23RD ANNUAL
INDUCTION CEREMONY
Last night, November
6th, 2014 the Chester High School Hall of Fame held its 23rd
Annual Induction Ceremony at the Concordville Inn in Concordville,
Pennsylvania. This was my fourth time attending the ceremony which is held in
high regards. Coach Fred Pickett, who recently passed, was always at the
ceremony. This time he was there in spirit as tributes poured out recognizing
his many years of contributions. Coach Pickett’s viewing will be at the high
school on Friday, November 7th from 5-9pm. Funeral will be on Saturday, November 8, 2014 at the First
Pentecostal Church, 5th & Pusey, Chester, PA. Viewing: 8:00 to 10:00
a.m. and Service: 10:00.
The 2014
Inductees posing with committee person Tamika Friend:
Greg Graves FOOTBALL 1995-1997
2nd Team All Delco 1996 & 1997
In his junior year Greg came a few yards short of 1,000 and had 10 TD’s.
He was a crafty runner with great speed and moves like Barry Sanders. He was a
great teammate who could pick his teammates up with a joke in the locker room
or on the bus after a tough loss. Greg has spent the last 11 years teaching the
game of football to the youth of Chester.
LaFennis Terry III FOOTBALL 1998-2002
As a sophomore he received the Steve Renzo Courage Award. He was 2nd Team
All Del Val, All-Delco Honorable Mention As a junior he was Defensive Line. 1st
Team All Del Val Defensive Line, 2nd Team All Del Val Offensive Line, All Delco
Honorable Mention Defensive Line; as a senior 1st Team All Del Val Defensive
Line, All Delco Honorable Mention Defensive Line. He was selected to the 2002
Hero Bowl and selected as one of the Captains. LaFennis attended Thaddeus Stevens
College of Technology where he played on back to back Seaboard Conference
Championship Teams. In 2004 he was selected to 1st Team All-Conference as an
inside linebacker; He was voted most improved and was runner up for Defensive
player of the year. He spends these days working the sidelines of the Chester
Clippers Football Team.
Bilal Motley Track 1995-1999
2nd Team All Delco 1998,1st Team All Delco 1999
1999 indoor state champ in 400 meters, 1999 outdoor 4x400 meter relay
state champs; Bilal was the first leg of the 1998
4x400 meter relay state championship team. He dominated the indoor state
championship by setting a PA state record in the 400 meter
dash by running a 48.9 which was unmatched for several years afterwards.
Andre Stewart Basketball 2001-2004
1st Team All Delco 2003 and 2004
3x District Champ Pa State Finals Runner up
James Diferdinando Basketball 1970-1971 (Brother Joe standing in)
After graduating from the high,
Attended Brandywine JR. College in Delaware 2 years on a basketball
scholarship; Played two years college level. While stationed in England with
the Air Force, played professionally for an English Team (Fiat Motors) for two
years; continued to play recreationally at various locations throughout my
working career.
Vernon Swiggett Basketball 1995-1996
As a junior he was 2nd Team All Del-Val and senior was 1st Team All
Del-Val
Derrick Freeman Track 1996-2000
2 x’s All Delco most versatile athlete 3 x’s first team All Delco
Member of the (School) record setting indoor 4x400 Indoor and Outdoor
State Champs; Ranked 2 in the 15 yr. old at AAU Nationals and East Coast
Invitational;
Set Chester High School Long Jump Record at 23’ 1”
Albert Harris TRACK 1950-1952
Albert participated on the Varsity Track team for 2 years and lettered
both years as a javelin thrower; Albert won all his dual and triangle meets,
winning numerous championships, in his senior year he was selected to compete
in the Penn Invitational Meet held at Franklin Field. He was presented
certificates of achievements from Delaware County Kiwanis Association for his outstanding
performance and the West Branch YMCA for being an outstanding competitor and a
helper to young people in the community.
James (Peach) Howard
Recipient of Lawson Showell Award
Peach is a Chester High School Class of 1982 Graduate. He has embraced
C-Pride since his playing days (1979-1982). He started coaching middle school
football in
1989 as a linebacker coach, after one year he became Head Coach for
Chester West Middle School team. In 1994, he was promoted to the High School
Staff; he was Varsity Defensive Coordinator from 1998 until 2009. He handled
equipment and took stats in 2010 and 2011. He has back coaching the linebackers
since 2012.
He has been the voice of the “Clip Joint” since 1997. He was voted
best P.A. announcer 2002 & 2003.
Anthony Walker
Recipient of Fred Pickett Award
Tony Walker is a Chester High School class of 1974 graduate. Tony’s
passion for the game of basketball as player, he began coaching in the Chester
Biddy league.
He coach over 30 years there. During that time he also coached in the
Sonny Hill
League in Philadelphia and moved on to coach at Ursinus College. While
caching
Tony was a Big Brother and a single parent. He received the Gift of
Life Award for Community Service in 1994 from the Pennsylvania Partnerships for
Encouraging and Celebrating Excellence in Child Development at Home and at
School.
Information on Inductees complied by organizer Mark Freeman (left) and Terry Thomas, Toastmaster (right)
Good job! It is always nice when the focus on what is positive in Chester is the headliner! This makes me proud to say, I am from Chester!!!
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