Mid Mon Valley Hall of Fame to induct eight
Dave Papak
Bobby Burns
Jim Edwards
Keith Bassi
John Ballein
Joseph Fedorchik
Ken Kulak
Wilbert Wolfe
The Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame will hold its 23rd annual banquet at The Willow Room in Rostraver Township June 17 at 5:30 p.m. This year, eight inductees will be welcomed into the hall. With the Class of 2016, the number of inductees is now 236.
The Class of 2016 is comprised of Brig. Gen. Dave Papak, Bobby Burns, Jim Edwards, John Ballein, Ken Kulak, Dr. Joseph Fedorchik, Keith Bassi and the late Wilbert Otto “Barney” Wolfe.
Papak is a 1971 Mon Valley Catholic graduate. He was a two-sport letterman athlete in football and basketball and was captain of both teams as a senior. Papak garnered both an All-Catholic selection and Pennsylvania Big 33 team selection as a defensive lineman and tight end. He received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. He started 33 consecutive games as a defensive tackle from 1973 to 1975 and was named Defensive Player of the game in the 1973 Army-Navy game. He received All-East honorable mention in 1975. Commissioned in June 1976, Papak retired as brigadier general of the U.S. Marine Corps and received numerous appointments and honors.
A 1957 graduate of Monessen High School, Burns was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and track. He received All-Big 6 Conference first-team honors. At California State College, Burns was an NAIA All-American in 1962. His coaching career started at Michigan State as an assistant football coach in 1964. His 17-year career took him to Holy Cross, Colgate, Cincinnati, Boston University and Boston College. The remainder of his career was a success in the BLESTO scouting organization along with work for the Patriots, Browns and Redskins.
Edwards is a 1982 Charleroi High School graduate. Edwards earned stardom in football and wrestling. A phenomenal running back, Edwards scored 23 touchdowns in both his junior and senior seasons. Edwards was a unanimous choice for all-conference and won all-state honorable mention. Edwards won a WPIAL wrestling title his senior year. He received a scholarship in football from Indiana State and was a three-year starter for the Sycamores.
Bassi is a 1974 Ringgold High School graduate. He was the Rams’ starting fullback and played in the same backfield as Joe Montana. Bassi received All-Big 10 and All-WPIAL honors and received Ringgold’s top academic athlete award. Bassi’s efforts at Yale University as a middle guard would be instrumental in two Ivy League championships. Bassi was Yale’s Most Valuable Player in 1977. He graduated from Yale in 1978 and earned his Juris Doctorate in 1981 at Duquesne University.
A 1979 Bentworth High School graduate, Ballein was a multifaceted athlete in football, baseball and wrestling. This led Ballein joining Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was an outstanding linebacker. With high school head coaching stints in his background, Ballein began his career as a college graduate assistant coach in 1987 on Frank Beamer’s first staff at Virginia Tech. Ballein is currently associate athletic director for football operations at Virginia Tech.
Fedorchik is a 1966 Bellmar High School graduate and was the product of two Mon Valley groundbreaking gymnastic instructors in John DeMillion and Bud Giannini. Fedorchik was a two-time gymnastic WPIAL individual champion (1965 and ’66) and a 1966 PIAA champion. A 1971 Michigan State graduate, Fedorchik helped the 1968 Spartans win a Big Ten gymnastics championship. At the University of Michigan, Fedorchik received his M.D. degree in 1977. He specializes in cardiovascular-thoracic surgery.
A 1958 California Area High School graduate, Kulak was a three-sport letterman, earning nine overall letters in football, basketball and baseball. A three-year starting quarterback, Kulak could run, pass and punt. He was named to the All-Washington County team and went on to California State College, where he was the starting quarterback and became the leading NAIA quarterback in the country. He played semi-pro football for the Pittsburgh Ironman and capped his career coaching his high school alma mater for five years.
Born Jan. 9, 1876, in Monongahela, Wolfe, was considered a pioneer among Mon Valley baseball products. Wolfe made it to the big leagues, but his career started on the sandlot fields as a pitcher. In 1903, he was picked up by the American League’s New York Highlanders – the future Yankees franchise – and played in 20 games. In 1904, Wolfe was traded to the Washington Senators. His best season was 1905, when he had a 2.57 ERA.