Oct. 2, 2007
KUTZTOWN
UNIVERSITY TO INDUCT SIX INTO ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME OCT. 26
KUTZTOWN, PA – Kutztown University will add six new members into its
Athletics Hall of Fame at the 2007 banquet on Friday, Oct. 26.
This
year’s induction class includes James G. Bennett ’82, an
all-conference offensive lineman on the 1980 Pennsylvania State
Athletic Conference Eastern Division Championship football team;
Timothy P. Clancy ’92, the all-time leader in tackles in KU
football history; the late Mike Kullman ’91, an All-PSAC
defensive back who went on to play in the NFL and coach at KU;
Dr. Al Leonzi, longtime coach and professor at Kutztown;
Elizabeth A. Thoryk-Longenecker ’99, the only four-year
All-American in KU athletics history as a member of the women’s swim
team; and John Rozich ’01, a record-breaking catcher for the
Golden Bear baseball team.
The six
new inductees increase the membership to 149 since the Hall of Fame
was formed in 1977. The KU Hall of Fame Banquet will be held in the
Multi-Purpose Room of the McFarland Student Union, on the Kutztown
University Campus at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 26. Reservations for
the banquet can be made at the KU Athletic Advancement Office for
$25 per person. For information, call (610) 683-4755.
The
ceremony will be held in conjunction with the school’s Homecoming
Weekend. In addition to Friday’s induction banquet, the Hall of
Famers will be introduced at halftime of the Golden Bears’ Football
game against Edinboro on Saturday, Oct. 27. Kickoff is at 1:05
p.m..
A
biography on each of this year’s inductees follows:
James G. Bennett
’82, was a
four-year member of the Kutztown University football team from
1978-81. He was a two-time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic
Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division selection at offensive tackle in
1979 and 1980. He was a key part of the Golden Bear squad won the
school’s only PSAC East football title in 1980. Bennett, who also
earned Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention in 1980,
helped block for KU’s then all-time leading rusher, Don Shaver. He
was a three-year starter, breaking into the lineup in 1978 after
playing for the freshman team in 1977. Bennett was a recipient of
the Coach Joe Patton Distinguished Lineman Award from the KU Alumni
Football Association. Additionally, Bennett was a member of
Kutztown’s renowned power lifting team. He was a state and national
champion for the Golden Bears, who won a team national championship
in 1981. In 1980, he was named to the National Strength Coaches
Association first team. Bennett is a 1977 graduate of William Allen
High School. He graduated from Kutztown in 1982 with a degree in
earth and space science. He and his wife, Sheri, reside in
Allentown, Pa. The couple has one daughter, Stephanie. Bennett is a
science instructor at the Lehigh Career and Technical Institute.
Timothy P. Clancy
’92, was a four-year starter for the Kutztown University football
team from 1988-91. He earned three All-PSAC East honors for his play
at inside linebacker. His 424 career tackles are a school record.
Clancy was a two-time team captain and a defensive MVP. Clancy was
the team’s only first-team All-PSAC East selection in 1989, a year
in which he had 131 tackles. In 1990, Clancy tallied 104 tackles,
en route to earning second-team All-PSAC East honors. As a senior,
Clancy had 133 tackles, third most in KU history and one short of
tying the school’s single-season record. He was named first-team
All-PSAC East and Don Hansen’s Football Gazette honorable
mention All-America. He won the Coach Dave Evans Distinguished
Linebacker Award from the KU Alumni Football Association in 1998.
Clancy graduated in 1992 with a degree in secondary education. He
also is a graduate of Whitehall High School. Clancy and his wife,
Lauren, have three children and are expecting their fourth. Clancy
is a teacher at Easton Area High School.
Mike Kullman
’91 was a four-year member of the Kutztown University football team
from 1983 to 1986. As a defensive back and captain, Kullman
finished his career as the third all time leading tackler at
Kutztown University. He tallied 228 career tackles, 22 pass
breakups, and 10 interceptions. Kullman was a two-time All-PSAC East
selection, earning first team honors in 1985 and second team honors
in 1986. Kullman had a career game in a 7-7 tie against Bloomsburg
University in 1986 when he recorded 20 tackles, a sack, an
interception and a fumble recovery. Following his four years at KU,
Kullman signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles and was
recalled as a replacement player during the NFL strike in 1987. He
played in three games that year, recording nine tackles and two
interceptions. Kullman returned to coach at KU from 1993 to 1996
under head coach and fellow Hall of Fame inductee Al Leonzi.
Kullman graduated from Kutztown with a degree in criminal justice.
He was a graduate of Archbishop Ryan High School in Philadelphia.
Off the field, Kullman developed the concept for and was co-owner
of the Crocodile Rock Cafe, the Lehigh Valley’s largest
entertainment complex. Kullman was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s
disease) in December 2000 and passed away at the age of 41 on July
21, 2003. He is survived by his wife, Constance; a step-son, Kim;
and a step-daughter, Nicole. In 2004, the Kullman Family and
friends established the Mike Kullman Endowed Scholarship Fund (www.mkesf.com)
to advance the lives of student athletes and to fulfill Mike's wish,
a lasting scholarship to benefit Golden Bear Players.
Dr. Al F. Leonzi
was a member of the Kutztown University football team’s coaching
staff for more than 25 years, including six seasons as head coach.
Between 1993 and 1997, Leonzi was the full-time head coach, during
which the Golden Bears had .500 or better records three of the five
seasons. He also stepped in as an interim head coach in 1984. Leonzi
served various other capacities in his time at Kutztown, including
coaching defensive backs, defensive line, linebackers, perimeter and
special teams. His primary role as an assistant coach was as
defensive coordinator, spending 19 seasons (1969-88) in the role
under coach George Baldwin. Leonzi built defenses that were ranked
atop the PSAC annually and were ranked nationally in Division II.
He coached 112 All-PSAC players and eight Division II All-Americans,
including retired Buffalo Bills wideout Andre Reed and Denver
Broncos linebacker John Mobley. Leonzi was a professor of secondary
education at KU beginning in 1969 until his retirement in 2005 as
professor emeritus. He served as the department chairman from
1980-83. Leonzi coached football and wrestling at Westfield (NJ)
High School from 1965-69. He was a four-sport standout at Summit
Hill High School, where he graduated in 1960. Leonzi earned his
bachelor’s degree in arts and sciences (1964) and a master’s degree
in secondary education (1965) from Penn State University. He
received his doctorate in education from Pacific Western in 1992.
Leonzi has been inducted into the National Football Foundation
Lehigh Valley Chapter Hall of Fame (2000) as well as the Carbon
County Area Sports Hall of Fame (2007). Leonzi and his wife,
Roseann, reside in Allentown, Pa. They have one son, Doug, who was
an All-PSAC receiver at East Stroudsburg in 1992.
Doug and his wife, Melissa, have three
children – Jenna, Maeve and Gabrielle.
Elizabeth A. Thoryk-Longenecker
‘99 was a four-year member of the Kutztown University women’s
swimming team, competing in the freestyle, butterfly and relays from
1995-99. She is the only athlete in Kutztown University history, in
any sport, to be an All-American in each of her four years of
competition. She was an All-American in the 50-yard freestyle in
1996, 1998 and 1999, while adding All-America status in the 200
freestyle relay, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay in 1997 and
1998. She also was an All-American in the 400 freestyle relay in
1998. She was honorable mention All-America for four other events:
100 butterfly (1996, 1998 and 1999), 100 freestyle (1999), 400
freestyle relay (1997) and 800 freestyle relay (1996 and 1998).
Thoryk-Longenecker holds school records in six events: the 200 and
400 medley relays, 200 and 400 freestyle relays, the 50 freestyle
and the 100 butterfly. Thoryk-Longenecker earned All-PSAC honors in
each of her four years. She was named one of the Top 30 Athletes of
the 20th Century at Kutztown. She graduated from Kutztown in 1999
with a degree in chemistry, and completed her master’s in molecular
biology at Lehigh in 2007. She is a graduate of Norristown High
School. Elizabeth and her husband, Luke, have one son, Gabriel
Jacob. She currently is a research biochemist at Merck & Co., Inc.
John Rozich
‘01 was a standout catcher for the Kutztown University baseball team
from 1996-99. His stellar Golden Bear career led to his selection
in the 18th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1999
Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Rozich was a
four-year starter, including starting behind the plate for KU’s 1997
and 1999 PSAC East and 1999 PSAC Championship squads. Rozich
knocked in a school and PSAC record 192 runs in his career. He also
holds school records with 49 doubles, 37 home runs and 378 total
bases. Upon the completion of his career, Rozich was also the
school’s career record holder for at bats (625), runs (140), hits
(210) and games played (189). He still holds the single-season
record for home runs, belting 12 in 1999. At the end of his career,
he held the school single-season records for hits (61), doubles
(16), RBI (59) and total bases (117). Rozich was a four-time All-PSAC
selection, earning first-team honors in 1996, ’98 and ’99. He was
the 1996 PSAC East Rookie of the Year and the 1999 PSAC East Player
of the Year. The catcher earned All-Eastern College Athletic
Conference and All-Region honors as a senior. He graduated from KU
with a bachelor’s in management and marketing in 2001. He is a
graduate of Oxford High School and is a project manager for Bob
Smith Contractors, Inc. John and his wife, Jamie, have two sons,
Brennan John and Landen James.
