History Repeats! After 34 Years, Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame Returns to 1st Summit Arena to honor 7-member Class of 2024

The Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame will return to its roots when the seven-member Class of 2024 is inducted on July 13.

The hall of fame’s 22nd banquet will be held at 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial — the site of the inaugural hall of fame banquet in 1965 and home of the first 10 induction ceremonies. The Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame ceremony hasn’t been held at the War Memorial since 1990.

The Class of 2024 will honor two football standouts; a pioneer in women’s officiating; a ground-breaking administrator-builder; an iconic hockey player with a prolific scoring touch; a golf professional who made his mark locally and within the PGA; and one of the state’s most successful scholastic cross country and track and field coaches.

 

The July 13 event will begin with a social hour at 5 p.m., with dinner to be served at 6 p.m. and the program to follow. For information about tickets, call 814 255-2809. Details also will appear on the website www.ccshof.org.

Meet the Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024:

Mike Garbinski, football

• A Greater Johnstown High School graduate who played left guard on the Penn State University football team in 1939-40, then returned to the Nittany Lions in 1945 after serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps in the South Pacific during World War II.
• One of the original “Seven Mountains” on the seven-man line of the 1940 Nittany Lions team that went 6-1-1, the program’s best mark in 19 years.
• A “running guard” known for his blocking on inside plays, he played on teams that lost only five games in his career.
  The only sophomore to make the starting lineup in 1939 and a starter in every game for two seasons before leaving to serve his country.
• Listed as the first Penn State player to enter the Armed Services in 1941. Returned to Penn State at age 27 and was a backup and spot starter on a 1945 team that went 5-3.
• Selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 20th round of the 1946 NFL Draft.
• Garbinski had lengthy career as a teacher and coach at Greater Johnstown High School.

Robert Gardill, Administrator/Baseball/Football/Basketball

• An organizer who had roles as director or selection director of the long-running, nationally acclaimed Cambria County War Memorial Invitational Basketball Tournament from 1972 to 1991.
• Served 31 years as director of the Ken Lantzy Finest 40 All-Star Football Classic from 1983 to 2013.
• Director of the Big 33 Football Classic during the three summers the prestigious Pennsylvania all-star game was played at Johnstown’s Point Stadium from 1982-84.
• President of the Cambria County War Memorial Arena in 1976-77 and a board member from 1972 to 1992
• A four-year letterman as a pitcher on the Pennsylvania Military College (PMC) baseball team, which became Widener College in 1972.
• In 1963, posted a 6-0 record with a 1.11 earned run average and went 40 consecutive innings without walking a batter. Struck out 60 and walked 10.
• A four-year football letterman as an end and punter) at Pennsylvania Military College.
• Pitched on the local Hahn Packing franchise in the Johnstown Junior League from 1959-61. Hahn Packing reached the AAABA Tournament all three seasons and finished third in the 1959 tournament.

Joe Greenwood, football

• Greater Johnstown High School graduate was a first-team Associated Press All-State defensive back in 1983, the Trojans’ first first-teamer since 1958.
• Member of the Greater Johnstown Trojan Ring of Honor.
• Played football at NCAA Division I Temple University from 1985-88, lettering four times for Coach Bruce Arians.
• Had four interceptions for Temple in 1988 and had six interceptions in his career with the Owls.
• Made 148 career tackles at the NCAA Division I level.
• Named All Conference-All East honorable mention pick at cornerback in 1988.
• Spent two seasons with the Frankfurt Galaxy in the World League of American Football (WLAF) in 1991 and 1992.
• Made three interceptions in the WLAF.

Judy Heinze, volleyball official

• A Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) volleyball official for 65 years, Heinze continued to work games into her mid-80s.
• Recipient of the National Federation of High School Sports Female Volleyball Official of the Year Award during the 1990s.
• Her career even pre-dated the PIAA sanctioning the girls volleyball sport. Instrumental in the formation of the Central Western Officials Chapter in 1971. The charter originally started with girls basketball officials, then added volleyball.
  Served as a District 6 rules interpreter for volleyball.
• The first Central Western Volleyball Officials Chapter official to work the PIAA state championship tournament.
• Awarded the PIAA Beverly M. Owens-Gaither Meritorious Service Award in 2016.
• Cambria County Sports Hall of Famer Dana Heinze (Class of 2018) is her son.

Reg Kent, hockey 

• Dominant force on the ice with the Johnstown Jets in the former Eastern Hockey League and one season in the former professional North American Hockey League.
• Posted three straight 100-point seasons and earned Eastern Hockey League all-star status.
• Scored 273 goals and 813 points in 601 games with the Jets from 1965-74.
• Centered two of the most prolific-scoring lines in Jets history.
• Produced a combined 371 points with linemates Johnny Gofton and Galen Head as all three players collected more than 100 points the 1967-68 season.
• Kent, Gene Peacosh and Galen Head combined for 153 goals and 347 points during the 1968-69 season.
• The EHL runner-up for Rookie of the Year in 1965-66 with the Johnstown Jets.
• EHL First-Team All-Star posted a league-record 106 assists and 144 points in 1967-68.
• In 1968-69, scored 42 goals and 96 assists for 138 points, winning the John Carlin Trophy as league leading scorer, and once again being named to the First Team All-Star.
• His No. 7 jersey is retired and hangs in the rafters at 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial.

Joe Shorto, golf professional

• Served 30 years as Golf Professional at Sunnehanna Country Club from 1982 to 2012.
• The Tri-State PGA inducted Shorto into its Hall of Fame in 2015.
• Named Tri-State PGA Golf Professional of the Year in 2009, one of the highest honors the association may bestow on a working club professional.
• Awarded the 2005 Merchandiser of the Year for private facilities.
• Twice earned the Bill Strausbaugh Award for work with fellow golf professionals in 1997 and 2001.
• Spent three decades as part of the renowned Sunnehanna Amateur Tournament for Champions, which annually attracts some of the top amateur talent internationally.
• As golf pro during the Sunnehanna Amateur, watched future PGA stars such as Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler, Scott Verplank and Bill Andrade as well as top amateurs Allen Doyle and Jay Sigel.
• Served as golf pro at the City of Johnstown’s Berkley Hills Golf Club for 13 years prior to his time at Sunnehanna.
• Coached Westmont Hilltop High School’s golf team to more than 200 wins and produced two individual state champions and an individual state runner-up.

Randy Wilson, cross country/track coach

• Central Cambria High School veteran coach led his girls teams to five Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) cross country team state championships (2007, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2018) and his boys team won one state title (2022).
• Named a 2013 Brooks Inspire Daily National Coach of the Year Finalist/one of four finalists nationally.
• 22-year girls cross country dual-meet record is 239-5, a winning percentage of 98.3%.
• 17 consecutive girls undefeated regular seasons in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference from 2004-20.
• In 11 of the 12 years through fall 2023, the Central Cambria girls cross country team finished in the Top-5 in the state meet.
• The Red Devils girls earned LHAC championships 15 straight seasons (21 of the past 24 through 2023).
• Central Cambria took District 6 championships in 17 of the past 18 years (21 of the last 24 through 2023).
• Coached two individual state champion runners.
• His 2022 boys cross country team won the PIAA state championship.
• His boys team posted 263-24 dual-meet record.
• Red Devils boys finished sixth in the PIAA state meet in 2023.
• District 6 boys cross country champions 13 times in past 24 years (through 2023). LHAC champions 12 times in past 24 years
• The 2023 Central Cambria girls track and field 3200-meter relay repeated as state champion and claimed the program’s fourth PIAA crown in the event since 2016.
• Central Cambria also won gold in the 3200-meter relay at the PIAA events at Shippensburg University in 2016, 2017 and 2022. The Red Devils took silver medals in 2018 and 2021, and they placed fourth in 2019. There was no state championship meet in 2020 due to COVID.
• Twice named Pennsylvania Cross Country Coach of the Year (2007, 2009) by the Pennsylvania Track & Field Coaches Association.
• 19-time LHAC girls coach of the year and 11-time LHAC boys coach of the year.