Nov. 9, 2002

Charleston, Sc - Placing The Citadel and Charleston at the "top of the list of the places we've been," Coach Norm Sloan lead five members into The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday morning in McAlister Field House.

Also entering the Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2002 are football players Bob Carson '73 and Joe Pipczynski '83, baseball player Jeff Barkley '82, and wrestler Bruce Schwanda '65.

The five increases the Hall's membership to 118 and highlighted the 25th anniversary celebration of The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame.

Another former Bulldog basketball coach, Les Robinson, who currently serves as The Citadel's director of athletics, inducted Sloan, who guided the basketball program to its heyday in the late 1950s with the famous "Blitz Kids."

Head Football Coach Ellis Johnson '75 departed from his regular pregame responsibilities to induct Carson, his former teammate, while former Citadel head football coach Art Baker (1978-82) inducted Pipczynski, an offensive lineman who paved the way for another Hall of Famer, running back Stump Mitchell.

Former baseball coach Chal Port, who guided Citadel baseball teams for 27 years and who is also a member of the Hall of Fame, inducted Barkley, whom he referred to as "Mr. Reliable." Ed Steers '68, an associate athletics director at the school and a member of the Hall of Fame, inducted Schwanda, whose "life has been a gold standard for all cadets."

The five were later introduced during halftime of The Citadel - Chattanooga game.

Norm Sloan

Sloan coached the Bulldogs for four seasons, from 1957-60, and had a 57-38 (.600) record. After his first season, the U.S. Rubber Company named The Citadel the "Most Improved Team" in the country and presented the Bulldogs with the George Mikan Award. Named the 1959 Coach of the Year by the South Carolina Sportswriters Association, Sloan guided Citadel teams to 11-14, 16-11, 15-5 and 15-8 records.

The 11-14 mark in 1957 was the school's best in 18 years and The Citadel improved from being the 750th best team in America to No. 34. In 1959, The Citadel made its lone appearance in the Southern Conference Championship game, losing to West Virginia, 85-66, and the Mountaineers' standout performer, Jerry West.

Under Sloan, the Bulldogs played in the school's first-ever television appearance, a 60-57 Citadel victory at Clemson.

The "Blitz Kids," a nickname given to the exciting team by members of the Corps of Cadets, included Hall of Fame members Ray Graves, Art Musselman, Dick Wherry and Gary Daniels. Cadets would regularly miss evening mess in order to secure the best seats in the Armory to watch Sloan's teams.

After Sloan's four years at The Citadel, he coached at Florida and then moved to N.C. State where the Wolfpack captured the 1974 NCAA Championship and featured National Player of the Year David Thompson. Sloan, the 1974 National Coach of the Year, eventually returned to Florida to coach the Gators. During his storied career, Sloan was recognized as coach of the year in the Southern, Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences.

Bob Carson

Carson, a native of Virginia Beach, VA, started his football career at The Citadel as a walk-on and was awarded a full scholarship after his freshman year. Playing for coach Red Parker, Carson was the 1972 team captain who was also voted the team's most valuable player.

For 24 years, Carson held the school record for the longest run from scrimmage (95 yards, broken in 1994 by Travis Jervey's 96-yard run), and accumulated six games in which he rushed for more than 100 yards. Carson's personal high was 205 yards that came in a 52-35 win over Chattanooga at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

The Associated Press recognized Carson as a second-team All-Southern Conference performer and as an honorable mention All-American. The S.C. Coaches Association pointed to Carson as the runner-up for the Jacobs Blocking Award.

Joe Pipczynski

Pipczynski, who hails from Riverhead, NY, played offensive tackle for Art Baker-coached teams and served as team captain in 1982. He earned All-Southern Conference honors in 1982 and was honorable mention all-conference the previous year. A Dean's List student, Pipczynski was recognized as an all-state performer his senior year and was listed as an honorable mention all-American in 1982.

That same season, he was a member of the "Leonard's Losers All-American Team" and captured the Joe Miser Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award. At one time, his bench press of 550 pounds was a state and school record.

After playing at The Citadel, Pipczynski signed as a free agent with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks and upon his release, he returned home and coached at Mercy High School, his alma mater. He was given another opportunity and signed with the New York Jets in 1984, only to have a career-ending injury. He starting coaching the local Police Athletic League teams and has won three county championships.

Jeff Barkley

Barkley, who came to The Citadel from Hickory, NC, was a pitcher on Chal Port-coached baseball teams from 1979-82. Twice named first-team all-Southern Conference, Barkley continues to hold school record for complete games in a season (9) and career (23).

During a career in which he recorded 24 wins, Barkley pitched 280.2 innings with 38 starts. His 237 strikeouts and five shutouts continue to rank among the best in school history. Barkley played on two Southern Conference championship teams (1979 and '82), and was the winning pitcher when the Bulldogs defeated North Carolina, 9-4, in the 1982 NCAA East Regional in Columbia.

Barkley signed a professional contract with the Cleveland Indians and was called up during the 1984 and 1985 seasons. He played for the Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies' AAA affiliates, and was named to the Winter League All-Star Team in Puerto Rico in 1986.

An interesting sidebar on Barkley is that he is the first major leaguer ever to record a strikeout on his first-ever pitch. Playing for Cleveland in September 1984, Barkley entered a game in Oakland with two outs, two runners on base and a 0-2 count to left-handed hitter Mike Davis. Barkley's first pitch was a forkball for a swing and a miss to end the inning.

Bruce Schwanda

Schwanda compiled a 34-4 overall record as a wrestler, winning the Southern Conference championship in the 147-pound class in 1964 and 1965. Serving as team captain, he was a co-winner of the 1965 Outstanding Wrestler Award. Also, in 1965, he won the Carolina AAU Tournament and was again selected as the Outstanding Wrestler.

Off the mats, Schwanda also excelled as evident by his serving as Company 1st Sergeant as a junior, Cadet Company Commander his senior year and member of the Block "C" Club. He was named to "Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities," and held membership in the school's International Relations Club and was the treasurer of the Semper Fidelis Club.

After graduating from The Citadel, Schwanda served in the United States Marine Corps and was a Marine Officer Instructor at The Citadel during which time he was the Officer Representative to the wrestling team. He was a decorated Marine pilot who served in Vietnam, reached the rank of Colonel and retired after 28 years of service.