Prior to Mahanoy Area's High School Football game on Friday evening, the Golden Bears inducted new members into their sports Hall of Fame.
The following individuals were inducted:
- Dorothy “Dot” Demmer
- Christine Di Casimirro Evancho
- William “Coach Faz” Fazio
Pictured (L-R) - Dorothy "Dot" Demmer, Christine Di Casimirro Evancho, and receiving on behalf of the late William "Coach Faz" Fazio was William Fazio Jr., Julie Fazio, Urijah Fazio, Jolene Fazio, Louis Fazio, Jocelyn (Fazio) Souchak, and William Fazio II
BIOGRAPHIES
Dorothy “Dot” Demmer
Dorothy is a graduate of Mountain View High School, located in Susquehanna County. Upon graduation, she attended East Stroudsburg University where she studied Health & Physical Education. While at East Stroudsburg, Dot was a member of the Lacrosse Team. Dot’s Lacrosse career included:
- 2nd Team All-Collegiate Team (Junior Season)
- 3rd Team All-Collegiate Team (Senior Season)
- Team Captain (both Junior and Senior Seasons)
- Team MVP (both Junior and Senior Seasons)
Outside of school, Dot was a member of the ASA Fast Pitch Class “A” Softball team from Binghamton, NY where they were the National Champions in 1978. That same year Dot was named 1st Team All-American as an Outfielder.
In 2002, based on the recommendation of Senator Jim Rhoades, Dot was awarded the opportunity to assist at the Salt Lake City Olympic Games.
In 2009, Dot was inducted into the Jerry Wolman Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
Dot would like to send a special thank you out to Carol Blue. “I am truly thrilled and excited to become a part of a very special group of people. However, I would NOT be here if not for the many great athletes I had the privilege and honor of coaching. I would also like to thank Coach Faz, for being the best teaching partner any Physical Education teacher could ask for.”
Christine Di Casimirro Evancho
As a 1978 graduate of Mahanoy Area High School, Christine excelled in both basketball and softball earning 6 varsity letters. Serving as captain during her senior year, she was chosen to the Schuylkill County All Star Basketball North Team. She was also the recipient of both the Rotary and the Lions Club Most Valuable Player Awards in softball while also serving as captain her senior year.
A 1982 Honors graduate of East Stroudsburg University, Christine earned coaching certifications in Basketball, Softball, and Swimming.
Upon being hired as a Health and Physical Education teacher at Mahanoy Area in 1982, Christine’s love of sports, coaching, and children resulted in a compilation of years coaching various sports at Mahanoy Area including Basketball, Track & Field, Cheerleading, Gymnastics, Softball, and Swimming.
In 1983, she developed the first ever Mahanoy Area Jr. High Girls Basketball Team. Recognizing the need for a feeder program into the Lady Bears high school program, Evancho spearheaded the effort as the program’s very first coach. Her passion for teaching the skills of the game resulted in a 73-game win streak setting the foundation for the girls to become State Champions in their Varsity years. She also served as an assistant varsity coach under Ron Lichtenwalner and Joe Alansky. During this time, Christine also revitalized the return of the Jr. High Cheerleaders, creating both a Basketball and Wrestling cheer team and serving as the coach. She returned to this position later in her career, as well.
Softball and Track and Field were also part of her varsity assistant coaching repertoire in the early ‘90s.
In 1995, recognizing the need for a female strength training program, and with the support of Superintendent, John Murtin, Evancho lobbied and served as the first ever Girls Strength Training Coach creating specific individualized programs for female athletes.
From 1993 – 2011 Evancho served as Mahanoy Area’s Recreation Director. These programs consisted of community and intramural basketball, gymnastics, the Hershey and Senator Rhoades Track and Field Meets, along with many aquatics’ activities. For her efforts in this area, Evancho was presented with the Rhoades Foundation’s “William “Buck” Jones For the Kids Award in 2010.”
As a long-time Summer and Winter Youth Swim Team Coach, Evancho built a strong foundation for a future PIAA Mahanoy Area High School Swim Team. In 2002, the Mahanoy Area School Board approved the addition of Swimming to the PIAA High School Sports Program. Evancho served as the first Head Coach for the next 9 years. Throughout this time, Evancho constructed a very successful program developing champion swimmers with many League, District, and State medalists, as well as an overall winning program. In 2008 she was chosen as the Republican Herald Female Swim Coach of the Year.
Most recently, in May of this year, Christine was inducted into the Jerry Wolman Anthracite Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame for her success as an Athlete, Physical Educator, and Coach.
After a 38-year career in the Mahanoy Area School District, Evancho retired in 2020. She continues to volunteer her time for the benefit of our community serving on the Mahanoy City Public Library Board of Trustees, President of the Mahanoy City Woman’s Club, and most recently was appointed to proudly serve on the Mahanoy Area School Board.
William “Coach Faz” Fazio
William was a 1956 graduate of Mahanoy City High School and a 1963 graduate of Slippery Rock State College where he studied Health and Physical Education. William’s Physical Education teaching career spanned from 1966-1993, with 20 of those years at Mahanoy Area. Upon leaving the gymnasium, William spent one year as Shenandoah Valley’s Athletic Director before finishing his working career as a Mobile Therapist.
During William’s teaching tenure, he was a devoted Wrestling coach (1973-1979), Track coach (1981-1988), and Football coach (1973-1993) at Mahanoy Area, where he earned the following accolades:
- 1980 Eastern Conference “Division B” Football Champions
- 1980 Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year
- 1983 Eastern Conference “Division C” Football Champions
- 1983 Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Co-Coach of the Year
- 1983 Hazleton Standard Speaker Coach of the Year
- 1986 Eastern Conference Class C Football Champions
- 1986 Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year
- 1987 Eastern Conference Class C Football Champions
- 1987 Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year
- 1990 Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year
- 1990 Eastern Conference “South Division” Football Champions
- Head Coach of the North Team in the North vs South Dream Game (1984, 1988, and 1991)
- Inducted into the Schuylkill County Wrestling Hall of Fame (1991)
- Inducted into the Jerry Wolman Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (1991)
- In 2018 the Mahanoy Area School District Board of Directors Named our Football Field: William Coach Faz” Fazio Field in his honor