Dr. Richard Flannery

Track and basketball athlete who won the first Gene Venzke mile (1950) and was runner-up in the State Catholic mile. Dr. Flannery was later clocked with a time of 4:28.7 for the mile at Harrisburg’s Fager Field (1950) and was a runner-up to West Philadelphia’s Don Bagby. Flannery attended Oklahoma State University, Kutztown University, Temple University and Florida University. At Oklahoma State, he was runner-up in the Missouri Valley Conference two-mile run. Dick had a 27-year amateur basketball career and won 17 scoring titles. He set a Reading-Berks League scoring record with 770 points for Carver’s Dairy (1967). He once scored 92 points in a single game for the Mt. Penn Pagodas vs. the Fleetwood Seaman’s. Flannery had two memorable games for the Boyertown High School faculty basketball team when he scored 45 points in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles (1968) and was the top-scorer (33 points) the following year in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies Whiz Kids team that included Granny Hamner, Paul Arizin, Robin Roberts, Bobby Schantz and Stan Lopata (1969). He coached track and cross country at Boyertown High School, winning 53 straight cross country dual meets over a four year period and compiled a combined record of 132-22; including five Ches-Mont cross country titles. He was the meet director of the Venzke Relays for ten years. Dr. Flannery was an educator for 39 years, including a teacher/principal at Boyertown High School, principal for 14 years at Reading High School, principal for five years at Sacred Heart in West Reading and Athletic Director/Dean of Students at Alvernia College. He was named Educator of the Year by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge (1971). He served four years in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War (1st class Petty Officer). Flannery was named Executive Director of the Berks County Interscholastic Athletic Association (1998) and at the time of induction was the third President of the Berks Chapter of the PA Sports Hall of Fame (following Andy Stopper and John Gurski).

Deceased