ABOUT US
The Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1963 by Joe Zerilla, Tut Melman and Frank Gustine and became immediately affiliated with the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, which was founded one year earlier in 1962. The Western Chapter is a non-profit 501-3C organization run entirely by volunteer board members who consider their work a labor of love.
The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame was established to perpetuate the memories of athletes and other sports notables, male and female, who have brought lasting fame and recognition to our state through their athletic achievements. The PA Sports HOF is currently comprised of four geographic regions with twenty nine local chapters divided among them. The first state ceremonial banquet was held in Philadelphia in 1963 and the second in 1964 at the Pittsburgh William Penn Hotel, hosted by the Western Chapter. The first Western Chapter honorees inducted into the PA Sports HOF were Stan Musial, Arnold Palmer and Harold “Pie” Traynor.
The earliest Western Chapter meetings were held at Gustine’s Restaurant in Oakland and the first chapter induction banquet was held at the East Pittsburgh Moose Club in 1971. Between 1972-1981 our annual induction banquets were held at the Greentree Holiday Inn, between 1982-1996 at the Sheraton Station Square and between 1997-2014 at the Four Points Sheraton in Warrendale. We are pleased to announce that in the Spring of 2015, we moved our annual banquet back to the Sheraton Station Square, along with our treasured exhibit of inductee plaques, special awards and other memorabilia, which will be proudly displayed in the spacious and dedicated Western Chapter PA Sports HOF Conference Room on the second floor of the Sheraton Station Square, our permanent new home. There have been 727 athletes and contributors inducted into the Western Chapter, Of these, 155 have been inducted into the PA Sports Hall of Fame.
In 2016 the chapter name was changed to the Robert “Tick” Cloherty – Western Chapter as a token of appreciation for the his 30-years of loyal and faithful service during his Presidency.
PAST PRESIDENTS:
“Tut” Melman: 1966-1969, 1978
Willard Fisher: 1 970
“Brute” Kramer: 1971-1972
Joe Snodgrass – 1975
Darrell Hess – 1976-1977
“Tuggles” Gross: 1979-1981
Robert ‘Tick” Cloherty: 1987-2016
Dan Carr – Present
OFFICERS
DAN CARR – President
State: Executive Vice President
JIM PERRY – Vice President
JACK TEITZ – Vice President
AL DICK – Secretary
State: Western Region VP
STEVE J. DOBIS, CPA – Treasurer
DALE HAMER – Executive Director
State: Executive Director, Past President
ROBERT GUSTINE, Esq. – Legal Counsel
PAUL PALMER
Western Regional Senior Vice President
ROBERT “TICK” CLOHERTY – Past President 1986-2016
EXECUTIVE BOARD:
BILL CAYE, Esq.MIKE DOBOS
SMOKIN JIM FRAZIER
ALEX GUMINSKI
DR. KAREN HALL
MELANIE MILLER
JOHN “HOWDY” MYNAHAN
TOM NEE
GEORGE NOVAK
LEN SEMPLICE
ADVISORY BOARD
DAN CARDONEGIL D’AMICO
BILL HILLGROVE
DR. MICHAEL ROGAL
BANQUET COMMITTEE
STEVE DOBIS – Chairman
JACK TEITZ – Ticket Chairman
DALE HAMER
MELANIE MILLER
TOM NEE
PAUL PALMER
LEN SEMPLICE