Congratulations are certainly in order for three Rock graduates, a former Rock coach and an SID comrade who will all soon be inducted into a hall of fame.
•
MARGARET "GIE" PARSONS, a member of Slippery Rock’s Class of 1971, and former Rock assistant football coach
JOE KOPNISKY will be included in a group of 12 individuals inducted into the Western Chapter Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (WCPSHF).
Induction ceremonies will be held May 7 at the Sheraton Four Points Pittsburgh North in Cranberry Township.
Kopnisky was an All-Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) football player at Shaler High School and went on to become an all-conference performer at West Virginia University. He concluded his collegiate career by playing in both the East-West Shrine and Senior Bowl all-star games. An Academic All-America selection while at WVU, Kopnisky was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals upon completion of his collegiate playing career.
Kopnisky taught and coached at Wilkinsburg High School before he returned to Shaler to serve as an assistant football coach and the head wrestling coach. He left Shaler to become head wrestling coach and assistant football and track coach at Grove City College in 1965 and was named as the Wolverines’ head football coach in 1973. He remained in that position until 1984.
In 1987, then-Rock Head Football Coach
Bob DiSpirito brought Kopnisky to SRU to coach the defensive linemen. A year later, new Rock boss
George Mihalik retained Kopnisky, who ultimately became SRU’s co-defensive coordinator, a role he held until 2000, when he culminated a 44-year coaching career.
Kopnisky played a significant role in The Rock claiming three consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division championships and NCAA Division II playoff berths from 1997-99.
Parsons is currently the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Clarion University, where she has recorded 321 wins in 22 seasons. Overall, the 1971 Rock graduate has compiled a 432-359 record in 30 seasons as a collegiate head coach and ranks 13th among active NCAA Division II coaches in career wins.
A graduate of Gateway High School in Pittsburgh, Parsons taught and coached at Lakeview High School from 1971-74, then went to Australia to teach and coach at Doveton Technical School from 1975-77, followed by three years as a teacher and coach in New Zealand.
While teaching overseas, she also was a starter on New Zealand Club Championship teams from 1977-79.
In 1980-81, she returned to SRU and served one season as graduate assistant under Rock head coach
Judy Battles before being named as head coach at Thiel College in Greenville, where she served eight seasons prior to being named as Clarion’s head coach in August 1989.
As Clarion’s head coach, Parsons has led teams to two NCAA Division II Elite Eight competitions, one Sweet Sixteen and two other NCAA tournament appearances, as well as 11 PSAC playoff appearances, three conference championships, one runner-up honor and two other final-four finishes. She has earned five PSAC-West “Coach of the Year” honors.
Kopnisky and Parsons are part of a WCPSHF induction class that also includes NFL Hall of Famer and current Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator
Dick LeBeau.
• Rock graduate
TOM DOLDE will be part of the WPIAL Hall of Fame induction class honored June 24 at the Green Tree Radisson Hotel.
A 1960 Rock graduate and 2003 inductee into the SRU Athletic Hall of Fame, Dolde compiled a 448-137-6 record in 34 seasons as head wrestling coach at Connellsville High School, the most wins ever recorded by a WPIAL wrestling coach.
Dolde guided the Falcons to four WPIAL team titles and also coached seven state champions and 28 state place-winners.
Since retiring as head coach in 2002, Dolde has remained an active with the Connellsville wrestling program, serving as a volunteer coach for his son, Tommy Dolde. The duo won a state title in 2005.
The WPIAL Hall of Fame will be the sixth major honor for Dolde. In addition to being a member of the SRU Hall of Fame, he has been inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame, Southwestern Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Falcon Foundation Hall of Fame.
• The late
LENNY FERRARO, a 1973 Rock graduate, will join Dolde in the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Ferraro, who passed away in 1998 at the age of 46, will be part of a 10-man group honored May 22 during induction ceremonies at the Ramada Inn State College.
As a student athlete, Ferraro wrestled for Hall of Fame coaches Les Turner at Brookville High School and
Fred Powell at SRU.
Ferraro began his coaching career as an assistant at Ridgway High School. A year later, he assumed the head coaching position at Johnsonburg High School, where in nine seasons his teams logged an 86-55-4 record and was named District 9 Coach of the Year on four occasions.
Ferraro returned to Brookville as head coach in 1993 and compiled a 65-11 record at his alma mater to bring his career record to 151-66-4. He coached 15 District 9 champions, two regional champions and six PIAA state place winners. His team won two District 9 team titles. His 1996 and 1997 squads were ranked the No.1 dual meet teams in the state and as high as No. 13 nationally.
Many thanks to the various sources used in the compilation of this blog, notably Connellsville Daily Courier Sports Editor
Jason Black, Harrisburg Patriot News sports writer
Jim Carlson and Clarion Sports Information Director
RICH HERMAN.
• Speaking of Herman, congratulations are also in order for our good friend and comrade in Clarion. He will be inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame and also receive the association’s Warren Berg Award, which recognizes the top college-division professional of the year.
“Herm,” who has served as Clarion’s SID for the past 29 years and as president of the DII-SIDA national group the past two years, will receive his honors at the CoSIDA convention in late June at Marco Island, Fla.
He joins retired SRU sports publicist and current golf addict
John Carpenter, the late
Pete Nevins of East Stroudsburg and retired Edinboro SID
Paul Newman as the only past or present PSAC SIDs inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame.
Carpenter and Nevins also preceded Herman as recipients of the Warren Berg Award.
I am proud and honored to say I had the privilege to work, and more importantly become good friends, will all four gentlemen. They are great role models and mentors.
Congratulations to all the recipients, past and present.
Until next time …
GO ROCK!!
Bob McComas
Sports Information Director
