Department of Athletics NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Chris Caputo, Sports Information Director Sports Center Voice: (814) 269-2031 Fax: (814) 269-2026 E-Mail: [email protected] February 22, 2020 http://www.pittjohnstownathletics.com Pitt-Johnstown to Induct Five Standouts Into Athletics Hall of Fame on April 18 JOHNSTOWN, PA. – The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown will induct five new members as part of the 13th Athletics Hall of Fame class on Saturday, April 18 in the Pitt-Johnstown Wellness Center. This year’s class includes: Ron Haden '95 (Men’s Basketball), Mike Mastovich '85 (Meritorious Service), Sally Mosay '89 (Women’s Basketball), Brandon Newill '02 (Wrestling), and Ben Watkins '10 (Baseball). Pitt-Johnstown will also recognize all of the former Hall of Fame inductees and former student-athletes in attendance. The Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame was created in 2007 to honor prestigious groups of athletes, coaches, and university supporters and their champion spirits. These individuals merit distinction for their accomplishments and leadership in athletic endeavors for Pitt-Johnstown. Since its inception in 2007, 62 individuals and three teams have earned induction. The reception is 5:45 p.m. in the Sports Center Hall of Fame Room and dinner is 7 p.m. in the Wellness Center Speaking at this year’s event will be Pitt-Johnstown President Dr. Jem Spectar, Athletic Director and college wrestling’s all- time winningest coach Pat Pecora, and Assistant Athletic Director Abby Gearhart. In addition, Johnstown Tribune-Democrat Editor Chip Minemyer will serve as the Master of Ceremonies. 2020 Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame — Ron Haden Men’s Basketball – 1993-1995 Ron Haden came to Pitt-Johnstown after playing basketball two season at Sinclair Junior College in Ohio and accomplished something most players are not able to do…score over 1,000 points in two years. Mr. Haden, a native of Dayton, Ohio and a graduate of Jefferson High School, joined Head Coach Bob Rukavina’s Mountain Cats for the 1993-94 season and promptly led the team with 552 points and 209 rebounds. Although the team went 12-15 that year, his efforts helped to build the foundation that turned the Pitt-Johnstown basketball program around. As a senior in 1994-95, Mr. Haden finished with 482 points, second on the team behind Earnest Sylver’s 532 points. He again led the Mountain Cats in rebounding with 207 and guided Pitt-Johnstown to a 17-9 record to mark just the second winning season in 16 years. Although he graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology, Mr. Haden was a key part in what happened next. The winning continued and Coach Rukavina and the Mountain Cats posted a 21-6 record in 1995-96 and a 24-5 record in 1996-97. Following each of those seasons, Pitt-Johnstown earned berths in the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament to mark the first and second in Pitt-Johnstown men’s basketball history. Mr. Haden finished his two-year career with 1,034 points and ranked seventh on the Mountain Cat Scoring List. Today, Mr. Haden ranks 29th on that list. His name is still etched in the Pitt-Johnstown record books. Mr. Haden’s 19.9 points per game ranks second on the Pitt- Johnstown Career Scoring Average List, while his 8.0 rebounds per game are tied with fellow hall of famer Justin Walther (1996- 2000) for sixth-place on the All-Time Career Rebound Average List. In 1996, Mr. Haden was invited and participated in a basketball tournament in Venezuela. Following his graduation from Pitt-Johnstown, Mr. Haden returned to his hometown and began working with at-risk youth at the Montgomery County Family Court in Dayton. -more- -2- In 1998, he moved to Houston, Texas where he worked for several years as a Texas parole officer. Mr. Haden then graduated from the City of Houston Fire Academy and became an EMT/Firefighter where he earned recognition and honors for his service. He also owned and operated Providence EMS until 2008. Unfortunately, that year, Mr. Haden was in a serious car accident and was comatose for a month. Mr. Haden suffered a brain injury and had to be retrained to walk and talk, which forced hm into an early retirement. In spite of all of the misfortune, Ron continues to exercise daily and continues to be health conscious. Mr. Haden is a true family-man who is dedicated to making sure his family is taken care of. He is very active in his daughter’s life and helped her with her healing process after she was hit by a vehicle in 2017. Mr. Haden will always go above and beyond for his one and only daughter. Just like Kobe Bryant, he is a true GIRL DAD. Mr. Haden continues to remain active in the sport he loves, serving as a volunteer youth basketball coach at a local YMCA in Houston. “This honor is one of reassurance that if I put my all into something, mentally and physically, I will be rewarded” Mr. Haden said. “This honor is “Life”. 2020 Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame — Mike Mastovich Meritorious Service – 1981-1985 For more than three decades, Mike Mastovich has been a staunch supporter of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and Pitt- Johnstown athletics through his writing with The Tribune-Democrat and his assistance in promoting University activities, including serving as emcee for the athletics hall of fame banquet since its inception in 2007. A Johnstown native, Mr. Mastovich graduated from Conemaugh Valley High School in 1981 and enrolled at Pitt-Johnstown where he worked as a sports writer, then Sports Editor for The Advocate from 1982-85. During that same time, Mr. Mastovich performed the duties of Pitt-Johnstown Student Sports Information Director. Mr. Mastovich, a member of the Chi Lambda Tau Honorary Leadership Society and a recipient of the Humanities Award at Pitt- Johnstown, graduated Cum Laude in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism and a minor in Speech Communications. That same year, Mr. Mastovich began his professional career writing for the Indiana Gazette while pursuing his Master’s Degree in Sports Sciences with an emphasis in Sports Information at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. With another year of experience under his belt, Mr. Mastovich returned to his hometown and joined The Tribune-Democrat in November of 1986 as a sports writer. For the last 35 years, Mr. Mastovich has promoted and covered Pitt-Johnstown athletics. Over the years, Mr. Mastovich has covered and been closely involved with many of Pitt-Johnstown’s athletic highlights, including Carlton Haselrig becoming the first national champion in wrestling, Coach Jodi Gault’s women’s basketball team reaching the NCAA Final Four in 1987, the resurgence of Bob Rukavina’s men’s basketball program and its four NCAA Tournament berths, and the record-breaking efforts of the baseball and women’s volleyball teams. In addition to Pitt-Johnstown, Mr. Mastovich was the beat writer for the Johnstown Chiefs professional hockey team for 19 seasons and is currently wrapping up his eighth season of covering the Johnstown Tomahawks. He has covered more than 30 AAABA Tournaments, 20-plus Sunnehanna Amateurs Golf Tournaments, and some of the biggest high school sporting events, including state championship games in football, basketball, baseball, volleyball and hockey. Mr. Mastovich was the lead writer on teams that produced the 2007 book “Slap Shots and Snapshots: 50 Seasons of Professional Hockey in Johnstown,” the 2015 update of the book to coincide with Johnstown being named Kraft Hockeyville USA, and the 2019 book “A Diamond in Johnstown: AAABA’s 75th Anniversary.” He was also a contributor to The Tribune-Democrat’s Fab 40 Sports Connections book. The highly-decorated writer has won three Keystone Press Awards (2011, 2015, 2017), three Golden Quill Awards (2006, 2008, 2011), and was a Golden Quill Award Finalist in both 2012 and 2018. In 2005, Mr. Mastovich earned the East Coast Hockey League’s (ECHL) Outstanding Media of the Year Award, voted on by the writers and media in the 30-team league. Along with serving on Pitt-Johnstown’s Athletics Hall of Fame Committee and being the hall of fame banquet emcee, Mr. Mastovich is also on the Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame and Point Stadium Award Committees. Mr. Mastovich and his wife Teresa have three adult children, Shelby, Michael (Pitt-Johnstown class of 2017), and Ryan. “Pitt-Johnstown and the people here have always been like a part of my family since I first stepped onto the campus in 1981,” Mr. Mastovich said. “It is a special place. The athletic program was such a big part of my college life during my time with The Advocate and as Sports Information Director. I know the lengthy and rich history made by the Pitt-Johnstown student-athletes, coaches and administrators. "The Tribune-Democrat has been there to cover Pitt-Johnstown since the days of the asphalt campus in Moxham. It's been an honor to be a part of such a great team at the newspaper. To join the distinguished group of current and past inductees in this Hall is a humbling experience, not to mention a great honor.” 2020 Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame — Sally Mosay Women’s Basketball – 1984-1989 Sally Mosay, a two-time American Women’s Sports Federation (AWSF) All-American and a 1988 Kodak All-District selection, finished her Lady Cat basketball career ranked in the Top-5 on Pitt-Johnstown’s scoring and assist lists and led her team to the program’s NCAA Division II Final Four berth in 1987.