Local hall induction latest honor for F-C native Schottenheimer
Waynesburg head wrestling coach Joe Throckmorton watches as his team rolls to victory over Trinity in the match at Waynesburg on December 21.
Marty Schottenheimer is one of the most renowned athletes in Washington County history.
His athletic and coaching careers are filled with fantastic successes and dramatic moments. Next month, the area gets a chance to say thank you.
Schottenheimer is one of 13 individuals and one team that will be inducted this year into the Washington-Greene County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. He joins Ray Kemp of Fort Cherry (football), Ed Malinowski of Chartiers-Houston (football), Andy Migyanko of Trinity (wrestling), Frank Mosier of Trinity (wrestling), Leon Pagac of Centerville (football), Brian Pelkey of Washington (football), Dan Petrola (youth service), Albert Sabol of Beth-Center (football), Ron Skiles of Ellsworth (football and golf), Joe Throckmorton of Waynesburg (wrestling), Chad Williamson of Trinity (football) and Mark Wise of Washington (football) in this year’s group.
The 1961 Fort Cherry High School basketball team that won the PIAA Class B championship will be inducted as the Team of Yesteryear.
Ceremonies will take place 6 p.m. Friday, June 9, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Meadow Lands. Tickets are $45 each and can be purchased by calling B.J. at 724-678-4320. In addition to the inductees being honored, Bill Cowher and Ralph Cindrich will be guest speakers.
The following is brief bio of four inductees:
Schottenheimer’s success began at Fort Cherry, where he was a member of the 1961 PIAA championship basketball team. He was a talented football player and competed in the Big 33 Game.
He went to the University of Pittsburgh, where he carved out a football career and made All-East Conference in 1964. After college, he was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the fourth round of the 1965 National Football League draft and by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 1965 American Football League draft.
He signed with Buffalo, where he played for four seasons and made the 1965 AFL All-Star Team. He played with the Boston Patriots for two seasons before starting his coaching career.
He went to the Portland Storm as linebackers coach in 1974 and got into the NFL in 1975 with the New York Giants. He went on to coach with the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns before getting the head coaching job in Cleveland.
From 1984 through 1988, he led the Browns to three AFC Central titles and two AFC championship games. His way to the Super Bowl ended with “The Drive” and “The Fumble.”
Schottenheimer coached the Kansas City Chiefs to three AFC West titles and an appearance in the AFC championship game. He later coached San Diego to two AFC West titles. Schottenheimer’s career record of 206-139-1 (.597) ranks sixth all-time in NFL history.
Schottenheimer was named Coach of the Year in the pro ranks six times before he retired.
He enters the Hall of fame as an Athlete of Distinction.
Sabol was a multisport athlete: football, baseball, basketball, golf and track at Beth-Center.
He entered the U.S. Coast Guard Academy after high school. He played quarterback and wide receiver on offense and cornerback and safety on defense. He returned punts and kickoffs and was a team captain.
Sabol played on the golf team as a junior and senior and was named captain during his senior year.
While serving in the Coast Guard for 27 years, he played or coached baseball, basketball, golf and softball and won numerous awards. After retirement, Sabol directed the annual Coast Guard Headquarters Invitational Golf Tournament, coordinating the yearly event at different resorts throughout the country.
He was low gross champion for the Coast Guard Commander’s Cup four times, and won multiple charity golf tournaments.
Skiles carved out an impressive golf career, competing on the PGA tour, the Champions tour and in two U.S. Senior Opens.
He entered 96 events over his nearly three decades of competition and qualified in 15 of them.
His best finished was a tie for 17th place in the Ameritech Senior Open in Chicago. His lowest round was a 64 during the VFW Championship in Kansas City.
Skiles was a finalist in the Dave Peltz World Putting Championship in 1997. From 1994-96, he played in 40 tournaments on the Senior Series Golf Tour and was a top 15 finisher for most of them. He finished third three times and had six top-10 finishes.
His amateur career included competing in the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 1992, the U.S. Amateur in 1988 and 1990, the U.S. Public Links Amateur in 1972, 1974 and 1975.
At California University, Skiles was on the golf team all four years, produced “The Perfect Putting Stroke” DVD in 2009 and has run the Ron Skiles Golf Academy since 2003. He was Head Golf Instructor at Foxwood Acres from 1996-1999.
Skiles holds the course record at five courses: Chippewa, 63; Nemacolin Country Club, 63; Cedarbrook Red (63) and Gold (65) courses; and the Links of Minnesota, 64.
Throckmorton has been a mainstay in Waynesburg for the better part of four decades.
At Waynesburg High School, he wrestled on four WPIAL championship teams (1977-1980) and was a PIAA champion in 1980. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the California Christmas Tournament, now called Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament.
Throckmorton was a four-time section champion (1977-1980) and two-time WPIAL champion (1979-1980). He had a career record of 86-6, including 30-0 as a senior.
At the University of Pittsburgh, he was a four-year starter, team captain for two years and a three-time Eastern Wrestling League placewinner.
Throckmorton’s coaching career began in 1981 as the Waynesburg youth head coach for 10 seasons. He coached the team to the Tulsa Nationals team tournament in 2000 and had 27 Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling champions over that 10-year span.
He has coached the Waynesburg varsity since 2008 and in that time had seven PIAA champions, 47 state qualifiers, 19 WPIAL champions and 60 section champs. Among his wrestlers were 15 NCAA Division I qualifiers, nine NCAA Division I All-Americans, two NCAA Division I national champions and one bronze medal Olympian in the 2012 London games.