The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) is proud to announce the WPIAL Hall of Fame Class of 2025, which features 15 inductees across seven different categories. The 18th annual WPIAL Hall of Fame class was announced to the public on Wednesday morning in a press conference at the Senator John Heinz History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.
Out of the 15 inductees, seven are listed in the Athlete category, two in Coach and Team, and one each in Official, Contributor, Heritage, and Courage. The full class is listed below, as well as a brief overview on each inductee’s career.
Charel Allen (Athlete) – Helped lead Monessen to a 100-19 record and the 2004 WPIAL and PIAA Class 1A girls’ basketball championships … Earned four Street & Smith All-America honorable mention nods and three All-State plaudits from 2002-04 … Named Associated Press Pennsylvania Class 1A Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004 … Averaged 26.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 5.1 steals per game fore the Greyhounds as a senior … Scored 39 points in the 2001 WPIAL Class 1A championship game as a freshman … Finished high school career with 3,110 points and 1,247 rebounds, and is one of three WPIAL student-athletes to eclipse 3,000 points in girls’ basketball … Rated the No. 27 overall prospect by Blue Star Index coming out of Monessen and continued her career at the University of Notre Dame … Became the first player in Notre Dame history to record 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, and 200 steals, and earned two All-America honorable mention nods in 2007 and 2008 … Selected in the third round (43rd overall) of the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Sacramento Monarchs … Enjoyed 10-year professional career in WNBA, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Israel, and won five Bulgarian Cup titles in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016 … Currently is an assistant coach with the Notre Dame women’s basketball team
Trilby Busch (Heritage) – Four-year member of the Munhall rifle team from 1958-61 … Helped lead Munhall to three WPIAL, two state, and two national championships … Part of the Munhall team that won its 14th WPIAL title in 1960 with a perfect score of 1,000 … Posted a perfect score against Doylestown with female teammates Dottie Darsie, Nancy Wilson, Mary Ann Gruen, Barbara Cerra, Christie Harman, and Bronwyn Evans to win Munhall’s 14th state title … Recorded a perfect 100-10x score in the 1960 NRA National Postal Competition … Named top shooter in the country as a senior in 1961 … Earned runner-up honors at the National Council of Teachers of English’s Annual Achievement Awards Competition as a senior … Graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English from the College of William & Mary, and a Master’s and Doctorate from Ohio University … Currently featured in the sports section of the Heinz History Center’s major exhibition, A Woman’s Place
Russ Grimm (Athlete) – Earned nine varsity letters at Southmoreland between football, basketball, and track & field … Served as the Scotties quarterback, linebacker, and punter, and the school’s football field is named in his honor … Played football collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh, originally starting as a linebacker before moving to offensive line after his sophomore year … Started at center for the 1979 and 1980 Panthers teams that went a combined 22-2 and won the Fiesta and Gator Bowls … Picked in the third round (69th overall) of the 1981 NFL Draft by Washington … Served as a founding member of Washington’s renowned “Hogs” offensive line with Jeff Bostic, Mark May, George Starke, and Joe Jacoby, and won three Super Bowls with the team in 1983, 1988, and 1992 … Played 11 seasons in the NFL, earning four Pro Bowl and four All-Pro selections, and was named to the 1980s All-Decade Team … Spent 26 seasons as an assistant coach with Washington, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans, primarily coaching offensive lines … Won his fourth Super Bowl in 2006 as Steelers offensive line coach … Inducted into many Hall of Fames, including Western Pennsylvania Sports (1999), Pro Football (2010), Pitt Athletics (2022), and Pennsylvania Sports (2023)
Aiden Hanna (Courage) – Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his leg in the summer of 2022, spreading to his other leg in fall of 2023, and returned to his original leg in summer of 2024 … Had three total surgeries in both of his legs to combat the cancer and chemotherapy … Started his own foundation called Aiden’s Helping Hands, which has held fundraising events to assist with cancer research and offers help to families who have children with cancer … Played golf and baseball at Hampton and is a member of National Honor Society and Student-Athlete Advisory Council … Named Most Positive Boys’ Golf Athlete in Western Pennsylvania in 2023
Terry Kushner (Contributor) – Serves on the WPIAL Hall of Fame and James Collins Scholarship steering committees … Spent 10 years as a member of the WPIAL Board of Directors and 11 years on the WPIAL football steering committee … Worked as a teacher, coach, and administrator in the Peters Township, Trinity, and Baldwin school districts before becoming the associate high school principal at Upper St. Clair in 1986 … Held the high school principal, assistant superintendent, and acting superintendent at Upper St. Clair until his retirement in 2009 … Began his career in education in 1969 as a mathematics teacher and football coach at Moon High School … Named Washington County Football Coach of the Year in 1980 at Peters Township … Earned the National Football Foundation (NFF) Pittsburgh Chapter Scholar-Athlete Award in 1964 as a football player at Clairton … Won two letters as the starting center of the Colgate University football team in 1967-68 … Currently works as an adjunct professor at Chatham University, Carlow University, and Waynesburg University, and is co-chair of the Teacher Leadership Academy
Ty Law (Athlete) – Played cornerback, safety, wide receiver, and runningback for Aliquippa, helping guide the Quips to the WPIAL and PIAA Class 2A championships in 1991 … Named to the Parade Magazine High School All-America team in 1991 and was a Pennsylvania Big 33 All-Star … Placed on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fab 22 as a senior … Received the Ron Vincich Underclassman Award in 1990 … Collected Team MVP honors with the Aliquippa basketball team … Played football collegiately at the University of Michigan, becoming the first true freshman to start in 1992 … Garnered Walter Camp All-America First Team accolades in 1994 and two All-Big Ten First Team nods … Picked in the first round (23rd overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots … Enjoyed 15 seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Patriots, and also played for the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, and Denver Broncos … Won three Super Bowls in 2002, 2004, and 2005 and was named to five Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams … Led the NFL in interceptions in 1998 and 2005 and finished with 53 in his career … Inducted into the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019
Spencer Lee (Athlete) – Posted a 144-1 career record at Franklin Regional, winning four WPIAL titles and three PIAA gold medals at the 113 and 120 weight classes … Ranked as the No. 1 wrestler in the country all four of his high school years at his weight class … Won the U17 world championship in 2014, and U20 world championship in 2015 and 2016 at the 50kg weight class … Competed collegiately at the University of Iowa, finishing with a 95-6 career record, three Big Ten titles in 2020, 2021, and 2023, and three NCAA championships in 2018, 2019, and 2021 at the 125 weight class … Earned the James E. Sullivan Award in 2019 for most outstanding athlete at the collegiate or Olympic level in the United States … Received the Dan Hodge Trophy in 2020 and 2021 for top college wrestler, becoming one of six multi-time winners of the award … Captured gold medals at the 2019 and 2023 U.S. Senior Nationals and 2024 Pan American Championships at the 57kg weight class … Brought home the silver medal at 57kg from the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics
Rick Locaitis (Official) – Long-time PIAA official in football, basketball, baseball, soccer, softball, and volleyball … Recognized for 50 years of service by the PIAA … Member of the West Penn Basketball Officials Association for 50 years and was its past president, and the Tri-State Officials Association for 30 years … Officiated three PIAA basketball championship games, two PIAA baseball championship games, and one PIAA football championship game, as well as numerous WPIAL championship games in basketball, baseball, and football … Worked numerous basketball and football games at the NCAA Division I, II, and III levels … Spent 16 seasons as head coach of North Hills baseball, and has coached basketball at North Hills, Serra Catholic, and South Side Catholic … Retired from North Hills School District after 35 years of service as a teacher and guidance counselor … Remains an active PIAA official in baseball, basketball, football, and soccer for the WPIAL
Dori Oldaker (Coach) – Compiled a 495-139 coaching record with the Blackhawk and Mt. Lebanon girls’ basketball programs … Led Mt. Lebanon to four WPIAL and three PIAA championships, and Blackhawk to two WPIAL and two PIAA titles … Guided the 2009 Blue Devils team to a sweep of the Class 4A WPIAL and PIAA trophies, finishing with a 29-2 record and a No. 7 national ranking by USA Today … Named Associated Press Big School Coach of the Year on five occasions, in 1999, 2000, 2008, 2009, and 2010 … Earned Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year accolades in 2001 and was a nominee in 2010 … Captured the WPIAL Class 4A Coach of the Year and Johnny Unitas Sportsmanship Coach of the Year plaudits in 2005 … Served as a coach for the USA Basketball national team trials for the U16 trials in 2011 and the U17 and U18 trials in 2012 … Played basketball, golf, softball, and track & field at Blackhawk and was the 1986 Beaver County Co-Athlete of the Year … Inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Girls’ Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 … Currently serves as a second grade teacher at Washington Elementary School in the Mt. Lebanon School District, holding that position since 2003
Rich Saccani (Coach) – Started the Upper St. Clair boys’ tennis program, compiling a 404-43 coaching record in 24 seasons with nine section titles and six WPIAL team championships (1971, 1975, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1990) … Coached two WPIAL singles champions (1981, 1982) and the 1982 PIAA singles winner, Martin Sieckmann … Guided four WPIAL doubles champions (1975, 1976, 1985, 1986), three WPIAL mixed doubles victors, and two PIAA doubles winners (1986, 1987) … Posted five undefeated seasons … Named Coach of the Year by the Allegheny Mountain Tennis Association and Middle States Tennis Association in 1980 … Claimed the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Coaches Award in 1975 … Saw 29 of his student-athletes go on to play at the NCAA Division I level and six play on the National Amateur Tour … Taught mathematics and engineering at Upper St. Clair from 1966 to 2001 … Coached his collegiate alma mater, California University of Pennsylvania, from 1990-93, compiling a record of 58-4 with two PSAC championships and a runner-up finish … Named PSAC Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1993 … Guided the 1991 Cal team to the No. 1 national ranking … Retired from Cal with a 51-game winning streak, which was highlighted in 2001 during the PSAC’s 50th anniversary as one of the greatest moments in conference history
Ron Semkiw (Athlete) – Held WPIAL record for shot put for 44 years, tossing a throw of 70-01.75 at the 1972 WPIAL Championships … Claimed the PIAA championship meet record in shot put for 33 years with his 1972 toss of 66-05.50 … Captured three PIAA titles in shot put … Earned the 1973 AAU national junior championship in shot put with a throw of 64-01.25, winning by more than five feet … Became the first member of the 70/70 club at 19 years old with a throw of 70-00.05, claiming distances of at least 70 feet with both 12 and 16-pound shots … Competed collegiately at Arizona State University, Mesa Community College, and San Jose State University … Owns the NJCAA shot put record with a toss of 70-05.00 in 1974 and captured the title that year … Collected top-five NCAA Championships finishes in the shot put in 1973 (5th, 63-03.00), 1976 (2nd, 64-02.00), and 1977 (4th, 62-01.00) … Ranks second all-time at San Jose State in outdoor and indoor shot put, tossing respective marks of 65-09.00 and 62-09.00 in 1976
Brooke Stewart (Athlete) – Scored 3,055 career points in her career at East Allegheny, serving as one of three WPIAL student-athletes to eclipse the 3,000-point mark in girls’ basketball … Led the Wildcats to the 1999 WPIAL Class 2A title and PIAA semifinals, which is the school’s only championship in the sport … Tallied a career-high 56 points as a sophomore, which is a WPIAL postseason record … Captured numerous accolades, including Pennsylvania Coaches Association Class 2A Player of the Year, USA Today Pennsylvania Honorable Mention Player of the Year, and Street & Smith High School All-American Honorable Mention … Paced the WPIAL in scoring as a sophomore with 31.5 points per game … Had her No. 5 jersey retired at East Allegheny … Played college basketball at the University of Pittsburgh, serving as a three-year starter with 1,114 points in 111 career games … Inducted into the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Women’s Hall of Fame in 2022
Rodney Wilson (Athlete) – Won 12 letters for West Greene in football, wrestling, and track & field … Named to the PIAA All-State twice in 1992 and 1993 for football … Earned Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fab 22 honors in 1993 and was a Big 33 nominee … Claimed two Greene County Messenger Player of the Year awards in 1992 and 1993 and was the 1993 Dapper Dan Class 1A Football Player of the Year … Finished high school football career as WPIAL all-time leading rusher, compiling 6,304 rushing yards and 75 touchdowns … Helped lead the Pioneers to the 1993 WPIAL Class 1A Championship Game, the program’s only appearance to date … Captured WPIAL wrestling gold in 1992 and 1993 at the 171 weight class and won the 1992 PIAA Southwest Regional … Finished with a career wrestling record of 106-25-1 … Won the 1994 WPIAL Class 2A team wrestling title with West Greene and the 1993 PIAA Southwest Regional team crown … Played football collegiately at Slippery Rock University, earning four letters and a pair of All-PSAC selections … Made the 1997 NCAA Division II quarterfinals after winning the PSAC title with Slippery Rock … Currently works as the vice president of business development for CNX Resources, Inc.
1983-84 Seton LaSalle Girls’ Basketball (Team) – Led by the late Ben Hartman, Seton LaSalle finished the season with a 35-1 overall record, capturing the WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A championships despite having an enrollment two classifications below … Topped Strath Haven, 55-53, for the school’s first PIAA title in any sport … Defeated Beaver Falls, 71-59, to win the first WPIAL Class 4A title and successfully defend its 1983 WPIAL championship … Boasted three 1,000-point scorers in Suzie McConnell, Kathy McConnell, and Lisa Heuer … Saw four student-athletes play basketball collegiately and a fifth compete in track & field … Had a Parade Magazine All-American in Suzie McConnell, who went on to enjoy an All-America career at Penn State University and an All-WNBA professional career, captured a pair of Olympic medals with gold in 1988 and bronze in 1992, and was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 … Produced another NCAA Division I basketball player in Kathy McConnell, who played in four NCAA Tournaments at the University of Virginia, including two Sweet 16 appearances and one Elite Eight … Did not have a player on the team taller than five-foot-seven
2012 North Allegheny Football (Team) – Finished the campaign with a perfect 16-0 mark, winning the WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A championships … Ranked No. 4 in the country according to MaxPreps … Became just the third team in WPIAL history to win three consecutive titles at the largest classification and remains the last to do so … Outscored its opponents 671-140 and went over the 42-point mark in 11 games, including all three PIAA postseason contests … Topped Woodland Hills, 21-14, for the WPIAL title and held current NFL runningback Miles Sanders to 15 second-half yards on 13 carries … Bested McDowell in the PIAA quarterfinals, 56-6, and held another current NFL runningback in James Conner to 36 rushing yards for the game … Defeated Coatesville, 63-28, in the PIAA championship game, with the 63 points scored the most ever in a PIAA championship game at the time … Head coach Art Walker was named the National Sports News Service National Coach of the Year … Boasted numerous All-State selections, including Mack Leftwich, Greg Garrity, Zach Lyon, Brendan Coniker, and Jeremy Gonzales … Leftwich, the quarterback, was named Pennsylvania Sports Writers’ Class 4A Player of the Year after throwing for over 3,000 yards and 45 touchdowns, and later became a two-time Broyles Award nominee at Texas State University, which is given to the best assistant coach in college football
The WPIAL Hall of Fame was organized as a means of recognizing, preserving, and promoting the heritage of interscholastic sports in Western Pennsylvania. Many individuals have made extraordinary contributions and have achieved superb accomplishments in high school sports. The WPIAL Hall of Fame honors the contributions and accomplishments of these individuals who are worthy of recognition as examples for others to emulate.
The annual WPIAL Hall of Fame induction banquet will be held on Friday, June 6 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Greentree (500 Mansfield Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15205).
Founded in 1906, the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) represents Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) District VII, which is one of the 12 districts governed by the Constitution and By-Laws of the PIAA. The WPIAL represents its member schools by promoting academics, the safety of participants, sportsmanship, citizenship, and lifelong values as the foundation of interscholastic athletics. The league holds championships for 27 different sports, and its member schools are made up of 10 state counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland.