West Liberty, W.Va. - The West Liberty University athletic department announced the newest inductees of the West Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame on Wednesday afternoon, as one team and eight individuals join the one team and 209 individuals already enshrined by the university. Being honored at the October 7, Hall of Fame Football Game against Glenville State will be the 1964 Baseball Team, Ed Dugas, Guy Fuscardo, Shane Maynard, Corey McDuffie, Matt Morrison, Christy Peabody, Jeff Stone, and Frank Zebrasky.

1964 BASEBALL TEAM
NAIA National Champions

Led by twin mound aces Joe Niekro and Frank Ujcich, the West Liberty baseball team brought the first national championship trophy back to the hilltop by winning the 1964 NAIA World Series.

Head coach George Kovalick's West Virginia Conference champions stumbled out of the blocks on Opening Day at Phil Welch Stadium in St. Joseph, Mo. with a 2-1 loss to Wartburg (Iowa) in a 16-inning marathon but the Black and Gold didn't lose again. West Liberty rolled through the consolation bracket, capped by a 5-0 shutout of Georgia Southern in the consolation final. The Hilltoppers then swept Grambling State by scores of 6-4 and 3-2 to earn the title of national champions.

Ujcich was voted World Series MVP after hurling a record 22 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings. Niekro also excelled on the mound, highlighted by a 10-inning complete-game win against Sam Houston State, while freshman Joe Doerr led all hitters with a .468 batting average. Ujcich, Fred Chambers and Floyd Shuler were honored as NAIA All-Americans.

Rounding out West Liberty's national championship roster were Jim Benedetto, Dave Forgash, Bob Kota, Dave Kovalick, Gerry Kraynick, Gordon Long, John Pavlisko, Glenn Petty, Ray Prantil, Ron Romanoski, Dave Scherr and Gary Zelinski.

ED DUGAS (1963-67)
Football/Wrestling

Ed Dugas was an All-Conference standout in multiple sports on the hilltop who went on to receive numerous honors in more than three decades as a high school teacher and coach.

A 3-time All-West Virginia Conference selection in football who played on the Hilltoppers' 1963 WVIAC championship team, Dugas also excelled on the wrestling mats where he was an NAIA National Tournament qualifier and won a WVIAC championship at 190 pounds. In the spring, he competed as a thrower for the West Liberty track team.

After graduation, Dugas embarked on a 32-year coaching and teaching career at the newly-consolidated John Marshall High School in Glen Dale, W.Va. An assistant coach in football, wrestling and track, he helped lead the JMHS wrestling program to four state titles during the 1970s. Taking over as head coach in 1982, he produced 11 individual state champions, won an OVAC Tournament crown and posted seven Top 5 finishes at the state tournament.

The 1982 OVAC Coach of the Year and the 2003 recipient of the OVAC "Mr. Mat" Award, Dugas was previously enshrined in the West Virginia Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the John Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame.

GUY FUSCARDO (1965-69)
Football

A 4-year starter and 2-time All-Conference lineman for Hilltopper football teams of the mid-1960s, Guy Fuscardo parlayed his West Liberty degree into a highly-successful business career.

From 1965 to 1968, Fuscardo started every game at offensive guard for legendary head coach Bob Roe. Guy was voted first-team All-WVIAC following his junior and senior seasons and served as a Hilltopper team captain during his senior year.

After graduation, he began as a teacher and coach at Wheeling High School but quickly switched to the business world to support his growing family. Starting out as a Property Adjuster for Nationwide in Wheeling, he was soon promoted to a supervisory position in Pittsburgh. Guy then moved on to Aetna as a Claims Training Manager, traveling the country as a storm and catastrophic damage assessment expert.

Guy took his talents to Belfor National Restoration and moved to Florida, serving areas hard hit by Hurricanes Andrew and Charley. After becoming licensed as a GC/Certified Building Contractor, he left Belfor to found his own company – Black Diamond Restoration – in Fort Myers, Fla. Nearly two decades later, he continues to serve as Black Diamond's President and CEO.

SHANE MAYNARD (2005-09)
Men's Basketball

Shane Maynard helped usher in the "Golden Era" of West Liberty basketball, shattering a 25-year-old school scoring record while earning multiple conference and regional honors.

A Beckley, W.Va. native and one of three freshman starters for first-year head coach Jim Crutchfield, Shane and his teammates exploded onto the WVIAC scene. A 21-win season was capped by a run to the 2005 WVIAC Tournament final and Shane was voted WVIAC Freshman of the Year.

That was just the first step on a spectacular career path. Maynard was a 3-time All-WVIAC selection, 2-time NCAA D2 All-East Region pick and a 3-time Neal Baisi Award winner as the top West Virginia native in the WVIAC. He broke Spencer Johnson's 25-year-old school scoring record with 2,221 points and hit double-figures in 106 of his 120 career games. Shane had 50 games with 20+ points topped by a career-high 41 points in a 101-94 win against Pitt-Johnstown as a junior.

Shane entered the coaching profession after earning a master's degree at Western Kentucky. He coached at multiple institutions and even accepted an invitation to Romania to work with that nation's basketball association in 2016. At the time of his passing, Shane was owner/operator of Versatility Basketball Academy in West Palm Beach, Fla.

COREY McDUFFIE (2003-07)
Men's Basketball

Corey McDuffie was a 3-time All-West Virginia Conference selection as an All-Region guard who played a major role in helping establish West Liberty basketball as one of the nation's small-college elite.

A sweet-stroking lefty who once tallied 60 points in a game at Marion (Ohio) Harding High School, Corey missed part of his freshman season on the hilltop due to injury and redshirted his sophomore year but was back at full strength in 2004-05.

With Corey and fellow Hall of Fame inductee Shane Maynard leading the way, the Hilltoppers won a school-record 21 games and advanced to the WVIAC Tournament finals in Coach Jim Crutchfield's first year. Another 21-win season followed before West Liberty went 25-5 in Corey's senior campaign to earn its first-ever NCAA D2 Tournament bid.

The first-team NCAA D2 All-East Region pick earned an invitation to the 2007 CBI All-Star Classic after finishing his career with 1,871 points. He had 11 games with 30+ points topped by a 42-point explosion against W.Va. Wesleyan in a WVIAC Tournament first-round game.

Corey returned to his hometown after earning his Criminal Justice degree. He works as a Success Coach for Marion Matters Inc., helping those in the workforce overcome life's obstacles and barriers to achieve personal or life goals.

MATT MORRISON (1987-90)
Baseball

One of the top power hitters in West Liberty history, Matt Morrison helped lead the Hilltoppers to the 1990 NAIA World Series before setting out on a highly-successful coaching and teaching career.

Morrison, who still ranks among the school's career leaders in home runs, RBIs and walks, was a 4-year starter for head coach Bo McConnaughy at third base, catcher and designated hitter. With Morrison in the middle of the lineup, West Liberty reeled off four straight WVIAC Tournament titles from 1987-90.

Matt was a first-team All-WVIAC designated hitter and a co-captain of the 1990 team, which shook off a slow start to come storming down the stretch. He was voted Tournament MVP as the Hilltoppers rolled to another WVIAC Tournament title. After stretching the winning streak to a school-record 15 games by sweeping the NAIA Area 7 Tournament, West Liberty's season ended with two tough losses at the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Ida.

Currently principal of Edison (Ohio) High School, Morrison has spent more than three decades as a teacher and administrator. An outstanding baseball coach, he guided Steubenville Post 33 to three Ohio state championships and led Toronto High School to the 1998 Ohio Division IV state title.

 

CHRISTY PEABODY (1993-97)
Women's Basketball

Christy Peabody was a 2-time All-WVIAC standout who scored more than 1,400 points in her career and was a driving force behind the West Liberty women's first WVIAC Tournament championship.

A hard-working post, Peabody was at her best in the post-season. Christy hit double-figures in all 12 WVIAC and NCAA Tournament games during her three years as a starter, averaging 18.1 ppg. She earned WVIAC All-Tournament honors all three years and was voted MVP following West Liberty's 1997 title run.

Christy finished her career with 1,457 points and 627 rebounds. Her career-high of 38 points came in her final regular-season game, a 95-79 win at Fairmont State when she went 14-of-15 from the floor. That mark is still listed in the NCAA record book as one of the top 10 single-game field-goal percentages in NCAA D2 history.

After graduating with a degree in physical therapy, Christy was hired as Director of Rehabilitation at Physicians Medical Group in Cleveland and has worked there ever since. In addition, she is the owner/operator of her own business, Peabody Massage Therapy. Christy also spent three years as basketball coach at Holy Name High School and also coached CYO and AAU travel teams.

JEFF STONE (1992-95)
Wrestling

Jeff Stone was a 3-time NAIA All-American on Hall of Fame Coach Dr. Vince Monseau's legendary West Liberty wrestling teams of the mid-1990s and went on to serve his country for more than two decades as an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

After redshirting as a freshman, Stone earned his first NAIA All-America honor on the hilltop as a sophomore with a 6th-place finish at the 1993 NAIA Nationals and followed that up with a 5th-place finish at the 1994 Nationals.

As a junior, he was made one of the captains for the Hilltoppers' 1995 NAIA national runner-up squad. Jeff earned his third straight NAIA All-America honor with a 4th-place finish at 150 pounds.

An outstanding student who had already completed his degree requirements in December, Stone opted to forego his final year of athletic eligibility and accept an offer to attend Officer Candidates School (OCS). He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and served with distinction for 22 years in various locations both at home and abroad before retiring from the Marine Corps as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2017.

Jeff continues to serve his country as the Senior Marine Instructor for the Hendersonville (Tenn.) High School Marine Corps Junior ROTC, located just outside of Nashville.

FRANK ZEBRASKY (1979-82)
Football

A 3-year starting quarterback and an NAIA All-American, Frank Zebrasky played a pivotal role in helping lead West Liberty to the 1979 West Virginia Conference championship.

A multi-sport standout at nearby Washington (Pa.) High School, Zebrasky exploded onto the WVIAC scene that season. Making his starting debut at quarterback, punter and placekicker, Zebrasky and the Hilltoppers shook off a slow start to reel off seven straight wins. Ranked No. 15 in the nation, West Liberty battled No. 10 Fairmont State to a 6-6 tie in the season finale, sharing the 1979 WVIAC title with the Falcons.

Zebrasky was voted WVIAC Offensive Player of the Year and honorable mention NAIA All-America after passing for more than 1,200 yards and leading the conference in scoring. In three varsity seasons, Zebrasky went on to complete 348-of-687 passes for 4,196 yards. He left the hilltop holding 9 school records, capped by a 336-yard passing performance against W.Va. Tech on Nov. 1, 1981.

After graduating, Zebrasky returned to his western Pennsylvania roots. He has spent more than three decades as a highly-successful teacher and coach at Washington (Pa.), Canon-McMillan and Carlynton High Schools.