Authors and Athletes

Books by and about Delaware County Sports Legends

People familiar with Delaware County's Sports Heritage are well aware of the achievements of County athletes and coaches.  However, it might come as a surprise that many of these same individuals are also authors.  Among this group are:

• Jimmy Dykes, the only baseball major league player to play for over 20 years and manage for over 20 years in the big leagues. 

• Emlen Tunnell, first African American to be elected to football's Hall of Fame 

• Jack Ramsay, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, Jack McKinney, NBA coach of the year and  Phil Martelli are all St. Joseph University basketball coaches turned authors 

• Two more basketball coaches--"Bo" Ryan and Theresa Grentz--are as current as you get, with Bo being inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame 2024 and Theresa being elected in 2014  to that same  Hall of Fame.

• Vince Papale of Invicible lore, Joe Klecko and Joe Fields are three football stars with books to their credit

• Rich Westcott has written 27 books, including Mickey Vernon The Gentleman First Baseman 

• Rich Pagano has published a book on fight promoter Baron Dougherty

• Colleen Hroncich, Danny Murtaugh's granddaughter has authored his biography

• Ray Didinger has compiled an Eagles Encyclopedia. 

Books by these authors are among the many to be placed on display at the Radnor Township Library for the month of December 2024.  For more information, contact Jim Vankoski 610-909-4919 or email Rich Pagano rp1751@aol.com

• Emlen Tunnell NFL Hall of Famer and All-Around Nice Guy
• Emlen Tunnell’s Journey to becoming a Giants Legend
• Emlen Tunnell Honored by the US Coast Guard

• NFL Films Presents: "Honor" : A Feature of Emlen Tunnell

Emlen Tunnell US Coast Guard Cutter Ship Commissioning

On October 15, 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard will commission its 45th Sentinel-Class Fast Response Cutter (FRC), to be named in honor of Delaware County Steward’s Mate 1st Class Emlen Lewis Tunnell, a Radnor High School 1942 graduate. Emlen Tunnell rose from humble beginnings to become the first African-American enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Recognized as one of the NFL’s top 100 players of all time, he was awarded the U. S. Coast Guard’s Silver Lifesaving Medal for heroism in WWII, and is regarded as one of the greatest athletes ever from Delaware County.

Bollinger Shipyards Delivers 45th Fast Response Cutter ‘Emlen Tunnell’ to Coast Guard
- Seapower Magazine

Radnor Township has partnered with Main Line TV to film the event so that it can later be shared with members of the community.

Collectibles

Emlen Tunnell Card Set

Emlen Tunnell Cutter Ship Commissioning Card Set

Portrait

This extraordinary portrait of Emlen Tunnell was completed by Radnor Township employee James Corcoran for the opening reception of The Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum, held on December 12, 2015.

Emlen, a 1942 graduate of Radnor High School, and a WW II Veteran was the first African American to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.

The portrait will be on display in the Emlen Tunnell Gallery at the museum’s home on the second floor of the Radnor Township Municipal Building, located at 301 Iven Avenue.

Tribute Video

Thank you to all those who participated in the Children's Coloring Contest! Congratulations to our winners!

• 1st Place - Rishwita Bhavirisetti
• 2nd Place - Alexander Tosti
• 3rd Place - Jocelyn Wallace

Click on an image to see a larger view.

Cabrini University honored alumna Fredia Gibbs, the kickboxing world champion once called “The Most Dangerous Woman in the World,” during a statue dedication ceremony on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, at the Reflection Pond next to Cabrini’s Thomas P. Nerney Pavilion. This event marked the first time in Pennsylvania history a statue has been erected in the name of a female athlete.

Gibbs, who grew up in Chester, PA., and joined the Cabrini community as a Women’s Basketball standout in 1984, played professional basketball in Europe before returning to the United States to become the first African American woman to hold the International Sport Kickboxing Association (ISKA) world kickboxing title. She was inducted into the Cabrini Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.

The statue dedication was a remarkable day at Cabrini University led by Steve Highsmith (VP, Office of Institutional Advancement and External Relations), with guest speakers that included friends and family of Fredia Gibbs, Harlem Globetrotters Chris Franklin, Phil Damiani, Vice-President of the Sports Legends of Delaware County who led the effort to commemorate and fundraise for the statue, Delaware County Councilwoman Elaine Paul Schaefer, and the bolstering energy of the Philadelphia 76ers drumline which was only matched by the presence of the energy of Fredia Gibbs herself who was present to accept the exceptional recognition.

 Please find the following links below for coverage from the event!

Cabrini University Honors Fredia Gibbs

Fredia Gibbs Statue Dedication Website

On December 14th, 2021, Villanova University's Head Football Coach, Andy Talley, was inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame in Las Vegas.

He is Villanova's first representative to be so honored.

Andy Talley was Villanova's all time winningest head coach leading the team to a National Championship in 2009. Active in the community, Talley has received numerous awards including the Rod Carew Leadership Award and the March of Dimes' Shining Star Lifetime Achievement Award.

An addition to the Delaware County Sports scene, open free of charge to all residents, awaits you at the Radnor Township Municipal Building at 301 Iven Avenue Wayne, Pa The addition is a Sports Rarity of the Month exhibit, on display in a case in their atrium. With this addition The Delaware County Athletes Hall of Fame and the Mickey Vernon Sports History Museum are preparing for a permanent Sports Legends of Delaware County installation also to be held at the Radnor Township building. The Sports Legends of Delaware County exhibit promises to preserve the rich sports history of Delaware County by honoring those athletes that have earned national and international acclaim for their accomplishments.

The Sports Rarity on display will be Mike Scioscia's game-worn Jersey from the 2002 World Series, worn by Mike as he led the Los Angeles Angels to the World Championship that year. The jersey will be on display Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:00pm.

Mike, a graduate of Springfield High School, was an All-Delco selection in football and baseball. He was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the June 1976 draft and played for 15 years as a catcher in the major leagues. He was a member of the Dodgers’ 1981 and 1988 World Championship teams. Playing in the 1990 all-star game at Wrigley Field in Chicago, he became the first Dodger catcher to start an all-star game since Roy Campanella. This year was Mike's 16th season managing the Angels, making him the longest-tenured manager in Major League baseball.

For more information contact Jim Vankoski at (610) 909-4919 or vankoski21@comcast.net.

Various size prints of these images are available by contacting artist George Rothacker at 610-566-0334 or george@rothackeradv.com.