Five individuals and one team make up the Allegheny Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 1996.
The Class of '96 includes James Johnston '60, basketball; David Macky '60, soccer/tennis; the 1962 Baseball Team; Bob Fraser '85, football; Jill Swanson Lawson '85, basketball/softball; and Joan Smith Sabo '86, basketball/softball.
A look at the inductees:
Johnston, a basketball guard, broke Allegheny's single-game scoring record twice during the 1958-59 season. His 53 points against Edinboro still stands as the record. Johnston also led the Presidents Athletic Conference in scoring that season at 22.6 points per game. He scored 1,027 career points and, at the time of his graduation, was just the third Gator to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Johnston also was a halfback on the football team from 1957-1960. A native of Meadville, Pa., he today is in management of the LTV Steel Company in Cleveland.
Macky was one of the premier players in Allegheny soccer history. A defender with a reputation for tough, fearless play, he capped his career by earning All-America honors in 1959. At that time, there were no NCAA divisions and only 11 players from across the country were chosen to the All-America team. Macky made All-PAC in 1958 and 1959. He also was a two-year letterman in tennis and helped Allegheny win the PAC championship in 1959.
The 1962 Baseball Team went 13-2 and captured the PAC championship, the program's third straight conference title. Five players from the club -- shortstop Dick Blackwood, catcher Stoner Tracy, pitcher Jim Marquis, and outfielders Duncan Parkinson and Harry Blackwood -- were named to the All-PAC first team. Other members of the 1962 team were Dave Andrews, Bill Armitage, Glenn Geist, Neal Johnson, Dick McElroy, Ed Ravenscroft, Jim Reynolds, Bob Rinker, Bill Seedyke, Andy Shapiro and John Willett. From 1959-62, Allegheny assembled a four-year record of 41-14 (.745) under legendary coach Bob Garbark. The Gators won 18 consecutive games between the 1961 and 1962 seasons, at that time a first for any Allegheny team. Allegheny's three All-PAC first team picks in 1961 included Glenn Beckert, who would go on to a career as the second baseman for the Chicago Cubs.
Fraser was a defensive lineman who earned honorable mention All-America honors as a sophomore in 1982. Injuries marred his junior and senior seasons, but he still made the first team All-NCAC both years and was named Allegheny's Senior Athlete of the Year in 1984. He led the Gators in tackles in both 1982 (91) and 1983 (85). A native of North Versailles, Pa., Fraser is currently an assistant football coach at Northeastern University in Boston.
Swanson helped the Gators to NCAA Tournament berths and conference championships in both 1983-84 and 1984-85. She was named the NCAC Player of the Year in 1985. A point guard, she set the all-time school record with 520 career assists. Also a standout softball player, Swanson twice earned all-conference honors and helped the Gators capture the Women's Keystone Conference title in 1982. A native of Sinclairville, N.Y., she currently is a pharmacist at Brooks Memorial Hospital in Dunkirk, N.Y.
Smith, Swanson's teammate for three seasons, helped the women's basketball team to the NCAA Tournament her sophomore, junior and senior years and was named the 1985-86 NCAC Player of the Year. Over her four years, the Gators were three times conference champs (one WKC and two NCAC), and assembled a record of 89-13. Smith graduated as Allegheny's all-time leading scorer with 1,135 points, a total which now stands fourth. In softball, she was a four-year letterwinner at catcher and first base. Smith helped the Gators to the NCAA playoffs each of her four years, and regional titles in 1983, 1985, and 1986. A native of Oil City, Pa., Smith now works for Alabama Metals Industries in Birmingham, Ala.
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