Pennridge Inductees
Donald Fisher, Jr. – Don graduated from Pennridge in 1971. He was a three sport athlete playing basketball for two years and football and baseball for three years each. He was the captain of the 1970 football team gaining 1st Team All Bux-Mont Honors and 1st Team All County Honors. He was also the ace of the Rams pitching staff in 1970 with a 10-3 record and an 8-1 record in ’71. He earned 1st Team All Bux-Mont Honors both years. During High School he was also the Sophomore Class Vice President and the Sr. Class President. He pitched at Polk Community College earning a 13-2 record as a freshman and 8-2 record as a sophomore. He made 1st Team All Conference both years and 1st Team All State Honors in his sophomore year. In 1973, he was chosen as one of the Outstanding College Athletes in America. Don was drafted 4 times by the Milwaukee Brewers, twice by the Pittsburgh Pirates and once by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Claire V. Parker Portik – Claire won 11 varsity letters during her high school career at Sell-Perk High School. She excelled as a three sport athlete playing goalie in field hockey, 2nd base in softball and guard on the basketball team. Subsequent to high school she played for the Perkasie Owl Women’s Basketball Team. As an adult she was also an avid golfer.
Jeffrey Scott Roberts – During Jeff’s high school career he earned 9 varsity letters; 3 each in football, basketball and track. As a sophomore he set the school record in the high jump at 6’4”, won a Silver Medal at the Penn Relays, won the District One high jump title and was undefeated in head-on dual meets. As a junior, Jeff made 1st Team All Bux-Mont in football on both offense and defense as a lineman. He set the school record for sacks, tackles and tackles for a loss. In track he broke his high jump record at 6’6”, won a Bronze Medal at the Penn Relays, was 1st Team All Bux-Mont and again won every head-on dual meet competition. As a senior in football, he again made 1st Team All Bux-Mont on defense and 2nd Team on offense. He broke all of his season records for sacks, tackles and tackles for a loss. He played in the Bucks County All Star Football Game. In basketball, he set the school records for rebounds and blocked shots. He tied the school record with 63 points in one game and was chosen 1st Team All Bux-Mont. He was chosen as the team MVP. In track, he again won the Bux-Mont Championship in the high jump and went undefeated in all head-on dual meet competitions.
After high school, Jeff earned a full scholarship to Temple University where he played football for 4 years. He was a starter and earned varsity letters in his junior and senior years.
Quakertown Inductees
Evelyn I. Buzby Gross – Evelyn graduated from Quakertown High in 1944. She was an outstanding three sport athlete. She was the captain of the basketball team in her senior year. She was also a three year letter winner in field hockey and a three year letter winner and catcher on the softball team. Records for her period of time are not available but she is believed to be the points, scoring and hitting leader on all of these teams. She continued to play sports, especially swimming and golf until she passed away at age 83.
Sylvia Kalazs – Sylvia was a 1975 graduate of Quakertown who earned 8 varsity letters during high school. She played field hockey and basketball where she was chosen for Honorable Mention on the All Bux-Mont Team. She was a 1st Team All Bux-Mont selection in softball during her senior year. In 1975, she was chosen as the Outstanding Female Athlete of the year at QHS. After college, Sylvia returned to teach and coach at Quakertown. She was the girls head field hockey coach from 1985-2000. Her teams amassed a 161-100-39 record qualifying for the District One Playoffs 9 times and the State Playoffs 5 times. The 1987 team played for the District Championship and her 1986 team played for the State Championship. She coached 2 players who were named All-Americans and one player who was named All-State. More than 30 of her players went on to play college field hockey and 2 of them were on NCAA National Championship Teams. In 1990-’91 she was an assistant coach at Old Dominion University when they won the NCAA Division I National Championship. Sylvia became the Athletic Director at QHS in 2009 and still is in that position.
David Price – Dave graduated from Quakertown in 1978 where he lettered in three sports – football, basketball and track. He achieved All Bux-Mont Honorable Mention in football during his senior year as a defensive tackle/end. After high school, Dave attended Lock Haven University where he played football for 4 years and lettered 3 times as an outside linebacker/defensive end. He was a participant on the Lock Haven PAC team in football and recorded 10 quarterback sacks as a senior. He is the only Lock Haven student ever to major in Athletic Training and play a varsity sport. During his senior year he served as an Intern Assistant Trainer with the Philadelphia Eagles. Upon graduation, he continued in that position. In 1982 while the NFL was on strike, he became the youngest head trainer in professional football with the USFL Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars. In his two seasons with the Stars as a certified and licensed trainer, the Stars won 2 USFL Championships. He returned to the Eagles as an assistant athletic trainer in 1985 when the USFL folded and he remained in that position until 1995. From 1995-2005 he was the head athletic trainer for the New York Jets. From 2006 to the present he is the head trainer with the Kansas City Chiefs. He has been responsible for the well being of professional football players for over 30 years.
Frank Prusch – Frank played high school football in upstate PA, Bloomsburg University and continued to play in the Marine Corps. Frank was a dedicated teacher and head football coach at Quakertown High for many years. He served as head football coach from 1968-’77 compiling a 55-46-1 record. His 1970 team was Bux-Mont Co-Champions and concluded the season with a 66-28 win over Pennridge on Thanksgiving Day. Frank was instrumental both on and off the field in helping young athlete’s achieve college goals and furthering their football dreams. Some of those more notable players include Todd Youngblood (Brown University), Jeff Barndt, (Dartmouth University), Bill Dervrich (West Chester University and the University of Iowa), and Ken Schroy (University of Maryland and New York Jets). After Frank retired he was on the football staff at Palisades HS and was an assistant to George Chaump at the United Stated Naval Academy. Three of his former assistants and 7 of his former players have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.