For Immediate Release
Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame Honors Class of 2008
Nine Inductees made their marks on local and national level
The Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame will honor eight inductees during a July 19, 2008 banquet at the FrankJ.PasquerillaConferenceCenter, 301 Napoleon Street, Johnstown. The Class of 2008 inductees, in alphabetical order, are:
Dr. James P. Bradley, Pittsburgh Steelers physician:
Dr. Bradley has been the head team physician for the Pittsburgh Steelers since 1991 and is the past president of National Football League (NFL) Physicians Society. He serves on the NFL Injury and Safety Panel.
Dr. Bradley specializes in orthopaedic sports medicine and reconstructive surgery of the shoulder, elbow and knee. He was co-captain of the PennState football team and winner of the 1975 Dapper Dan College Football Award.
After his 1975 graduation from PennState, he earned a medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He then completed general residency training at the University of Tennessee and orthopaedic surgery residency training at the University of Pittsburgh before completing sports medicine fellowship training at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. At Kerlan-Jobe, Dr. Bradley cared for professional athletes, including the Los Angeles Rams, Dodgers, Lakers, Kings and Angels, as well as college and high school athletes.
Patty Bradley-Marino, Villanova University track and field standout:
Bradley-Marino qualified for the 1984 United States Olympic Track and Field Trials in Los Angeles during her career at VillanovaUniversity, where she was a record-breaking hurdler for the Wildcats. The Middle Atlantic Track Athletic Congress named Bradley-Marino its outstanding women’s track athlete in 1983 after she was involved in 19 records at Villanova squad and placed second in the NCAA in the 400-meter event.
At the Olympic Trials, Bradley ran a 56.6 in the 400, finishing one-tenth of a second behind the winner. In 1984 Penn Relays, Bradley ran the final leg as Villanova set the American record for the women’s distance medley relay, breaking the previous mark by more than 15 seconds.
At Bishop McCort High Bradley was a two-time PIAA 400-meter state champion.
William Crooks, University of Miami and Sunnehanna Amateur golfer:
One of the region’s top golfers, Crooks was the No. 2 player on the nationally recognized University of Miami golf team in the early 1960’s. Crooks played in the NCAA Division I men’s championships in 1961 and 1962.
He played in three USGA national championship tournaments in 1962 at Pinehurst, N.C., 1963 at Wakonda, Iowa, and 1969 at Oakmont. Crooks competed in the International Jaycee Junior Golf Tournament in Portsmouth, Va., in 1959.
Locally, Crooks won seven Sunnehanna Country Club championships and appeared in seven Sunnehanna Amateur Tournament for Champions, one of the top amateur events in the nation. He also won three Greater Johnstown crowns.
Ed Denk, University of Cincinnati and Boston Patriots football player:
A three-year starting lineman at the University of Cincinnati, Denk was a 1958 All-Missouri Valley Conference tackle and played in the 1959 All-American Bowl Game.
With the Bearcats, Denk twice earned conference Lineman of the Week honors as a senior, and Cincinnati named him the team’s outstanding lineman in seven of 10 games in 1958. A two-sport standout, Denk went undefeated in 10 wrestling matches as a senior heavyweight in 1959 and went 18-5 in three seasons.
The 1955 graduate of Greater Johnstown High played one season with the Ottawa Roughriders in the Canadian Football League, then joined the American Football League’s Boston Patriots in 1960 until suffering a career-ending hand injury. Denk was named head coach of the AFL’s Cincinnati Mohawk Indians in 1961.
Mike Holtz, Clemson University and Anaheim Angels pitcher:
A left-handed relief specialist, Holtz appeared in 353 major league games with the Anaheim Angels (1996-2001), Oakland Athletics (2002), San Diego Padres (2002) and Boston Red Sox (2006). He had a 16-19 career record with three saves in eight seasons.
The Central Cambria High graduate also spent a season at the Class AAA level in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and played for the Yokohama BayStars in the Japanese Central League in 2005.
At ClemsonUniversity, Holtz overcame career-threatening Tommy John surgery to pitch in the College World Series. The Angels selected him in the 17th round of the 1994 amateur draft. He also starred locally in the AAABA Tournament.
Stephanie Istvan, Duke University women’s volleyball player:
While at DukeUniversity, Istvan established the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) record for digs per game with a 5.99 average in 2004, when she was an Honorable Mention All-America selection. That same season, Istvan was an All-ACC First Team selection and an All-East Region First Team pick.
Her 629 digs in 2004 was a DukeUniversity record that stood three years. She ranks fourth on Duke’s all-time digs list with 1,353 in her career. Istvan also was an All-East Honorable Mention selection in 2003.
A four-sport standout at Richland High, Istvan played on the Rams’ state championship volleyball team. She also excelled in track, softball and girls basketball.
Ron Nathanic, Seton Hall University basketball player:
Nathanic played four seasons on the SetonHallUniversity men’s basketball team from 1951-55. The 6-foot-1 high-percentage shooter had 272 points and 116 rebounds in 1952-53 as the Pirates went 31-2, had a 27-game winning streak and won the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) at a time when that event was as big as the current version of the NCAA Tournament.
Seton Hall won 86 games during Nathanic’s four years. He had a .500 field goal percentage on the NIT championship team, making 111 of 222 field goal attempts. Nathanic also had 116 rebounds that season.
At Johnstown Catholic (now Bishop McCort) High, Nathanic was a key part of the 1950-51 state championship team. He had scholarship offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, St. Louis, Michigan State, Holy Cross, BostonCollege, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh before choosing Seton Hall.
Tom Vargo, Penn State University football player:
Vargo played end for three seasons at PennState from 1938-40, an era when blocking and defense was more significant than catching passes. The 6-foot-2, 202-pound Johnstown native was picked on the All-Time Penn State Team in the 1950’s and again in 1967 by Pittsburgh Press sports editor Chet Smith, who covered PSU for 50-plus years.
Vargo was known as a good blocker who had the speed to take out defensive backs. A two-way player, he was known as a hard tackler on defense. The three-year starter was part of the outstanding defensive team that set three NCAA pass defense records during his sophomore season. Among those marks was fewest passing yards allowed per game (13.1 average).
Vargo was the starting right end of the so-called “SevenMountains” team of 1940. That 6-1-1 team finished in the nation’s top 20.
Mindy Young, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown basketball player:
As a senior at Pitt-Johnstown, Young earned two of the highest honors in NCAA Division II women’s basketball. She was the 1992 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Champion Division II Player of the Year and a 1992 Kodak All-American.
Young also was a GTE District II Academic All-American. The Marion Center High graduate averaged 19 points and 5.4 assists a game in 1991-92 on a regional championship team. Young ranks sixth on UPJ’s all-time list with 1,486 points and is third with 577 assists.
During her senior season in 1991-92, Young led UPJ to a 25-4 record and a No. 6 national ranking. UPJ hosted and won the Eastern Regional championship and advanced to the Division II Tournament.
Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame Fast Facts:
Most recent banquet: 2006
Number of banquets held since 1965: This year will be the 15th banquet.
Total Inductees: 112, including this year’s class.
Women: 11
Men: 101
Largest Sport Class: Football (37)
2008 Chairman: Rev. James H. Conrad
Number of 2008 committee members: 12
2008 Dedication Award: 1958 Johnstown High Football WPIAL Championship Team.
Notable: This is the first time in the Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame’s history that three women will be inducted in the same class. … The nine inductees represent the second-largest class in the Hall’s history and the largest since the inaugural 18-member Class of 1965. … Dr. James Bradley and Patty Bradley-Marino are the first brother-sister tandem to be inducted. They join their brother Tom Bradley, PennState’s defensive coordinator and a member of the Hall’s Class of 1998. … Breakdown of the Class of 2008 by sport: Basketball (2) – Nathanic & Young; Football (2) – Denk & Vargo; Baseball (1) – Holtz; Sports Medicine (1) – Bradley; Volleyball (1) – Isvan; Golf (1) – Crooks; Track (1) – Bradley-Marino.
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