM

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Plans are in motion for the Gateway Sports Hall of Fame to resume honoring athletic greats this year.

The committee charged with selecting the Class of 2022 tentatively is scheduled to meet this month to finalize the class and also discuss other matters relating to the banquet and induction ceremony in November, hall of fame chairman Tony Petrocelli said.

Petrocelli said he is excited for the immediate future of the hall of fame which will induct new members for the first time since 2019.

After the Class of 2019 was enshrined in October of that year, the committee members were looking forward to the next biennial induction ceremony in 2021.

However, the ongoing covid pandemic scuttled the opportunity to form a new induction class, and plans were postponed to this year. Petrocelli said the decision was made proactively in the fall of 2020 as the ongoing pandemic created a lot of long-term uncertainty.

“Rather than hold a spot, I sent a letter out to everybody that basically said we were going to skip the 2021 banquet,” Petrocelli said last summer.

Petrocelli said this year’s selection process began with a strong group of nominees — coaches, athletes and teams — ‘who have distinguished themselves in athletics at Gateway.’

The hall of fame inducted a class every year from 1999 to 2011, but it decided to move inductions to every other year, starting with the 2013 class of John Nemec, Vince Lamberti, Mike Livorio, Shannon Ruane, Mike Rugh, Rege Laughlin, the 1983 Gators baseball team and the 1965-66 wrestling team.

Petrocelli said the decision was made to go every other year so the hall of fame would stay fresh.

The 2019 class, the 16th since the hall of fame formed two decades earlier, featured athletes Paul Krusey (football, basketball, track), Gregg Nemec (football, wrestling), Crista Coles (soccer), Matt Houy (football) and Katrina Streiner (swimming); former Gators football coach Russ Gratton; and the 1976 record-setting boys track and field team.

In all, the hall of fame has enshrined 79 individual athletes, 18 coaches, a swimming relay quartet, seven teams, and five other contributors to the success of Gateway athletics.

Hall of fame members Pete Antimarino, Larry Hanley, Terry Smith, Michelle Chow, Melanie Morgan, Curtis Bray, Justin King and the 1986 WPIAL and PIAA champion football team also have been enshrined in the WPIAL Hall of Fame.

Petrocelli said plans also are moving forward to construct a hall of fame website which would be fully supported financially by current hall of fame members.

The website, Petrocelli said, will display many pictures from each induction banquet, biographies from each inductee, and any other items an inductee would wish to submit from their time in high school.

The Furrie Sports Complex houses banners recognizing each hall of fame class, and a hall of fame room in the front foyer displays induction plaques and other forms of recognition.

Petrocelli said the room filled up quickly, and he hopes, with support of the Gateway school board, it can one day expand to other parts of the facility.

To nominate someone for the Gateway Sports Hall of Fame, send information outlining why the athlete, coach or team warrants consideration to Gateway Sports Hall of Fame, Attention: Nominating Committee, 103 Trotwood Drive, Monroeville, PA, 15146.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Gateway