NDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS; 

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In the entire history of BHS gymnastics, there were many WPIGL, WPIAL Section, WPIAL District and PA State Meet medal winners and individual champions. There were also many medal winners and champions at the various invitationals held over the years at Butler, Cleveland Swiss Turners, Slippery Rock University, the University of Pittsburgh and others.  The list is extensive, and records are incomplete. Here are some remembered examples:

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Jim Curzi:  Six-time WPIGL All-Around Champ.  Seven-time WPIGL Floor Exercise, High Bar, Flying Rings Champ. Seven-time Long Horse Vault, Parallel Bars and Pommel Horse Champ. Seven-time Cleveland Swiss Turner High School All-Around Champ. All other of his medals in these meets were seconds, except for two thirds.  Oustanding career at Michigan State University.  Multiple times All-Big Ten and NCAA              Division I All-American.  First Nissen Award Winner.  Inducted into Butler, MSU and Western PA halls of Fame.

 

Bill Erdos:  One-time WPIGL All-Around Champ.  Five-time second place All-Around in WPIGL.Six-time Cleveland Swiss Turner High School All-Around second place.  Erdos and Curzi engaged in close competitions year after year, with Erdos often tying Curzi or beating him on flying rings, parallel bars, vault and others.  Except for this one All-Around Championship and some first-place ties with Curzi, Erdos usually took the second-place medals. Youngstown University.  Went on to be an outstanding Girls Gymnastics Coach at Baldwin High School.  Inducted into Butler County Sports Hall of Fame.

 

Ken Musko:  Six-time WPIGL All-Around third place.  One-time WPIGL All-Around second place.  Six-time Cleveland Swiss Turner High School All-Around third place; one-time second place.  Musko was the third member of the close Erdos-Curzi-Musko All-Around Competition.  Musko had several ties for first and second place medals on long horse vault, pommel horse, high bar and still rings.  He was the sole first place winner on still rings several times.  West Virginia University.  Southern Collegiate Pommel Horse Champ.  Inducted into Butler County Sports Hall of Fame.

 

John Franchuk:  Seven-time WPIGL Parallel Bars Co-Champ.  Five-time WPIGL Rope Climb Champ. Seven-time Cleveland Swiss Turner High School Parallel Bars Co-Champ; Five-time Rope Climb Champ.  University of Pittsburgh.  Top 5 EIGL Parallel Bars as senior.

 

George Jankovich: Seven-time WPIGL and Cleveland Swiss Turner High School Pommel Horse Champ.

 

Ray Okeson:  Five-time WPIGL Tumbling Champ.

 

Tom Wharton:  One-time WPIGL Rope Climb Champ: BHS and WPIGL all-time record holder for Rope Climb time: 4.13 seconds.

 

Bill Daubenspeck:  One-time WPIGL Rope Climb Champ.

 

John Daller:  WPIGL Trampoline Champ, Long Horse Vaulting Champ, Floor Exercise Champ.

 

Jim Sacco:  WPIGL All-Around Champ, Parallel bars and High Bar Champ.

 

Tom Polanec: WPIGL Still Rings Champ.

 

Dave Shidemantle:  WPIGL and STATE Long Horse Vault Champ.

 

Steve Soley: WPIGL and STATE Pommel Horse Champ.

 

Tom Horne:  WPIGL and STATE Floor Exercise Champ.

 

Dave Croft:  WPIGL and STATE Still Rings Champ.

 

Cliff Diehl:  WPIGL and STATE Parallel Bars, High Bar and All-Around Champ.

 

Mickey Uram:   Multiple time WPIGL and STATE Floor Exercise, Parallel Bars, High Bar and All-Around Champ.  Participated in all four Penn State sponsored State Meets (1964—fifth AA,65—third AA, 66—second AAA and 67—first AA).  Medal winner in many events.  Finished in top eight or better in every event entered during those four State Meets.

 

Dan D’Aniello:  WPIGL Long Horse Vault Champ.

 

Tom Sawhook:  WPIGL Pommel Horse Champ.

 

John Daller:  WPIGL Trampoline Champ, Long Horse Vaulting Champ, Floor Exercise Champ. Southern Illinois University, Slippery Rock University.  All-American.  Multiple honors.

 

Jim Sacco:  WPIGL All-Around Champ, Parallel bars and High Bar Champ. University of Pittsburgh.  Top 5 EIGL all-Around as senior.

 

Tom Polanec: WPIGL Still Rings Champ.  West Virginia University.

 

Dave Shidemantle:  WPIGL and STATE Long Horse Vault Champ.  University of Pittsburgh.  EIGL Vaulting Champ.  Top 5 in NCAA.

 

Steve Soley: WPIGL Champ and STATE Pommel Horse runnerup.  Penn State University.

 

Tom Horne:  WPIGL and STATE Floor Exercise Champ.  Slippery Rock University.  All-American.  Later Athletic Director at West Point.

 

Dave Croft:  WPIGL and STATE Still Rings Champ.  Michigan State University. Big Ten Still Rings Champ.  Top ten NCAA.

 

Cliff Diehl:  WPIGL and STATE Parallel Bars, High Bar and All-Around Champ.  Michigan State University,  Big Ten Parallel Bar Champ.

 

Mickey Uram:   Multiple time WPIGL and STATE Floor Exercise, Parallel Bars, High Bar and All-Around Champ.  Participated in all four Penn State sponsored State Meets (1964—fifth AA,65—third AA, 66—second AAA and 67—first AA).  Medal winner in many events.  Finished in top eight or better in every event entered during those four State Meets.  Went to Michigan State University.  All-Big Ten.  Top ten NCAA All-Around.

 

Dan D’Aniello:  WPIGL Long Horse Vault Champ.  Syracuse University.

 

Tom Sawhook:  WPIGL Pommel Horse Champ.

 

Vic Holom:  WPIGL and STATE Still Rings Champ. West Virginia University.

 

Joe Gracik:  Three-time WPIGL and  two-time STATE Pommel Horse Champ.   1967 Eastern United States High School Pommel Horse Champion. University of Pittsburgh.  Top five EIGL.

 

John Gracik:  WPIAL and STATE Pommel Horse Champ.  Georgia Southern University. First place pommel horse againstWest German Natiuonal Team. Southern Collegiate Pommel Horse Champ.  Top ten NCAA Pommel Horse.

 

Jim Sandloop.  WPIGL Pommel Horse Champ.  New Mexico University.  Top five WASC Conference Pommel Horse.

 

Bob Tomasovic:  Butler Invitational, WPIAL and STATE Pommel Horse Champ.  Merchant Marine Academy.  

 

Wendell Tomasovic:  WPIAL and PIAA medalist, junior and senior years

 

Eric Swanson:  WPIAL Pommel Horse Champ.  Twice PIAA second place.  Went on to an outstanding career at the US Naval Academy where he was three-time Eastern Champ, recording the first perfect 10.00 in EIGL Pommel Horse History.  Three -time NCAA All-American with one third and two second places on Pommel Horse.  Academic All-American. Also, second in the voting for the prestigious Nissan Award.  Historical nickname:  Sir Eric the Second.

 

Richard Pribis; WPIAL Floor Exercise Champ.

 

Dave Zirnsak:  STATE Still Rings Champ.

 

John Semes:  WPIAL Section Still Rings Champ.

 

Tom Kerr:  STATE Pommel Horse Champ.

 

Larry Byerly; Slippery Rock Invitational, Butler Invitational and WPIAL Parallel Bar Champ

 

Kevin Collins: Slippery Rock Invitational Parallel bars and All-Around Champ; WPIAL Section High Bar Champ; WPIAL Parallel Bar Champ.

 

Marc Imhoff:  WPIAL Section Pommel Horse Champ.  

 

Bee Thoma:  WPIAL Section Floor Exercise Champ.

 

Jack Staley:  WPIAL Section Still Rings Champ.

 

Dave Collins:  Butler Invitational Parallel Bar Champ; WPIAL Section High Bar and All-around Champ.

 

Bob Stanley: Three-time WPIAL and PIAA Pommel Horse All-Star with five seconds and one fourth. Known in BHS as well as WPIAL and PIAA history for three years of extremely competitive rivalry with Rochester’s very talented Scott McBroom.  In collegiate competition, Stanley reversed the results and went on to become a two-time NCAA All- American with two consecutive second place NCAA Pommel Horse medals. Historical nickname: Sir Robert the Second.

 

Bill Stanley:  Two-time WPIAL and PIAA Pommel Horse Champ.  Outstanding collegiate career at Penn State where he was three-time EIGL Pommel Horse Champ and three-time NCAA All-American with one fourth, one second and one Championship.  During a Penn State meet with the Russian Olympic Team, he was awarded a perfect 10.00.  Two of the judges were Russian.

 

Doug Kleeman:  WPIAL Floor Exercise Champ, PIAA Floor Exercise second place as senior; finished second in WPIAL and third in PIAA as junior.

 

Eric Rasely:  PIAA High Bar second place; PIAA High Bar seventh place; WPIAL Floor Exercise third place; WPIAL High Bar third place.

 

Tom Serena: WPIAL Champ Vault; WPIAL Floor Exercise second place; PIAA Vault second place.

 

Tim Collins: PIAA STATE Champ High Bar; PIAA All Around fourth place; PIAA Parallel Bars fourth place;  PIAA Pommel Horse and Floor Exercise fifth place;  WPIAL All Around second place.

 

Jeff Collins: WPIAL All Around two consecutive third places; PIAA High Bar sixth place.

 

Bev Fry:  Four-year varsity letter winner.  1980—1982 MVP.  1981—Outstanding achievement award. In 1982 Bev was PIAA AA Champion; WPIAL AA Champion; MAC AA Champion; PA USGF AA Champion; and also Keystone Games AA Champion. During her four-year career at BHS Bev won many individual event medals In WPIAL and PIAA Championship meets.  Bev went on to become All-American at West Virginia University, lettering all four years. Bev became a highly successful coach at the University of Michigan and in 1991 she won the Woman’s Coach of the year.  Bev later became Athletic Director at Michigan.