Malinowski leads charge into local hall of fame
Ed Malinowski went from playing high school football in the smallest classification in Pennsylvania to playing quarterback in the most tradition-rich rivalry and one of the most-watched games in college football.
Malinowski was a three-year starter as a two-way player at Chartiers-Houston High School and went on to become the starting quarterback and team captain for the United States Naval Academy.
Malinowski is one of 13 individuals and one team that will be inducted this year into the Washington-Greene County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. He joins Ray Kemp of Fort Cherry (football), Andy Migyanko of Trinity (wrestling), Frank Mosier of Trinity (wrestling), Leon Pagac of Centerville (football), Brian Pelkey of Washington (football), Dan Petrola (youth service) Albert Sabol of Beth-Center (football), Marty Schottenheimer of Fort Cherry (football), Ron Skiles of Ellsworth (football and golf), Joe Throckmorton of Waynesburg (wrestling), Chad Williamson of Trinity (football) and Mark Wise of Washington (football) in this year’s group.
The 1961 Fort Cherry High School basketball team that won the PIAA Class B championship will be inducted as the Team of Yesteryear.
Ceremonies will take place Friday, June 9 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Meadow Lands. Tickets are $45 apiece and can be purchased by calling B.J. at 724-678-4320. In addition to the inductees being honored, Bill Cowher and Ralph Cindrich will be guest speakers.
The following is brief bio of three inductees. The other inductees will be presented in future editions of the Observer-Reporter.
A three-year starter at quarterback and free safety for Chartiers-Houston, Malinowski passed for more than 2,100 yards and 28 touchdowns while helping the Bucs to a 22-8 record, including a 9-0 regular-season mark and the Black Hills Conference championship in 1997. A three-time all-conference selection, Malinowski had an incredible nine interceptions as a free safety during his senior season.
He also was a starter on Chartiers-Houston’s basketball team and competed in track and field.
Malinowski received an appointment to the Naval Academy, where he played football for the Midshipmen (1998-2001). As an option quarterback, Malinowski led Navy in touchdowns as a junior, was the Midshipmen’s offensive co-captain as a senior and the starting quarterback in the Army-Navy game.
Malinowski spent six years in active duty for the Marine Corps and was deployed to Iraq three times during the Global War on Terrorism. He is currently the wide receivers coach at Pine-Richland High School and was on the staff when the Rams won the 2014 WPIAL Class AAAA title.
Kemp was a hard-charging running back and hard-hitting linebacker for Fort Cherry (1973-75). On offense, he put together three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons and gained 3,930 for his career. As a senior, Kemp rushed for 1,501 yards and was named first team all-state and conference Most Valuable Player. He was named all-conference as a running back and linebacker all three seasons and led the Rangers in tackles for three years.
Kemp also participated in wrestling while at Fort Cherry, where he was a two-time Black Hills Conference champion, WPIAL champion as a junior and WPIAL runner-up as a senior. He compiled a 34-3-2 dual-meet record with 21 pins. A two-time state tournament qualifier, Kemp had a 54-9-3 career record that included 25 pins.
He participated in the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic and wrestled for Team Pennsylvania in a match against Poland.
Kemp went on to attend the University of Pittsburgh and was a member of the Panthers 1976 national championship football team.
A four-time state qualifier, Migyanko is a former Observer-Reporter Wrestler of the Year.
He was a mainstay in the Hillers’ lineup as a four-year starter and letterman who compiled an impressive 141-13 career record. Migyanko was a three-time champion at the prestigious Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament and a three-time champion of the Midwest Classic held in Columbus, Ohio.
As a freshman, Migyanko began his string of deep runs into the wrestling postseason that included three Section 5-AAA championships, three WPIAL Class AAA titles and won the 112-pound weight class at the PIAA Championships in Hershey in 1998, when he was named the O-R’s Wrestler of Year. Migyanko was a state runner-up in 1996 and wrestled for the Pennsylvania team in the Dapper Dan Classic in Pittsburgh.
An assistant varsity wrestling coach from 2005 to 2012, Migyanko is currently the coach of the Trinity Middle School team.