As PSAC celebrates 75 years, former Slippery Rock athletes, coaches and key figures honored on Top 75 lists
SLIPPERY ROCK — A number of Slippery Rock University athletes and coaches have made their mark on the PSAC over the years.
Earlier this fall, some of them were recognized as part of the conference’s 75th birthday.
The PSAC selected its Top 75 in different categories: distinguished keystone (historical influence in PSAC), Made in the PSAC, top male and top female athletes.
Among the distinguished keystone honorees are SRU baseball coach Jeff Messer, retired football coach George Mihalik, retired track and field coach John Papa and the late Richard “Doc”Hunkler, a 30-year water polo coach at The Rock who coached his team to the national championship in 1995.
Mihalik and Papa were successful student-athletes at SRU who returned to put together stellar coaching careers.
“There’s an ‘it’ factor here,” Mihalik said. “The university, the atmosphere, community, the people. ... It draws people back.”
Mihalik was quarterback of back-to-back PSAC championship teams at SRU in 1972-73. Besides one year as a graduate assistant coach elsewhere, the rest of his life has been spent with The Rock. He and his wife, Laura, raised their two daughters in Slippery Rock. Mihalik served as head coach from 1988-2015, winning eight PSAC West titles and taking six teams to the national playoffs.
His career record was 197-111-4. Mihalik also played a major role in getting the safety management program started at SRU.
“I’m as proud of that as anything else I’ve accomplished here,” Mihalik said. “(East Stroudsburg coach) Denny Douds and I were the only two professors to be head football coaches in the league, as well. Both jobs were all about teaching.”
Papa was a decathlete on the 1979 SRU track team that claimed the national title. He became head track coach at SRU eight years later and served in that role from 1987-2022, winning 25 PSAC titles.
His athletes won 12 national titles and 345 individual and relay PSAC crowns.
“It’s the support we receive here,” Papa said. “The administration backs us up and there are great facilities on campus. I’ve seen coaches come and go, but the stability of head coaches in various sports here is impressive.
“Slippery Rock is a great place to work and coach. There’s no reason to want to go anywhere else.”
Messer is a prime example of that.
The SRU baseball coach is entering his 41st year at the helm in 2026. He’s won 1,154 games over 40 years, has taken his teams to 30 PSAC tournaments and four College World Series.
“I took this job and figured I’d stay five years or so and move on to something bigger,” Messer said. “I never left. I never wanted to leave.
“I got to coach my two sons at SRU. I’m coaching with (son) Billy now. It’s been a blessing.”
Messer coached at and maintained the old Wally Rose Park on campus while The Rock played there. When the current Critchfield Park opened, he maintained the playing surface, as well. When artificial turf was installed a few years ago, Messer’s job became a bit easier.
“I played in the dirt for a long time,” he said, laughing. “All that raking, dragging, Lord knows how many bags of Diamond Dry. ... It’s been a labor of love.”
SRU athletic director Roberta Page is one of several Rock graduates on the Made in the PSAC list. Among the others are former LPGA golfer Janet Anderson; track and field standout and National Women’s Soccer League founder Cheryl Bailey; the late Jerry Bejbl, football standout and a top financial contributor to SRU; six-time national champion Alabama gymnastics coach Sarah Patterson and legendary Rutgers women’s basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer, who won 1,055 games and reached the NCAA Final Four four times.
Page went on to serve as Director of Championships and Alliances in NCAA Division II from 2009-21 before returning to The Rock. She played softball and basketball at SRU from 1984-88.
“I’ve always loved this university,” Page said. “When the AD position came open, I jumped at it. This is a special place. Slippery Rock is a hidden little town in Western Pennsylvania.
“It’s a big city in our hearts.”
SRU graduates honored in the Top 75 female category included track and field standouts Karen McCready and Andi Rose, women’s soccer star Meghan McGrath and gymnastics standout Julie Morrow Caito.
Male athletes included former major league slugger Matt Adams, basketball star Myron Brown, track and field standout George Crunkleton, wrestler Stan Dziedic, retired NFL lineman Brandon Fusco, NCAA football sack leader Marcus Martin, football quarterbacks Randy McKavish and Roland Rivers III.
The full lists can be found at psacsports.org.
