May 2, 2023 6 min read

Delmer Beshore still ranks as one of the finest basketball players ever produced by California University. He went on to play in the NBA and his name can still be found among the all-time and single-season leaders in PSAC and California history.

Beshore is one of 11 individuals, three special honorees, four award winners, one team and a Hall of Fame moment that will be inducted this year into the Washington-Greene County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. He joins Ruth Ann Burke (women’s sports), Bob Clites (baseball and basketball), Christian Hanson (hockey), Don Hartman (baseball and coaching), Perry Ivery (football), “Skip” Koskoski (baseball and basketball), Tamarra Nixon Miles (track), Jeff Mountain (baseball), Shanna Yourchik Meyers (volleyball), Frank Pryor (baseball and officiating) and the 1992 Washington & Jefferson football team in this year’s group, along with special honorees Roy D. Davis (harness racing), Dennis Mader (officiating), Pete Maropis (baseball).

Ceremonies will take place 3 p.m. Sunday, June 11 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Southpointe.

The following is brief bio of six inductees. The other inductees will be presented in future editions of the Observer-Reporter.

Delmer Beshore

Athlete of Distinction, Basketball – PennWest California -Played for the Vulcans from 1974-78 and scored a school record 1,869 career points, which still ranks second today, as does his 679 single-season points and 272 assists (still 3rd in PSAC) in 1977-78. A four-time all-conference selection and three-time All-American who won three PSAC scoring titles, Beshore played professionally in the NBA, CBA, WBL and overseas. His longest NBA stint was in 1979-80 with the Chicago Bulls when he played 68 games and averaged 3.6 points per game. A 1984 CBA All-Star and player-coach, he led the league in assists in 1985 and steals in 1984 when he helped the Wyoming Wildcatters reach the finals. He also played in Italy and with the Fresno Stars of the WBL.

Ruth Ann Burke

Meritorious Service, Coach and Administrator – Peters Township High School – A physical education teacher at Peters Township for 28 years who retired in 1988, Burke coached basketball, golf, tennis, track and field and volleyball. She was a leader in forming the Western Pennsylvania Girls Athletic League in the mid-1960s, which is believed to be the first organized interscholastic girls competition of its kind. In 1973, she became the first female on the WPIAL Board of Control. She served 10 years on the BOC and served as a district representative on the PIAA Steering Committee. Burke did a study at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland, and earned two degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. She was the 1989 recipient of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Sports Lifetime Achievement Award. She received the WPIAL Hall of Fame’s Charles “Ace” Heberling Contributor Award in 2022.

Bob Clites

Athlete, Baseball & Basketball – Mapletown High School – In 1970, Clites struck out 18 Beth-Center batters in 11 innings and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Despite serving in the armed forces for three years after his first two years of pro ball, and arm injuries, Clites played four minor league seasons with 130 strikeouts in 157 innings, including five Class A wins, the final two being shutouts. In basketball, he led Mapletown to consecutive 21-2 seasons in 1968-69 and 1969-70, and its first playoff appearance in 34 years. He scored 1,217 points over his final three years, including averaging 25.9 points per game as a senior with a 44-point effort against West Greene. As a junior he set a record by making 21-of-21 free throws in a game.

Christian Hanson

Athlete of Distinction, Hockey – Peters Township High School and University of Notre Dame – As a sophomore he helped the Indians win their first state championship and scored four goals with three assists in the title game. Hanson also starred for the USHL’s Tri-City Storm before leading Notre Dame to the program’s first two CHA regular-season and playoff titles with three NCAA tournament appearances and one Frozen Four showing. He signed an NHL contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs six days after finishing his collegiate career in the spring of 2008. He scored his first NHL goal against Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur and played 42 games with the Leafs with nine points. In 2010, Hanson received First Star honors after scoring two goals and an assist during a 4-3 Toronto overtime win against Montreal. Hanson represented Team USA at the 2010 World Hockey Championships and played in that year’s AHL all-star game. He also played 96 games with 65 points for the AHL Toronto Mallies. He is the son of Dave Hanson of the fabled Hanson brothers.

Don Hartman

Coach – California and Frazier high schools. Since 2017, Hartman has guided Frazier’s softball team to a 93-22 (.809) record with a PIAA state title in 2019, a WPIAL championship in 2017, three WPIAL runner-up finishes, four section titles and five PIAA and WPIAL tourney appearances. For the past 23 years he has served as Frazier’s assistant girls volleyball coach, helping the team compile a 343-78 record with two WPIAL titles, six WPIAL Final Fours, a runner-up finish, 23 WPIAL playoff appearances, seven PIAA tourney appearances and 15 section titles. He was California’s head baseball coach from 1998-2013, compiling a 229-92-1 record with 13 WPIAL and nine PIAA tourney appearances. This included nine section titles, two PIAA Final Fours, five WPIAL Final Fours, two WPIAL titles and two WPIAL runner-up finishes. Hartman is a former football assistant coach and was a catcher on championship teams at Cal HS and Cal U. He was inducted into the California Area High School Hall of Fame last fall.

Stephen “Skip” Koskoski

Stephen “Skip” Koskoski, Athlete, Basketball and Baseball- Ringgold High School and Robert Morris University – A star center and pitcher at Ringgold, Koskoski helped the Rams’ basketball team win a section championship and advance to the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA state tournament his senior season. On the mound, he won 18 of 20 decisions with an ERA under 1.00, which included striking out 20 of 22 batters in a seven-inning one-hit shutout of Belle Vernon. At RMU, he helped the Colonials win consecutive basketball conference championships with the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearances in 1981-82 and 1982-83. A four-year letterman, he finished with a school-record 608 rebounds, which still ranks eighth. He made 93 starts in 118 career games while shooting 54.4 percent from the floor. He also coached with six teams for 23 years, which included 13 years as an assistant under three coaches at Cal U and head coaching stints with the Ringgold girls and Charleroi boys teams.