Jan. 20, 2011

PHILADELPHIA - The countdown to this year's Hall of Athletes celebration on February 27, 2011 has begun!  In commemoration of the Hall of Athletes' 50th anniversary, La Salle Athletics honor each of its members during halftime of the men's basketball game against Massachusetts.

Leading up to the celebration, GoExplorers.com will take a look back at the accomplishments of the athletes and coaches by decade. 

For more information about the Hall of Athletes gala celebration, please contact the Explorer Club at 215-951-1606 or explorerclub@lasalle.edu.
 
Today GoExplorers.com looks back at the late 1950s and the athletes and coaches from that time period.

Gene McDonnell '55 (Coaches' Corner): He was one of the sharpest baseball minds in the Philadelphia area. McDonnell began coaching at La Salle in 1959 and until his retirement in 1988 he amassed a 430-352-8 record (.549), including 22 winning seasons. Under McDonnell, the Explorers made their first NCAA playoff appearance in 1964, captured the Big 5 baseball titles from 1965-66 and finished second in NCAA East Regional in 1985.  That same year, he was voted NCAA East Region Coach of the Year and Diamond Baseball Coach of the Year in 1985.

Patrick P. Kennedy '55 (swimming): As one of La Salle's greatest divers, Kennedy was undefeated in 27 dual meet competitions in his Explorer career. Among his various titles, Kennedy captured both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving board Middle Atlantic AAU Senior championships in 1949 and 1950. He later coached diving at La Salle in the 1970s.

George I. Haggerty '55 (swimming): He was named an All-American swimmer in 1955 and finished fifth in the NCAA Championships and third in the Eastern Intercollegiates the same year. His time in the 200 yard breaststroke was an Explorer record for several years.

Albert Cantello '55 (track and field): Cantello was an outstanding competitor in the javelin throw, becoming a MAC Champion (1952-1955), IC4A Champion (1953-1955), Penn Relay Champion (1953-1955), and All-American track and field athlete (1954-1955). Cantello threw the javelin for world record (282 feet, 3 1/2 inches) in 1959 and went on to represented the USA in 1960 Olympics in Rome. He was selected for Sport Magazine's All-Time Track and Field Team (1964) as world's greatest competitor in the javelin. Longtime track and cross country coach at U.S. Naval Academy and NCAA Region II Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1984, 1985, and 1992.

Tom Gola '55 (basketball):  He was one of the most talented collegiate athletes in Philadelphia sports history. As a Sophomore, Gola led La Salle to the 1952 NIT championship and was named co- MVP. Paced Explorers to a NCAA basketball championship in 1954 and was named Tournament MVP.  That same season he was selected as National Player of the Year.  As a senior, he helped La Salle finish as the runner-up in the 1955 NCAA Tournament. Gola averaged 20.9 points and 19.0 rebounds during 115 games and holds the NCAA record with 2,201 career rebounds. Gola went on to Play in the NBA for Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors and New York Knicks (1955-1956 and 1957-1966), amassing 7,871 points and 5,605 rebounds. Coached Explorers during 1968-1969 (23-1 record; ranked second in nation) and 1969-1970 seasons. La Salle dedicated its "Tom Gola Arena" at Hayman Center in 1998.

Charles Singley '55 (basketball): As a sophomore Singley was a starter on the 1954 NCAA championship team and was named to First Team All-Tournament squad.  That season, he was second only to Tom Gola in points (320).  Singley tallied 365 points during the 1955 NCAA runner-up year and finished his career with 934 points and 473 rebounds.
Francis O'Malley '56 (basketball): O'Malley scored 728 points at La Salle during the 1954 NCAA championship and the 1955 runner-up seasons.  In 1956, he became the first La Salle player to be named to an All-Big 5 team in its first official year of competition.

Hank De Vincent, M.D. '56 (baseball, track and soccer): All-American outfielder (1954-1956), De Vincent hit over .400. As a Senior, he captained the baseball and soccer teams, while also participating in track field events.  De Vincent went on to sign a contract with the Cincinnati Reds, but retired from baseball several years later to enter medical school. His retired number (8) hangs at the Explorers' home field which bears his name.

Penn Relays Champions '56 (track): This relay team claimed La Salle's first victory at the Penn Relays in 1956, capturing the 480-yard Shuttle Hurdle Relay Championship of America in 60.8 seconds. It was a tribute to Coach Frank Wetzler, who had finally put together a team of 4 accomplished hurdlers. They had previously won the same event at the Quantico Relays that same spring. The team consisted of Iskandar Turner '58, F. Paul Mita, Jr. '56, Mark W. Harmon '56, and Victor M. Gavin '57.

Dad Vail Champions '57 (crew): During the 1950s, La Salle won the Dad Vail regatta 6 times in 8 seasons (1951-1953 and 1956-1958). Inducted into the Hall was the 1957 Varsity Eight because of its outstanding overall record (5-1 in dual meets). The members of this crew were Vincent J. Szymkowski '57, Robert H. Morro '58, Romeo Boyd '58, John E. Maketa '57, John J. Dever '57, John R. Galloway '57, Francis M. McCloskey '57, James W. Wagner '60, Tom ("Bear") Curran (Coach) and Thomas Loschiavo '57 (coxwain).

Alonzo M. Lewis '57 (basketball): Lewis scored 1,137 points in 3 varsity seasons (82 games) and was a member of the 1955 NCAA runner-up squad. He was the team's leading scorer during the 1955-1956 and 1956-1957 seasons.  La Salle's record during Alonzo's 3 years was 58-24. Later Alonzo was inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame.

Victor M. Gavin '57 (track): Gavin was one of the greatest hurdlers in La Salle's history, holding La Salle's high and low hurdles records for several decades. Gavin won three consecutive MAC low hurdles titles (1955-1957).  He captured the IC4A low hurdles crown in 1956 and anchored the Explorer championship 480-yard shuttle hurdle relay team in the Penn Relays in the same year.

Robert H. Morro '58 (crew): Coached by the legendary "Bear" Curran in the 1950's, La Salle's heavyweight eights dominated the Schuykill. Morro '58 is one of only two men to have rowed on three Dad Vail Champions in his career. Sitting in the seventh seat three years in a row, Morro helped La Salle to championships in 1956-58. Only Tom Conville '53, inducted to the Hall in 1973, had enjoyed such success at the Dad Vail Regatta.

Edward A. Czerniakowski D.D.S. '58 (baseball): His Senior year batting average of .452 (28 for 62 in 15 games, including 4 triples) and his 10 career home runs were milestones in Explorer record books. Czerniakowski was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals after graduation.

Ira Davis '58 (track): Davis was a versatile track star who won the IC4A 100 yard dash championship (9.6 seconds) in 1958.  During the Penn Relays that year, he also became the 100 yard dash champion, as well as champion in the hop-step-jump (now known as the triple jump).  Davis broke many La Salle track records and once held the American record in the hop-step-jump (53 feet, 11inches). He then participated in the 1956 (Melbourne), 1960 (Rome) and 1964 (Tokyo) Olympics and came within 2 centimeters of capturing a Bronze medal in hop-step-jump in Rome (1960). Later Davis would coach track and field at La Salle.