Tom Powers

A graduate of Central Catholic High School (1947), Tom had an outstanding and versatile scholastic career, earning 12 varsity letters in basketball, baseball, track, swimming and football. In basketball, he set a Central Catholic single season scoring record with 322 points and led the Cardinals to a 40-11 record during two seasons. In baseball, he batted more than .300 four straight seasons. Powers declined a professional contract offer from the Philadelphia Phillies in order to attend Columbia University. He was the starting guard at Columbia University as a senior, when the team was the undefeated Ivy League champion and ranked as high as third in the nation that season. He also earned three varsity letters in basketball and two letters in baseball. After graduating from Columbia, he turned down tryout offers from the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Dodgers to enter the Air Force, where he became one of the top athletes in the military. Powers was inducted into the state-wide Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (1995).

Deceased