Trending
STEUBENVILLE -- Steubenville sports legends past and present will converge at the Franciscan University of Steubenville on April 21 for the annual Baron Club Awards Dinner in support of its NCAA Division III sports programs.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. with a reception, followed by dinner at 7 p.m. on campus in Finnegan Fieldhouse.
Honorees will include Zach Collaros and Teddi Maslowski, who each made their mark at high schools in Steubenville.
"We continue to build the relationship between the university and the surrounding area," said Mike Florak, the university's executive director of community relations. "To have these recognizable athletes, including two young and accomplished people like Zach Collaros and Teddi Maslowski, of whom everyone is very proud, will be a great celebration of their achievements and the positive attention they have brought to Steubenville."
The university also will present the Rev. Terence Henry Baron Club Award to former Weirton Madonna basketball coach George Vargo and the late university trustee Paul Nigro, Class of 1969, who will be honored posthumously for his contributions to NCAA Division III athletics at Franciscan.
Catholic Central High School graduate and former Major League Baseball coach Rich Donnelly will join former Pittsburgh Pirates Manager Jim Leyland as a guest speaker during the evening. Longtime sportscaster Bob Pompeani of KDKA-TV and radio will serve as master of ceremonies.
A Steubenville native who played baseball and basketball at Central, Donnelly played minor league baseball before serving in managerial and coaching roles throughout professional baseball for more than 40 years. Most recently, he helped coach Team USA to a World Baseball Classic championship in 2017.
After his minor league career ended in the early 1970s, Leyland established himself as a coach and eventually a manager, taking over the Pirates before the start of the 1986 season. Under his direction, the Pirates reached the National League Championship Series three straight seasons (1990-1992). In later years, he guided the Florida Marlins to a World Series championship, the Detroit Tigers to multiple playoff appearances and Team USA to a World Baseball Classic championship in 2017.
Collaros, a Steubenville High School alum, will be honored for his contributions on and off the field. After two state titles and a 30-0 record during his junior and senior seasons at quarterback, Collaros wowed national audiences at the University of Cincinnati, where he was named First-Team All-Big East in 2010. A six-year veteran of the Canadian Football League, Collaros is founder of the Zach Collaros Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of Ohio Valley children.
Collaros will not be able to attend the dinner because of a scheduling conflict, but he will deliver a special video message, university officials said Monday afternoon.
Maslowski, a Crusader track great, was a three-time state champion and meet record-holder in the 100-meter hurdles. She went on to a distinguished career as a student-athlete at Duke University, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in evolutionary biology in 2016.
A native of Weirton, Vargo, who captured six Ohio Valley Athletic Conference titles and a West Virginia State Championship during his 21-year coaching run at Madonna, will receive the Baron Club Award for his longstanding service to the local community.
The Baron Club recognizes the influential role university's Christ-centered approach to athletics has on its student-athletes, the community and society at large. Last year's event honored several members of the local and national sports community, including Denver Broncos defensive lineman Derek Wolfe.
Pompeani returns to the award dinner for the third time. A Western Pennsylvania legend who has covered Pittsburgh sports for more than 35 years, he is a member of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and has been voted Pittsburgh's favorite sportscaster in a reader poll of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Cost for the Baron Club Dinner is $65 for a single dinner reservation or $100 for Baron Club membership, which includes dinner. Additional levels of sponsorship can be found online and include a personal photo opportunity with Jim Leyland and Rich Donnelly.
Register online at franciscan.edu/baronclub2018, or call (740) 283-6406. Proceeds support the university's NCAA Division III programs.