Hall of Fame - What It SHOULD Mean

Yesterday, I attended the Lawrence County Historical Society's Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet in New Castle, PA. I sat there and watched players and coaches from this small county, just an hour north of Pittsburgh, receive a lifelong honor. It was phenomenal to listen to these seven men and three women give their induction speeches, whether five seconds or five minutes in length, as they gave their story of perseverance or words of wisdom to their friends, family, players, and coaches.

It was a day I will not forget.

I attended this event for Hall of Fame inductee Mike Kirkwood, who was my high school baseball coach and a great mentor to me and my teammates during my tenure at Neshannock High School. I left this event having a deep admiration for all ten inductees, not for their individual performances on the field, but for what they stand for as an athlete or a coach.


Ten inductees into the county's Hall of Fame, as well two more into the Hall of Honor for excellence not on the field of play but in the sports scene in other ways, were recognized at the ceremony. They are listed here:

Hall of Honor: Mendall Altman Eugene Kendra
Hall of Fame: Ronda Book Beery Mike Kirkwood
Darren Berkley Michael Latsko
Phyllis Cournan Racek Doug Peters
Chuck Cuba John Sarandrea
Wynn Hassan Lori Haswell Stelter


Now, unless you live in the Western Pennsylvania area, it is extremely doubtful that you have heard of any of these fine men and women. None of them have performed feats on the field that would merit their national or international recognition, that's for sure. None of these men and women have had the statistical excellence of Ernie Banks (though Mendall Altman did serve as Banks's double play partner while in the Army just after WWII). None of them have reached greatness like Michael Jordan (though Darren Berkley was cut from his sixth grade basketball team much like Jordan was "cut" from his high school team...in reality Jordan was kept off of the Varsity team at Laney high, but the story of him being "cut" is one of motivation nationwide). None of them have the success in coaching like a John Calipari (though John Sarandrea replaced Calipari as assistant coach for Pitt in the late 80's).

Hall of Fame Inductee John Sarandrea
Image courtesy of ncnewsonline.com

It's irrelevant. It doesn't matter.

Even if these men and women did put up those numbers to challenge worldwide greats like Banks or Jordan or Calipari, they still to me would be no more worthy of a HOF induction than they already are.

That's because each of these wonderful sports men and women has something much more to offer to sports than just statistics.

Each athlete was more spectacular based on the success he/she brought to the TEAM and not to the individual. Lori Haswell Stelter scored a school record 41 points in a playoff game in 1981, but does not want to remember anything from that game because her team lost. Ronda Book Beery, Michael Latsko, and Doug Peters preferred the time playing with their local teams instead of travel ball and college. They each commented about how much more fun it was to play for teammates they knew well from their youth.

Hall of Fame Inductee Mike Kirkwood
(introduced by MC Larry Kelly)
Image courtesy of ncnewsonline.com

The coaches did whatever they could to get their team a victory. Chuck Cuba coached for a time in North Carolina where nearly the entire team was full of tobacco farmers. Believe it or not, football was not the most important part of their day. As a result, Cuba had practice during the only time of the day available for his players: 4:30 am or 8:30 pm. Mike Kirkwood coached his baseball team to an appearance in the state championship game in 1991. He was never excited about that feat afterwards, though, as his Lancers lost in the title game. He blamed himself because he never got a chance to scout the other team. He did not give his team "the best chance" to win by having them fully prepared.

One of the athletes of the year, now a freshman in college, did not attend the ceremony. His Mount Union team had a double-header that day, and though he has seen extremely little action this year, he did not attend. He could not leave his team behind.

It is these qualities that excited me most upon leaving the banquet yesterday. These athletes and coaches didn't care about themselves. They cared about those around them. They played the game for fun, not for stats or championships. They played for their teammates, played for their coaches, coached for their players.

Name one "hero" or "hall of famer" in NBA or MLB that does that. You could argue a couple in the NFL or NHL, maybe. (Speaking of "heroes" you should check out The Calf Muscle and their spot-on definition of a hero)

The point is this: All we are hearing right now is about the "greats" and their stats and how they are such great players. "Hall of Famers" they say. Do we ever talk about what they do off of the field? Or about what they do for their teammates? Or do we just talk about 81 point games or 700+ home runs or league MVPs?

Think about that.

Let me leave you with this: Currently another name well-known in Western PA is being debated for Hall of Fame contention: Hines Ward. He has great stats, leading the all-time ranks in many categories for the Steelers franchise. He was named to the Pro Bowl four straight years, and he also was named MVP of Super Bowl XL. However, he was never considered to be one of the "elite" players at his position during any season of his NFL career. Is that good enough to be put in the Hall of Fame?

Is Hines Ward a Hall of Famer? The stats say yes, but his
comparison to others during his career says no. Why is it
only about statistical performances?
(Image courtesy of latimes.com)

My answer: don't look at the stats or at how "elite" he was or was not. Look at what he did for his team: everything. He did not just catch passes during his 14 seasons in the black and gold. He started his career as a special teams man, making 28 tackles in his rookie year. He returned an onside kick for a TD in the Pro Bowl. But what he's known for most (other than his smile) is his blocking. He's one of an ELITE few at his position to be so willing to block. During his late years, the Steelers seemed to bring in Ward instead of a third TE to block. He blocked for his team. He played special teams for his team.

He did whatever was needed to win for his team.

THAT's why Hines Ward belongs in the Hall of Fame. That's why people like those in Lawrence County's Hall of Fame deserve to be recognized much more than what they are. I love the slogan the Lawrence County Hall of Fame gives: "In our play we reveal the kind of people we are." Not the PLAYER that we are, but the PERSON that we are.

However, all that matters it seems is the number of wins, the number of records, the number of autographs. The fans and the media don't care about off-the-field issues. They don't care about the team. They care about the "stars" and the so-called "heroes" of the sport.

SHAME. ON. US.