A devoted friend of handicapped and underprivileged youngsters and of sports and athletes on both amateur and the professional level, he owned the Cleveland Pipers basketball team, an early entry (1950s) in professional basketball here and headed Group 66, an organization devoted to promoting civic improvement, including the support of athletic programs, in Cleveland. Became principal owner of the New York Yankees in 1973.
Fine all-around star for Cleveland West tech High in 1920, ’21 and ’22, he continued his career at Ohio State University, lettering in football, basketball and baseball for three seasons and captaining the 1926 Buckeye football team. As backfield coach at Texas A & M he was credited with developing All-American John Kimbrough. A pro baseball player briefly, he became head baseball coach at Ohio State in 1951 and produced an NCAA championship nine in 1966.
Ranked among the best athletes to come out of Cleveland West High, he starred in football, basketball and track there, twice winning the state high hurdle championships (1934 and 1935). Excelled in football on the University of Michigan team quarterbacked by Tom Harmon, was Big Ten high hurdles champion in track and was good enough in baseball to be signed to a pro contract by Washington. Was lost in action in World War II.
Directing Supervisor of the Physical Education Department of Curriculum and Instruction for the Cleveland Public Schools since 1973, he has contributed thousands of free hours of service to promoting amateur sports in the Cleveland area since 1952. Former local AAU president and an AAU Basketball Committee Chairman on the local and national levels, a trustee for the Cleveland Golden Gloves Association and a founder and treasurer of the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame Foundation he has also been an active participant in the function of the Cleveland Baseball Federation, the Muny Football and Basketball Associations and the Amateur Softball Association.
Starred for 22 years as a hardhitting catcher for Rosenblum’s, Factory Furniture, Naiman Wrecking, J. Schrader and LaRiche Ford. Elected to the All-World teams in both hardball and softball in 1966. Played in five World Tournaments.
A major league shortstop for 17 seasons, Roger Peckinpaugh played for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox between 1910 and 1927. Played in three World Series with the Yankees (1921) and the Senators (1924, 1925). Managed the Indians from 1928 until mid-1933 when he was promoted to general manager. Returned to manage the team for the 1941 season.
In an era of great success for Euclid High baseball, Tom Murphy was one of its brightest stars, pitching the Panthers to the 1963 Class A Ohio state high school championship. He then moved on to Ohio University where over his sophomore and junior seasons he built a 16-1 record, helping the Bobcats to a pair of Mid-American Conference titles and winning second team All-American recognition at the close of the 1966 season. That earned him a berth on the national team coached by the legendary Rod Dedeaux of USC, which faced teams from Japan, Korea and the Philippines in Hawaii. More importantly, it would lead to his selection in the first round (sixth pick overall) in the secondary phase of the major league draft by the California Angels in January, 1967. He was sent to the Seattle Pilots immediately after his graduation in June and one year later he made his major league debut against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park to launch an 11-year career in the majors with the Angels, Kansas City, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Boston and Toronto. As a starter for the Angels from 1969-71, he averaged 226 innings per year, winning a career high 16 games in 1970. Converted to a reliever by Milwaukee in 1974, he won 10 games and saved 20 while compiling a 1.90 ERA in 70 games to earn Fireman of the Year honors, then recorded another 20 saves the following season. He ended his career in 1979 with 67 wins and 59 saves while pitching in 439 games. He is now following a career in Commercial Real Estate in Southern California, specializing in Tenant Representation. He makes his home in Coto de Caza, CA with his wife Kriss.
Norbert “Nobby” Lewandowski’s athletic career began at St. John Nepomucene Elementary School in Slavic Village and never ceased to be an influence on his life’s activities. As a player, he not only starred at Benedictine High and Kent State University, he worked his way up the Cleveland Baseball Federation ladder from Class F to AAA, becoming, according to one Plain Dealer writer, “the most dominant pitcher in amateur baseball in Ohio during the 60’s.” When age and business commitments eventually ended his playing days, they did not end his allegiance to the CBF. He has remained a strong advocate of the City’s sandlot program, serving for many years on the board of the CBF and raising thousands of dollars for its programs. He has been equally supportive of his high school’s and college’s athletics departments and has received high honors from both.
John Kuhel was born in Cleveland and developed his skills on the city’s sandlots. He played professional baseball for the Kansas City Blues at the age of 19, helping them to the Little World Series title in 1929. He was sold to the Washington Senators for the then-huge sum of $50,000 in 1930 and in 18 seasons with the Senators and the Chicago White Sox he hit .277 and was tabbed one of baseball’s all-time best fielding first basemen. His finest season came as a member of Washington’s 1933 American League champions, when he hit .322 and drove in 107 runs. He went on to manage the Senators in 1948 and 1949, then managed the Blues for two years before entering private business.
Armand D’Anna starred in Greater Cleveland’s strong Class A amateur baseball program over parts of three decades, pitching in 17 national tournaments and starting for famed Rosenblums in the first amateur night game at Cleveland Stadium. He began his amateur career in 1936 fresh out of Shaw High, pitching for the Class A champion Fisher Foods team. After playing pro baseball for two years, he returned to pitch for Fisher Foods, Factory Furniture and Rosenblums from 1940 to 1952 with a four year time out for World War II service. He also coached Rosenblums for three years and was a head coach for 27 years in the Euclid Boy’s League.