- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,151,358
- Reaction score
- 59
POTTSVILLE — Guests at the Pottsville Maroons’ 100th anniversary banquet will hear from several former NFL stars.
The Schuylkill County Historical Society, sponsor of the affair, recently named the speakers for the Aug. 16 event at Mountain Valley Golf Course.
They are:
* Marvin Washington, a defensive end with the New York Jets, Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers who had 40 sacks in 155 career games.
* John Booty, a defensive back for the Philadelphia Eagles, Phoenix Cardinals and other NFL teams.
* Mark Kelso, a Buffalo Bills safety who appeared in four consecutive Super Bowls from 1990 to 1993.
Also on the program is Dante Calabria, a North Carolina Tar Heels standout who is now coaching professional basketball in Puerto Rico.
William J. Small, a coal region native who is a financial adviser with Holistic Wealth Planning in Florida, recruited the personalities for the banquet.
Small has deep family connections to the coal region. His mother, Marilyn Burkat, lived in Shenandoah, where his grandfather owned a men’s clothing shop.
All of the speakers are deeply involved with sports at the professional level, Small said, and will offer perspective on the Maroons’ ill-fated 1925 championship season.
William J. Small, right, recruited former NFL players to speak at the Pottsville Maroons 100th anniversary dinner in August. He is with Gregg Yutko, in uniform, and Schuylkill County Historical Society executive director Diana Prosymchak, pictured at the Crimson House in Pottsville, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
With Washington, a Pennsylvania native, Small has visited the Maroons exhibit at Schuylkill County Historical Society, the former Maroons Sports Bar in Pottsville and Fighter’s Heaven, Muhammad Ali’s training camp in Deer Lake.
“Marvin can speak to the Maroons’ style of football — working hard and never giving up,” Small said.
David Russek, who chairs the Maroons’ 100th anniversary committee, endorsed the recruitment of the speakers.
“They’re intimately knowledgeable about the Maroons,” he said. “They already know the story.”
Authors of three books on the Maroons are also on the 100th anniversary program as speakers.
Minersville’s Vince Genovese, author of “The Pottsville Maroons and the NFL’s Stolen Championship of 1925;” David Fleming, author of “Breaker Boys: The NFL’s Greatest Team and the Stolen Championship of 1925,” and Jeffrey Payne, author of “Marooned: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the NFL’s Pottsville Maroons” will share their thoughts on the unique sports story.
Diana Prosymchak, historical society executive director, said some family members of Maroons players are expected to attend.
The late Joseph Zacko, owner of Zacko’s Sporting Goods store, will be represented by his son, George Zacko.
Zacko’s equipped the team with jerseys. The only color available was maroon, thus the team’s name.
The 100th anniversary program is set for 5 p.m. Aug. 16 at Mountain Valley Golf Course. Reservations are available by calling the Schuylkill County Historical Society at 570-622-7540.
Continue reading...
The Schuylkill County Historical Society, sponsor of the affair, recently named the speakers for the Aug. 16 event at Mountain Valley Golf Course.
They are:
* Marvin Washington, a defensive end with the New York Jets, Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers who had 40 sacks in 155 career games.
* John Booty, a defensive back for the Philadelphia Eagles, Phoenix Cardinals and other NFL teams.
* Mark Kelso, a Buffalo Bills safety who appeared in four consecutive Super Bowls from 1990 to 1993.
Also on the program is Dante Calabria, a North Carolina Tar Heels standout who is now coaching professional basketball in Puerto Rico.
William J. Small, a coal region native who is a financial adviser with Holistic Wealth Planning in Florida, recruited the personalities for the banquet.
Small has deep family connections to the coal region. His mother, Marilyn Burkat, lived in Shenandoah, where his grandfather owned a men’s clothing shop.
All of the speakers are deeply involved with sports at the professional level, Small said, and will offer perspective on the Maroons’ ill-fated 1925 championship season.
William J. Small, right, recruited former NFL players to speak at the Pottsville Maroons 100th anniversary dinner in August. He is with Gregg Yutko, in uniform, and Schuylkill County Historical Society executive director Diana Prosymchak, pictured at the Crimson House in Pottsville, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
With Washington, a Pennsylvania native, Small has visited the Maroons exhibit at Schuylkill County Historical Society, the former Maroons Sports Bar in Pottsville and Fighter’s Heaven, Muhammad Ali’s training camp in Deer Lake.
“Marvin can speak to the Maroons’ style of football — working hard and never giving up,” Small said.
David Russek, who chairs the Maroons’ 100th anniversary committee, endorsed the recruitment of the speakers.
“They’re intimately knowledgeable about the Maroons,” he said. “They already know the story.”
Authors of three books on the Maroons are also on the 100th anniversary program as speakers.
Minersville’s Vince Genovese, author of “The Pottsville Maroons and the NFL’s Stolen Championship of 1925;” David Fleming, author of “Breaker Boys: The NFL’s Greatest Team and the Stolen Championship of 1925,” and Jeffrey Payne, author of “Marooned: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the NFL’s Pottsville Maroons” will share their thoughts on the unique sports story.
Diana Prosymchak, historical society executive director, said some family members of Maroons players are expected to attend.
The late Joseph Zacko, owner of Zacko’s Sporting Goods store, will be represented by his son, George Zacko.
Zacko’s equipped the team with jerseys. The only color available was maroon, thus the team’s name.
The 100th anniversary program is set for 5 p.m. Aug. 16 at Mountain Valley Golf Course. Reservations are available by calling the Schuylkill County Historical Society at 570-622-7540.
Continue reading...
