April 23, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; April 23, 2009 - Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis will be inducted into the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday, April 26 in a banquet event at The FEZ in Aliquippa, Pa.
DeChellis, a Monaca, Pa. native who led the Nittany Lions to a school record 27 wins and first ever national tournament title last season, will be joined in the Class of 2009 by Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller and former NFL All-Pro Sean Gilbert. Two other Penn State graduates are also in the class - current Mount Lebanon girls basketball coach Dori (Anderson) Oldaker and former Nittany Lion football player Matt Yanosich. Gene Matsook, Alan Guandolo, Jeff Catanzarite, Frank Susnell and Joe Tronzo complete the class of 2009.
The Class of 2009 will join such notable past inductees into the Beaver County Hall of Fame as Joe Namath, Mike Ditka, Tony Dorsett and Pete Maravich.
With nearly 30 years in collegiate basketball coaching, DeChellis was named the 2009 Big Ten Coach of the Year and just completed his sixth season at the helm of a the Nittany Lion program. He has taken a Penn State team that won a combined 14 games in the two seasons prior to his arrival to a school record 27-11 season and National Invitation Tournament title last year. DeChellis' Nittany Lions beat for Top 25 ranked teams, posted Penn State's second-most Big Ten wins in school history with a 10-8 conference mark and logged the Lions' first 20-win regular season since 1995-96.
DeChellis has compiled 189 wins in 13 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Prior to returning to lead his alma mater he guided East Tennessee State for seven seasons leading ETSU to three-straight Southern Conference division titles, the 2003 conference tournament title and the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade. He compiled 105 wins at ETSU after taking over a program that had won seven games the year before.
The 1982 Penn State graduate spent 12 years as a Penn State assistant coach, helping guide the Nittany Lions to six post-season appearances and four-straight 20-win seasons.
DeChellis has also been honored as the 2006 National Coaches vs. Cancer Man of the Year and has had everyone of his senior players graduate over the course of his head coaching career.
-NITTANY LIONS-