Point Walk of Fame vote moves to second round

Mike Mastovich, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
Updated ·4 min read

Apr. 13—The nominations are in, and the voting is set to begin for the 2023 Walk of Fame at Sargent's Stadium at the Point, a promotion sponsored by the Johnstown Mill Rats Prospect League baseball franchise and The Tribune-Democrat.

The Mill Rats accepted nominations online or through the mail throughout March.

Participants may vote for as many as three of the nominees in the second round.

Votes may be cast by clicking on tribdem.com/walkoffame.

Baseball fans also may vote by email at fame@millrats.com or by visiting www.millrats.com and clicking on "Walk of Fame" link to submit online.

Mail votes to:

Johnstown Mill Rats

P.O. Box 522

Johnstown, Pa. 15907.

The inaugural 2022 Walk of Fame included George Azar, Pete Duranko, Jack Ham, Frank Kush, Gene Pentz and Pete Vuckovich.

This year's nominees, listed alphabetically, include:

Jim Abbott, a Detroit Adray Appliance player in the 1986 AAABA Tournament who had success as a pitcher despite being born without a right hand. A first-round draft pick, Abbott played in the major leagues from 1989-99 and tossed a no-hitter pitching for the New York Yankees against the Cleveland Guardians in 1993.

* George Arcurio III, entering his 50th year as a AAABA Tournament organizer. Arcurio is in his 16th season as president of the Johnstown Oldtimers Baseball Association that sponsors the annual event held at Sargent's Stadium and surrounding fields. He is a former AAABA national president and AAABA Hall of Famer.

* Jim Baldwin, the head groundskeeper at Point Stadium for 29 years until his retirement in 1990. Baldwin, who died in 2002, was instrumental in getting the Point Stadium back in shape after the 1977 Johnstown Flood. In a 1990 interview, Baldwin said his biggest challenge was cleaning up after the 1989 Bon Jovi concert held on a muddy surface that had to be reconfigured for the Ken Lantzy Finest 40 Football Classic.

* Maurice Berry, a AAABA Hall of Famer who pitched on the Pepsi-Cola and Knickerbockers franchises that dominated the local Johnstown Junior League in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He appeared in four AAABA Tournaments.

* Robert "Willis" Debouse, a long-time baseball and softball umpire, and PIAA football and basketball official who worked numerous games at Point Stadium.

* Carlton Haselrig, a Greater

* Johnstown High School football standout and state wrestling champion who went on to win six NCAA Division I and II wrestling championships at Pitt-Johnstown before playing on the offensive line for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the early 1990s.

* Artrell Hawkins Jr., a Bishop McCort Catholic graduate and University of Cincinnati star defensive back drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. Hawkins played in 122 NFL games during nine seasons with the Bengals, New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers.

* Tony Joseph, a pitcher on the locally famous 1956 Hahn Packing team that finished as AAABA Tournament runner-up. The AAABA Hall of Famer also pitched professionally in the Detroit Tigers system and returned to the Johnstown Junior League/AAABA League as a successful manager.

* Brian Mangiafico, Greater Johnstown High School quarterback was named the Pennsylvania Big School (Class 3A/4A) Player of the Year and a first-team all-state selection in 1991. He led the Trojans to two Keystone Conference titles in the WPIAL.

Dee Dee Osborne, the former Greater Johnstown High School baseball coach and AAABA Hall of Fame manager/GM. Osborne won 239 games in 25 seasons at Greater Johnstown and was part of 541 regular- season wins as either a manager or GM in the local AAABA League.

* Jeff Richardson, a Greater Johnstown High School football and wrestling standout who stood out at Michigan State University's 9-0-1 national championship football team that played what was labeled "The Game of the Century," a 10-10 tie against Notre Dame. Richardson was part of the New York Jets Super Bowl III championship team.

* Geroy Simon, the former Greater Johnstown football, basketball and track star who played at the University of Maryland and went on to set the Canadian Football League's all-time receiving yardage record during a Canadian Football Hall of Fame career.

Edward Stetz, a Greater Johnstown High School graduate and Cambria County Sports Hall of Famer. Stetz played linebacker at Wake Forest University from 1969-71, amassing an Atlantic Coast Conference-record 460 tackles and a program-record 270 career solo stops.

* Tom Walter, a Greater Johnstown High School graduate who is in both the AAABA Hall of Fame and Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame.

* Walter was a MVP in the Johnstown Junior League. He has more than 800 career coaching wins at the college baseball level, including nearly 400 at his current position with Wake Forest University.

Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.