2-sport standout Derek Molitor set to join Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, July 27, 2025 | 11:46 AM

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Quaker Valley’s athletic program hit the daily double with Derek Molitor as one of its competitors.

Molitor was an elite two-sport athlete for the Quakers in the late 1990s, excelling in football and track and field. And he is one of this year’s selections for induction into the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame.

“It is an honor to be selected and for my name to be included with so many great athletes and people,” Molitor, a 1998 QV graduate, said. “I really did not think that this was a possibility, so it caught me off-guard. My brother called me the night before I received a text from coach (Mike) Mastroianni, but we did not connect.

“It is rare that my brother calls me, so the following morning I figured something was up. I told my wife that morning that I received both communications and she said, ‘Oh God, who died.’ I said I do not think it is that, then she realized what was going on and I jumped into the shower to get ready for work.

“She came into the bathroom and jokingly said, ‘Der, if they really wanted to surprise me, you should not have told me.’ I was confused for a second and asked her to repeat. She did, and we both busted out laughing. My wife Melissa (Martin) also went to QV and was an excellent athlete. She occasionally makes a point to let me and our boys know she was voted ‘most athletic’ in her senior yearbook as she competed in volleyball, basketball and track, and was playfully implying that she was the one potentially being inducted. It was gold.”

Molitor will be installed into the HOF along with Colin South (hockey), L.J. Westwood (track and field, cross country), Dorian Goosby Dean (athlete) and QV’s 2012 hockey team.

The induction ceremony will take place Oct. 19 after a weekend of activities commencing Oct. 17 with a tailgate party and recognition at the Quakers’ football game at Chuck Knox Stadium.

Molitor was a four-year letterman in football and team captain from 1995-97. He was named Three Rivers All-Conference in 1996 and 1997 as a running back and defensive back. In 1997, he was lauded as the Three Rivers Conference Co-Offensive MVP.

Molitor was a member of the Quakers’ 1996 playoff team on the gridiron, one year removed from an 0-10 season, and was the 1997 Andy Shulick Award recipient for outstanding leadership.

The Quakers missed the postseason in 1994-95 before turning things around in 1996-97

“It felt like we were the Bad News Bears in my freshman and sophomore years,” Molitor said. “We went 2-8 my freshman year and 0-10 my sophomore year.

“Many of the players on our football team were a part of the WPIAL champion track and field team in the spring one season removed from the 0-10 football season. That was the start of giving us confidence, and it carried over with a lot of hard work in the weight room and a lot of hard work in the summer to make us a contender.”

Molitor graduated as Quaker Valley’s all-time leading rusher and was selected to play in the 1998 Penn-Ohio football game as a defensive back.

He actually began his high school career as a 5-foot-3, 135-pound freshman before growing to 5-7 and 170 pounds in his senior year.

“I was never the biggest, not even close, but I always gave my best effort, in season and offseason, and I believe that provided a spark,” he said.

Molitor also was a four-year letterman in track and field and was a member of the Quakers’ 1996 and 1997 WPIAL championship teams.

He displayed his diversity and athleticism by competing in eight events for those teams, both of which are enshrined in the QV Sports Hall of Fame.

Molitor was a Quaker Valley athlete in the truest sense. He has many great memories from his athletic career, and at the top of the list is this:

“My absolute fondest memory at QV was watching my future brother-in-law, Dennis Martin, intercept a screen pass as a free safety against Carlynton my junior year to seal a 16-13 victory in a game that was hard fought and was played in the rain and mud on our home field on senior day.

“One-A was watching my brother win a WPIAL championship in hoops. Winning a playoff game my junior year against South Park as the snowflakes were falling was a close second. And scoring the opening TD against Aliquippa in Round 2 of the playoffs was a close third.

“The whole QV track and field experience with two WPIAL championships also was a joy to be part of under coach Kenny Johns.”

Molitor, 44, and his family live in Richmond, Va. He and his wife have three children: Doak, 14, Rowan, 10 and Bodhi, 9.

“I met my wife at the ninth-grade dance at Quaker Valley Junior High, and we have been a part of each other’s lives for over 30 years,” said Molitor, who is director of operations for Jensen Outdoor, which manufactures and distributes outdoor furniture.

For the past two years, Molitor has served in his spare time as president of the Varina Youth Sports Baseball/Softball organization in Virginia.

“I have been a part of Varina Youth Sports since my oldest child, Doak, was 4 years old. He is now 14,” Molitor said. “I joined the league as a nervous T-ball coach and have coached multiple teams and served in several roles on the board including T-ball director and vice president.

“Our league has grown from 180 kids a few years ago to 357 this spring and we had 135 volunteers involved. As is true in any youth organization, our volunteers are what makes the league a success, and we have a bunch of great ones.”

One of the highlights of the summer for the Molitor family was the 68-pitch, 2-0 shutout tossed by Rowan in a regional tournament.

“For the first time in over 15 years, we sent competitive teams in both baseball and softball to compete in district tournaments, state tournaments, and we hosted the Babe Ruth 10-year-old Southeast Regional,” Molitor said. “Our team was highly competitive going 2-1 for the tournament in pool play. My middle child, Rowan, competed on that team and pitched the shutout over the eventual runners-up.

“Unfortunately, we did not make the final elimination competition due to tie breakers. This was all of my last week so it is still fresh on my mind, and I am so proud of our team. My heart is dedicated to this recreational baseball league.”

While Molitor has provided a positive influence on many of the youngsters in Varina Youth Sports, he left no doubt about who made the biggest impact on his athletic career.

“My father,” Molitor said. “He always believed in our ability. He was not an easy man, as many know, but he loved both me and my brother Scott, who was also inducted into the QV Hall of Fame as an athlete. Scott was the starting point guard for the 1997 WPIAL championship team, and he was also an all-conference selection in football.

“My big brother Scooter will dispute this, but he never beat me in one-on-one basketball.”

Molitor went on to play football for one season at Case Western Reserve.

He led the squad in yards per carry as a freshman running back and landed honorable mention all-conference status as the Spartans’ kick returner.

Molitor still holds the school record for kickoff return average.

Tags: Quaker Valley