Hall of Fame Member Bios 2000

View: Alphabetical List - Members by Induction Class - Biographies

BARBARA LEE FRIEDRICH DUUS
Barbara Lee Friedrich Duus is being inducted into the Hall of Fame for her achievements as both athlete and coach at Collingswood High. She also recently retired after a 30-year career as an outstanding South Jersey field hockey official.
A member of the class of ’53, Barbara was a fine hockey and softball player. She captained the softball team as a senior and lost only a few games during her career as a pitcher.
After coaching at two other schools, Barbara returned to her alma mater and first coached two state champion cheerleading squads in 1965 and ’66. During that period, several of the girls received national cheerleading honors.
She then coached outstanding basketball squads. Her 1970-71 team was the first Colls’ girls’ team to win 20 games (20-1) and advanced to the first NJSIAA girls’ basketball final, losing the championship game by one point.

ED KURKIAN, JR.
Few individuals have contributed more to Collingswood High School than Ed Kurkian, this year’s choice for the Meritorious Service Award.
Ed was a solid reserve on the 1953 South Jersey championship basketball team, only the second sectional title in school history. As a senior he was a stalwart on another court team which reached the sectional finals. He played a year of baseball and two years of track during his undergrad days.
He returned to teach and coach baseball before becoming an administrator, a position he held until retirement. From day one he has played a major role in the development of the Collingswood Athletic Hall of Fame.

JOHN DUTTON, JR.
Every community, every school should be fortunate enough to have a John Dutton, the recipient of the first Community Service Award. Dutton lettered in baseball and basketball in high school.
He later played key roles in the development of the Collingswood Little League and many other community activities. His work in uncovering the deeds to many local homes and businesses have been a blessing to historians. The Hall of Fame Executive Committee can never adequately thank John for the wealth of material he has assembled on Colls High athletic history.
He sent children Donna, John and Gary to his alma mater and all did well on the playing fields and in the classroom. Young John starred on the 1966 team, the last squad to record a perfect season for the high school.

ROBERT M. SHIELDS
The name Robert Shields is memorialized in the beautiful athletic field and in the Tatem-Shields Legion Post.
Bob Shields is the only Collingswood citizen to give his life on the battlefield in World War I. He enlisted in the US Marine Corps and was part of the great allied counter-attack in the spring and summer of 1918. At the battle of Belleau Wood, an action vital in the Marine Corps lore, he received shrapnel wounds that caused his death a few days later. At the time he was wounded he was under heavy fire and assisting wounded buddies. This action brought him posthumous decorations from the governments of France, Belgium and the United States.
He was one of Collingswood’s first athletic heroes, excelling in football, baseball and track. The Colls began football in 1909 and did well from the outset. The only team it could not defeat was Camden. But the Panthers did earn ties in 1913 and ’14. Bob Shields scored all the points in those contests.

BILL GRAUPNER
Bill Graupner was one of the great athletes of his era, earning three letters in football, basketball and baseball. He was the standout quarterback of the Class A championship team of 1926, the first Panther squad to go unbeaten. He was named All-Class A quarterback.
In later years he starred in the backfield of the University of Pennsylvania and was a top slugger in the semipro baseball circles which were so popular at the time. For years he was ranked as one of South Jersey’ finest football officials.

BOB HALES
Bob Hales was a basketball player ahead of his time. In the small gyms of his era, most big men simply camped under the basket and tried to get rebounds.
Hale was a strong rebounder but also had the ability to move outside, where he developed an excellent shot and also could drive to the hoop. His powerful moves made him a standout player on the Ben Mark coached teams of 1936 and 1937. The latter team won the Camden Suburban League title.
After high school he played on strong service teams and coached and played on various Industrial League hoop teams.

CONRAD LEISE
Conrad “Corky” Leise has a unique title in the history of Collingswood football. He was the star who was not the starter.
On the championship team of 1945, Coach Skeets Irvine utilized Leise on the offensive as center, end, running back and back-up quarterback. On defense he was an end, linebacker, defensive halfback and safety. He also was an inspirational player whose very entrance into the game seemed to arouse positive emotions.
At the second annual banquet of the Phillips R. Brooks Memorial Football Club, the star who was not a starter was chosen South Jersey Lineman of the Year.

WOODY FINGERHUT
Championship clubs and Bob “Woody” Fingerhut seemed to be a winning parlay. The 1945 championship football squad utilized two complete backfields – one of juniors, one of seniors. Fingerhut was a member of the junior foursome.
As a senior he was co-captain, along with Mike D’Alessandro, of another championship unit. He also pitched, played first base and the outfield on three of the finest baseball teams of Coach Bill Diemer’s marvelous career.
Woody combined considerable ability with a competitive drive and team spirit which made him one of the most respected students and athletes of his day.

DONALD ‘DEE’ DOUGLAS
Dee Douglas was one of the powerful linemen of his day. As a junior he cleared the way for a bevy of fleet backs that helped the Panthers annex the Group 4 title.
The next season he was selected All-Group 4 guard. His physical strength was mentioned by every unfortunate opponent.
That strength also earned him recognition as a steady point-getter in the track weight events and as a rebounder on Coach Al Usilton’s basketball squad.

NAOMI LEITCH
Naomi Leitch is one of the few Collingswood Athletes, male or female, to earn 12 Varsity letters in just three years of high school. She was also an outstanding player and competitor in all four sports she played as a Panther – hockey, basketball, softball and swimming.
She was chosen the Most Outstanding Female Athlete in the class of 1955, and classmate Al Harris says she was unquestionably the best athlete – male or female – in that class.
Naomi played in an era before girls received individual recognition outside the walls of their own skills, but she would have been an all-star hockey and basketball player in any era. As co-captain and leading scorer, she led her Colls basketball team to the championship of the West Jersey League.

JERRY MANGANO
Jerry Mangano was a key member of the undefeated Colls “Golden Eleven” football team of 1958. He played three years of football, earning All-Group 4 second-team honors in both his junior and senior years. Mangano was a wingback (in the single-wing) on offense and was a threat both running reverses and also catching passes from quarterback Ron Giordano.
Perhaps the Colls’ fastest player, Mangano was also a standout in the defensive backfield. He collared five interceptions in his senior year and earned the Sonny Carson Award for “Best Pass Defender in South Jersey.”
A three-year baseball star as well, Mangano was tri-captain in his senior year and led the team in hitting with a .350 average in his junior year. In his freshman year at Collingswood Junior High, Mangano played on an undefeated basketball team and was a good high-jumper in track.

DIANE JAMES DAPKEY
Diane James Dapkey of the class of ’66 was a star performer in field hockey, basketball and the first lacrosse teams in the school’s history. She won MVP awards in all three sports and received the Gold Medal as the top senior girl athlete.
Diane played three years of varsity hockey, including a Colonial Conference championship team as a sophomore. She captained the team and was MVP as a senior. Diane lettered for two years in basketball and was MVP her junior year.
She was also a key member of the first two lacrosse teams in Colls history. Here again she captained the team and was MVP as a senior. As evidence of her all-around athletic skills, Diane held the school record for the fastest time in the 50-yard dash as part of the President’s Physical Fitness Program.

STEVE DILTS
Steve Dilts ’67 was a standout football and baseball player for some of Collingswood High’s greatest teams in both sports.
He quarterbacked the teams which lost just one football game in 1965 and went undefeated in 1966. The latter team was the number one-ranked squad in South Jersey for the entire season and was the highest-scoring team in the history of the school. Dilts ran the Ridinger offense with precision and was a threat as both a runner and passer. He was first-team All Colonial Conference selection and was named to the All-Group 3 second team and honorable mention All-South Jersey.
In baseball, Dilts was 7-0 as a pitcher as the Colls won South Jersey championships in both his junior and senior years. He captained the team in his senior year. Dilts was a first-team All Conference honoree as a senior, second-tea, All-Group 3 and honorable mention All-South Jersey.

GARY PAPA
Gary Papa is considered one of the finest wrestlers ever produced at Collingswood High and he also contributed to getting soccer off the ground at the school. In his senior year, he shared the honor as Outstanding Male Athlete in his class of 1970.
Papa was an All-Colonial Conference wrestler in his sophomore, junior and senior years. He was also a regional champion and placed second in the district championships in his sophomore year and won the districts in both his junior and senior years. He was also a regional champion and placed second in the state in his senior year, when he was an All-South Jersey selection.
Papa earned a wrestling scholarship to York College and has already achieved over 300 victories as a scholastic mat coach.
Papa played on the soccer team that started on the club level during his junior year. He was a key performer and co-captain of the soccer team in his senior year, the first official varsity season in Colls history.

PATRICE DONOHUE JOYA
Patrice Donohue Joya, class of 1974, participated in field hockey, basketball and lacrosse during her years at Collingswood High. She earned three varsity letters in basketball and two each in hockey and lacrosse.
During her senior year, all three teams won conference championships. Patrice captained the hockey team and won All-Conference honors in both hockey and basketball. At the end of the hockey season, she was presented with the Skeets Irvine Award as most valuable player. She received a similar award for her efforts and achievements in basketball.

BOYS’ TENNIS TEAMS OF 1954 AND 1955
Collingswood revived its boys’ tennis program under coach Chet Olinger in 1953. By the second year, the Panthers not only won the Group 4 title, but missed out on an undefeated season only because they played George School in a format of six singles and three doubles matches and lost, 5-4.
The Colls ’54 team featured a powerful singles lineup of Bob Renza, Dave Murphy, Craig McKinley and Ken Baker. Depth and doubles were in the capable hands of Steve Parker, Dan Van Gelder, Al Harris, Dinny Zimmerman an Bob Ingram.
The ’55 team repeated as Group 4 champs and set the stage for a tennis dynasty that lasted well into the 1960’s. New contributors included Ken Heilig, Larry Keaton, Carl McIntire, Ed Parker, Bill Grant, Dudley Rowell and Cliff Rubicam.