George Guido: Knoch to induct 7 into Sports Hall of Fame

By: George Guido
Saturday, August 28, 2021 | 2:29 PM

Knoch High School’s Sports Hall of Fame is getting set to enshrine its sixth induction class Friday night during the Knights’ home opener against Freeport.

The school’s hall of fame committee, like most similar organizations, suspended its activities last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Four of the seven inductees are part of a remarkable Knoch football era where the Knights went 74-23-2 from 1978-86.

One is coach Larry Kunselman, who guided the Knights from 1980-88 when his teams made the playoffs six of his first eight seasons. During that span, the Knights went 63-31-1 and appeared in the 1981 WPIAL Class AAA title game, losing to Beaver.

Gary Bastin, a 1980 Knoch graduate, was part of the 1978 WPIAL champions and the ’79 runners-up. He had nine career interceptions, including two pick-6s in playoff games. Bastin later played for Army and intercepted a pass thrown by Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie of Boston College.

Quarterback/kicker John Ivory had a hand in one of the biggest playoff upsets of that era, a 21-20 shocker in 1986 at Ambridge against the heavily favored Bridgers. Ambridge entered the game undefeated and was coming off a big win over Aliquippa, forcing the Quips to miss the playoffs in one of only two times since 1979.

Michael Crouch was, perhaps, more well-known as a record-setting shot put performer, but he was an all-conference lineman before graduating in 1984. He remains an assistant football coach.

Other great athletes to be inducted Friday include Barbara Lawson Yates, who was an MVP in volleyball and basketball in the late 1970s and played both sports at Grove City.

Kelly Myers Coffield, a 1995 Knoch grad, was a two-time MVP in volleyball and track who later captained the Pitt Panthers.

Amanda Sharbaugh Spaeder, a 2008 graduate, scored a school-record 111 career goals and 290 points in soccer and then set goals and points records at Gannon.

Former Burrell coach Geyer dies

Former Burrell football coach and defensive guru George Geyer died recently in Cheyenne, Wyo.

He was 81.

Geyer played for Springdale and Grove City before coming to Burrell as an assistant in 1968 under coach Frank Solomond when the Bucs were defending WPIAL champions.

Burrell needed a win over Swissvale to remain undefeated in the playoff running. Swissvale had a sensational running back, Gus Dagnus, who was featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” section a week earlier. Geyer’s defense bottled up Dagnus, and the Bucs prevailed 45-0 and went on to win a second straight WPIAL crown with a 6-0 win over Freeport.

Geyer had stints as Burrell head coach from 1975-79 and 1983-84, then later coached with Frank Rocco Jr. at Highlands.

He retired from teaching in 1995 but not from coaching. He coached six-man football in Montana before going to Wyoming, where he worked in the Wyoming State Legislature.

Geyer died of covid-19 complications Aug. 20, even though he was vaccinated.

Tags: Burrell, Knoch