Erne Hotz and Vincent Graham to be inducted during June 15 ceremony.
Two standout Cal U men’s basketball alumni will be part of the 2018 Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame class.
Ernest “Roger” Hotz ´59 and Vincent “Vinnie” Graham ´01 will join fellow inductees Jamont Kinds, Dan LaCarte, Jamie Reader and the late John Konek.
The induction ceremony will be 5:30 p.m. on June 15, at the St. Spyridon Hellenic Center, in Monessen, Pa. The Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame is one of 28 chapters of The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
Hotz — a member of the Cal U Athletic Hall of Fame — started at the center for the Vulcans basketball team from 1955-1959.
He scored 1,750 career points, ranking him third on the all-time scoring list, and had 573 rebounds, ranking him among the top 10 rebounders in Cal history.
“I had the opportunity to play basketball and, more important, I received a good education,” Hotz said. “My experiences at California prepared me well for the future.”
Hotz is a retired guidance counselor at Gateway High School in Kissimmee, Fla., where he served as a teacher, counselor and administrator. He also owns his own golf club producing company and lives in Orlando with his wife, Carol.
Graham played three seasons at Cal U — from 1996-1997 until a knee injury ended his 1998-1999 season.
He was the 1997 PSAC-West Rookie of the Year and averaged nearly 15 points per game. Graham earned first-team all-conference honors in 1997-1998 and helped the Vulcans win the first of three straight PSAC-West titles.
The Vulcans won the PSAC championship and made a second-straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearance during his final season.
“I had some very good days at Cal U,” said Graham, who also served as a student coach under retired head coach Bill Brown. “After my injury, I tore the same tendon in a summer league game, and that was it for basketball. But I stayed in school and finished my degree.”
Graham works for Phillips Respironics of New Kensington, Pa., and lives in White Oak, Pa., with his wife, Elizabeth Ann, and four sons.