STEVE BASTIANELLI

Steve Bastianelli achieved extraordinary success as a Delaware high school wrestler and coach, a national Junior Olympian and wrestler at Lehigh University. He is a member of the Delaware Wrestling Hall of Fame. Steve was unbeaten in high school at Sussex Central for his dad, DSMHOF inductee Herm Bastianelli. Steve was 84-0 and won state championships in each year of his high school career.

He also won several national Junior titles, was a first-team high school All-American and finished 4th in the 1976 Olympic trials before leaving Sussex Central. At Lehigh University, he was a four-year starter and remains among the Lehigh career leaders in wrestling wins. He was a four-time NCAA Division I qualifier, won an EIWA championship in 1980, finished second once and third twice in EIWA tournaments. During his four-year career at Lehigh, the team was in the NCAA wrestling top 10 every year. He began his coaching career at St. Mark’s in 1980. During his 23-year tenure as head coach, St. Mark’s won 10 state wrestling titles and finished second 8 times with a dual meet record of 201-79-2 (.713 win percentage) while scheduling some of the nation’s toughest prep competition.

Steve coached 58 individual state champs and 131 runners-up. Two of his wrestlers became first-team college All-Americans, including Sheldon Thomas, Delaware’s only NCAA Division I national champion. Steve was Delaware Wrestling Coaches Association Coach of the Year 3 times. He served as president and vice president of the organization.

FRANK CEPHOUS

Frank Cephous attended St. Mark’s High School, where he was a standout track and field performer and started on the football team all four years. Cephous earned a football scholarship at UCLA, where he was a four-year football starter. He later played in the National Football League. At St. Mark’s, Frank was the Spartans’ leading rusher in 1977, 1978 and 1979. He played an integral role on St. Mark’s state championship team in 1978. Cephous was selected to Delaware high school football’s first-team All State squads in 1978 and 1979. He was the recipient of the 1979 Tom Delucia Sportsmanship award. Frank was selected to two high school All-American teams in 1979. In addition, Cephous was a four-year letter winner in outdoor track and a two-year letter winner indoor track. He won the Delaware State high jump Championship in 1977.

After high school, Cephous was recruited by UCLA. He played a key role in the Bruins 1983 and 1984 Rose Bowl victories. He led the team in rushing with 89 yards on 12 carries in the 1984 Rose Bowl. At UCLA, Cephous was a four-year letterman. Cephous was then drafted by the New York Giants and averaged nearly 20 yards per return in his lone NFL season. He was an 11th round pick in the 1984 NFL draft and was chosen in the third round of the USFL draft by the San Antonio Gunslingers.

BOB DEGROAT

Bob DeGroat coached Tower Hill School to state-wide football prominence, served as athletic director for 35 years and developed the school’s approach to universal participation in sports. When the former Army pilot and prisoner of war brought the T formation to Tower Hill in 1947, the school was considering dropping the sport. Within several years, the team was among the state’s best. Over a six-season span, from 1954 to 1959, Tower Hill lost three games, going 43-3 behind Bill Mullis, Pat Williams, Steve Hyde, Gil Yule, Ruly Carpenter, Mike Castle, Peter Wardenburg, Bill Beck, and Jim Straub. Gordon Bussard, Reeves Montague and John Pierson. He was the state’s high school football Coach of the Year for 1959.

His teams were undefeated in 1956, 1957 and 1959, and lost just once in six other seasons (1949, 1954, 1955, 1958, 1963 and 1967. When he reached his 100th victory in 1959, it was reported that he was the first high school coach to reach that threshold. In 1972, his penultimate team was unscored-upon until the final six quarters of the season. His teams’ cumulative record was 118-78-4. As athletic director, the Springfield College graduate developed the school’s policy of full participation, in interscholastic or intramural sports, for both boys and girls, describing it as "a sport for everyone and everyone for a sport." In winter and spring, he led middle school and intramural sports. He helped form the Independent Conference and develop its code of conduct. The Tower Hill football field was named for him in 2007.

HELEN DOHERTY

Long before anyone dreamed of Title IX, before the era of females earning college athletic scholarships, some female athletes achieved outstanding success despite limitations not faced by their male counterparts. Helen Doherty belongs in this elite company, as she excelled at the national level as well as locally. A 1954 graduate of Ursuline Academy, Helen was a three-sport athlete (basketball, softball, and track). Daughter of one DSMHOF Inductee and sister to two others, Helen had sports in her genes. Helen was the first female to play on a CYO boy’s baseball team. Bill Kapa, DSMHOF inductee, was her coach.

Helen played basketball for St. Ann’s CYO team in 1949, then starred for the Lucians Industrial League champs from 1960-1963. In 1960, she was leading scorer on the Blue Chicks championship team of the Parks & Recreation League. Helen played for the Philadelphia Aces, coached by DSMHOF inductee Ace Hoffstein in the Women’s World Tournaments of 1964-1968. The team won all five tournaments. Helen was selected World Basketball Association All-American in 1965.

She founded and coached Ursuline Academy’s basketball team from 1955-1971. Helen also played softball for 25 years for 7 ASA teams. She won the Ft. Pitt Packing team Outstanding Player award in 1953. In 1965 she won the Sportsmanship Award. Helen played in many regional tournaments, playing 3rd base and shortstop. Helen also participated in track, winning the 50 and 100-yard dash events and the 440-yard relay in 1954, and a pentathlon in 1958. Helen received a CYO plaque for dedicated service in 1967.

TED KEMPSKI

Ted Kempski’s name has been synonymous with football excellence in Delaware for more than a half-century. He was a quarterback at Salesianum, where he was first team All-State, and at the University of Delaware in 1961 and 1962, when the Hens won the MAC title. After serving as a football assistant coach at Marshall and George Washington, Ted returned to his alma mater in 1968, where he was an assistant coach and offensive coordinator for 34 years under DSMHOF Hall of Famer Tubby Raymond. Kempski wrote 5 books on the Wing-T and became one of the nation’s leading football clinic speakers. In 2008, Ted received the American Football Coaches Association Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to the sport.

During Kempski’s tenure at Delaware, the Hens won 3 national titles, made 16 NCAA tournament appearances, won 14 Lambert Cups and garnered 9 ECAC Team of the Year awards, while capturing 8 conference championships. Kempski’s offenses at Delaware consistently ranked among the nation’s best. He currently serves as special assistant to the UD athletic director.

At Salesianum, Kempski led Salesianum to its first unbeaten season in 1957, quarterbacking perhaps the most talented football squad in that school’s fabled football history. He made several prep All-America teams and was MVP of the Blue-Gold All-Star game. Kempski was a starting basketball point guard and baseball pitcher for the Sals. He also pitched for the Durney Post American Legion team and for Defiance, St. Anthony and Brooks in the Wilmington Semi-pro League.

LAURA KNORR MOLIKEN

As a senior at William Penn High School in 1989 Laura was Delaware’s Female Athlete of the Year. This honor capped an illustrious three-sport career that saw Laura earn 12 varsity letters, 7 All – State selections including 1st team All-State in field hockey, basketball and softball her senior year as well as 1st team All -American honors in field hockey and honorable mention All-American honors in basketball. The softball team won three state titles during Laura’s career. Her field hockey team ousted perennial champion Tower Hill in 1988 for the state title on Laura’s overtime goal.

This unbelievable career can only be topped by her collegiate exploits at Old Dominion University. There, Moliken was a four –year starter on field hockey teams that went 98-4-1 and won NCAA Championships in 1990, 1991, and 1992. In Laura’s junior and senior seasons, ODU won 51 straight games. As a senior, she was team captain and 2nd team All-American. She still ranks 25th among NCAA goal scorers. Moliken was named head field hockey coach at William Penn in 1995 and led the Colonials to the 1997 state championship game. Her record in four seasons was 45-18-8.

Laura became head field hockey coach at Ursinus College in 1999 and built the Bears into an NCAA powerhouse. In 11 seasons, Moliken’s teams made six straight NCAA tournament appearances, winning the Division III national title in 2006 with a 21-3 record, for which Moliken earned Laura national Division III Coach of the Year honors.

JAMIE NATALIE

A three-time All-American at Ohio State, Jamie Natalie was twice the NCAA all-around men’s gymnastics champion, and won the Nissen-Emery Award as nation’s top senior collegiate male gymnast. Over the course of his career, 1997-2001, he was All-American in three events, floor exercise, parallel bars and high bar. His winning score of 55.7 in his senior year of 2001 was the season’s best in nation, as he led the Buckeyes to NCAA title. He was twice named Ohio State’s Male Athlete of the Year, he was the only student selected to address the university’s pre-commencement banquet. Four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete, he won 2001 Big Ten Medal of Honor for male scholar-athletes.

A member of the U.S. National team throughout his college career, he was one of two U.S. gymnasts selected for 2001 World University Games. As a junior, he won the national high bar title at U.S. Gymnastics Championships, was NCAA all-around and floor exercise champion, was All-American in three events – all-around, floor exercise and still rings – and was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week three times. He won the national high bar title as a sophomore three weeks after knee surgery. A 1997 graduate of A.I. du Pont High School, he received the John J. Brady Award as Delaware Athlete of the Year of 2001. He was awarded an NCAA Post-graduate scholarship, which he used at Ohio State Medical School. He is now a physician.

JIM “TUFFY” PABST

Jim Pabst may be the first person in the history of Delaware interscholastic athletics to earn 5 varsity letters in five different sports in a single school year. At 5 feet, 3 inches tall and 135 pounds, Pabst accomplished this feat as a senior at P.S. duPont High. He lettered in football, basketball, swimming, track and baseball, and was football and baseball co-captain. Jim also led Laurence Roberts Post to back-to-back Delaware American Legion Baseball titles. He later starred in football and baseball at Wesley Junior College, was a standout catcher in his eight years in the Wilmington Semipro Baseball League and coached the Holy Rosary Parochial League football team to a winning record every year during his 10-year tenure.

At P.S., Pabst was a triple-threat football quarterback. In baseball, he was the cleanup hitter and slammed two home runs in one game off DSMHOF inductee Al Neiger, who later pitched for the Phillies. During his senior season when Jim hit .386, P.S. went 14-1, best baseball win percentage in school history. Jim was a diver and relay man on the Dynamiters unbeaten swim teams. He was the sixth man on the P.S. basketball squad and was the top track performer in long jump and pole vault. Delaware Sports Museum Hall of Famer Rae McGraw was Pabst’s coach in football and baseball. McGraw called Pabst “the most inspirational athlete we’ve ever had at P.S. He did more with what he had than anybody ever did at this school.” Pabst was a career .300 semipro baseball hitter and two-time All-Star.

TERENCE STANSBURY

Terence Stansbury was Delaware’s 1980 Basketball Player of the year his senior year at Newark High School, Terence went on to star at Temple University. In his senior year at Temple he excelled in the NCAA Division I Tournament, hitting a basket to beat St. John’s, followed by a 26-point performance against North Carolina in the NCAA Regional. Stansbury was named to All- American teams in 1984 by both the Associated Press and United Press International. He was Temple’s all time leading scorer with 1,811 points at the end of his career and was inducted into the Temple University Hall of Fame.

He was the 15th player taken in the first round of the 1984 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks just before John Stockton by the Utah Jazz. Traded to Indiana in the pre-season, Terence became the first Delaware player to score in the NBA and had a successful three years in the league with the Pacers and Seattle Supersonics. The highlight of his NBA career was winning the 1986 Slam Dunk Contest at the All-Star game beating the likes of Michael Jordan. As international pro basketball began its’ enormous growth in Europe, Stansbury played and was a fan favorite in the major European leagues from 1987 to 1993. He returned to the U.S. to play with Florida in the USBL from 1995 to 1997. After retiring as a full time player, Terence returned to the Europe as a coach of teams in Belgium, France and Luxembourg.

CHESTER V. “BUD” TOWNSEND

Bud Townsend has made significant contributions to sports in Delaware for more than half a century as an athlete and highly respected official. A graduate of Lord Baltimore High School, he was a two-time first team All-State selection in basketball. At graduation he was ranked as Delaware’s #3 all time scorer. In football, he was selected to play in the 1958 Blue Gold All-Star Football game. A five-year starter in baseball at Lord Baltimore, he had a career batting average over .400. At Wesley Junior College, Bud was named to the Junior College All-American Baseball team in 1960. In football, he was a two-way starter and in basketball he was selected All Conference.

In 1961, Bud began his 3-sport officiating career. He has the distinction of officiating in the 1st state Boys Basketball Championship final game in 1967 and in 1971, the 1st state Football Championship final game. Bud officiated in two Blue Gold All-Star Football games before retiring from football officiating in 1974. He was an active basketball official for 27 years and served as the assignor for another 15 years. In 2002, Bud received the Henlopen Conference Gold Pass, the only official to be so honored in any sport. In 2008, he was inducted into the Delaware Basketball Hall of Fame. In baseball, he umpired at the high school, college, and semi-pro levels. Bud is currently president of Sussex Pines Country Club where he has won four senior golf championships.

MARY JANE WELDIN

Mary Jane Weldin, a native Delawarean, has excelled in sports as a participant, official, coach, and administrator. A 1963 graduate of Laurel High, she earned 11 varsity letters in field hockey, basketball, and softball. She graduated from the University of Delaware in 1967, which at the time had no women’s intercollegiate varsity sports. She coached softball at Conrad High for 7 years, winning 2 Blue Hen Conference championships. Transferring to the Colonial School District, she shifted her focus from coaching to officiating basketball at the high school and collegiate level. She officiated the final game of the first Girls’ State Basketball Tournament and served on the tournament committee.

In softball, she was a feared pitcher and hitter, playing on semi-pro teams that won state tournaments and did well in regionals. But it was in racquetball that she really excelled. Mary Jane was an outstanding racquetball player, competing on the state, regional, and national levels. She won 31 state titles including Women’s open singles; open doubles, and mixed open divisions. She won 5 regional age group championships, and placed second or third 5 times in National Doubles Divisions. She was sponsored by Head and Ektelon sporting goods companies, an honor bestowed only to those who compete at the highest level.

She is a competitive golfer and former executive board member of the Delaware Women’s Golf Association. In 2004, she was awarded the Senior Sportswoman of the Year Award by the Delaware Women’s Alliance for Sport and Fitness.