NFL greats Russ Grimm, Ty Law, Olympian Spencer Lee headline 2025 WPIAL Hall of Fame class

By: Chris Harlan
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 | 10:56 AM

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It’s no surprise that Southmoreland’s Russ Grimm was a good high school football player, but the position he played might astound some.

Enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as one of the NFL’s greatest offensive linemen, Grimm played running back as a sophomore and junior and was the quarterback his senior year. But don’t get the wrong idea that somehow his toughness developed later in life.

“I played with a neck roll and a full cage,” said Grimm, who doubled as an all-state middle linebacker.

The school named its football stadium after Grimm in 2006, and he was enshrined in Canton, Ohio, four years later as one of the Washington Redskins’ famed Hogs. But long before his professional days, his storied athletics career started at Southmoreland, where he excelled in football, basketball and track and field, earning him enshrinement this spring in the WPIAL Hall of Fame.

Grimm was part of a 2025 class announced Wednesday at the Sen. John Heinz History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum. And he wasn’t the only inductee who already has a bust in Canton.

Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Ty Law of Aliquippa was chosen this year as well, headlining a 15-person class that also features recent Olympic wrestling silver medalist Spencer Lee of Franklin Regional.

The class includes fellow athletes Charel Allen (girls basketball) of Monessen, Ron Semkiw (track and field) of Baldwin, Brooke Stewart (girls basketball) of East Allegheny and Rodney Wilson (football, wrestling and track) of West Greene; coaches Dori Oldaker (girls basketball) of Blackhawk and Mt. Lebanon and Rick Saccani (tennis) of Upper St. Clair; heritage honoree Trilby Busch (rifle) of Munhall; official Rick Locaitis; and WPIAL contributor Terry Kushner.

Two teams selected for induction are the 1984 Seton LaSalle girls basketball team and the 2012 North Allegheny football team.

Hampton’s Aiden Hanna receives the Courage Award.

The WPIAL will induct the group at a banquet June 6 at the DoubleTree in Green Tree. This is the 18th class inducted into the hall.

Grimm, a 1977 Southmoreland graduate, went 22-2 in two seasons as Pitt’s starting center and later won three Super Bowls playing guard for Washington (1983, ’88 and ’92). At Pitt, he won Fiesta and Gator bowls. His high school teams weren’t nearly as successful, but the 65-year-old said he holds fond memories of those Southmoreland days.

“We only had 25 or 26 guys on the team, but they were all try-hard guys,” he said. “We weren’t very good. We only won three games my senior year, but I still remember those guys all the time.”

The Scotties’ football coach was John Bacha, who moved Grimm to quarterback.

“He was the best athlete we had,” Bacha told TribLive in 2006. “He was big, could throw the ball and run well. I can still remember him scoring his first touchdown for us as a sophomore halfback against Mt. Pleasant.”

A multi-sport athlete, Grimm was a leading scorer on the basketball team and averaged 18 points as a junior. He once scored 42 in a single game and finished with 1,219 career points. In the spring, he was a thrower for the track and field team.

As a high school senior, football rosters listed him at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. What if someone then had told Grimm he’d someday be a hall of fame lineman?

“I would’ve said, ‘No way,’” he said.

His eventual shift to the offensive line really wasn’t by choice. He was recruited to Pitt as a linebacker and played defense as a sophomore before one fateful meeting with coach Jackie Sherrill, who’d lost offensive linemen to graduation.

“He said, ‘We think you can play center,’” Grimm recalled. “I said, ‘Coach, I’ve never been in a three-point stance in my life. I think I’ll stay at linebacker.’ He looked up at me and said, ‘I’m not asking.’”

The athleticism that let him play quarterback at Southmoreland surely helped him become an elite blocker later on. But first, he had to look more like a lineman.

“That was the best summer I had,” Grimm said with a laugh. “I was eating pizza and drinking beer, trying to put on weight. I was 242 when they told me I was moving to offensive line. I came back in the fall at 272.”

Grimm later played 11 NFL seasons, all with Washington. He was voted All-Pro four times and was a member of the league’s 1980s All-Decade Team.

After retirement, Grimm worked 26 years as an assistant coach with Washington, Pittsburgh, Arizona and Tennessee. He won a fourth Super Bowl as the Steelers’ offensive line coach in 2006.

Grimm retired from coaching in 2017. Nowadays, he lives near Seven Springs.

“I’ve got a house on top of the mountain and 11 acres,” he said. “Nobody bothers me. I hunt and fish and relax. I’m good.”

2025 WPIAL Hall of Fame

Charel Allen (Athlete) – Helped lead Monessen to a 100-19 record and the 2004 WPIAL and PIAA Class A girls basketball championships. … Earned four Street & Smith All-America honorable mention nods and three All-State plaudits from 2002-04. … Named Associated Press Pennsylvania Class A Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004. … Averaged 26.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 5.1 steals per game for the Greyhounds as a senior. … Scored 39 points in the 2001 WPIAL Class A championship game as a freshman. … Finished high school career with 3,110 points and 1,247 rebounds, and is one of three WPIAL student-athletes to eclipse 3,000 points in girls’ basketball. … Rated the No. 27 overall prospect by Blue Star Index coming out of Monessen and continued her career at the Notre Dame. … Became the first player in Notre Dame history to record 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists and 200 steals, and earned two All-America honorable mention nods in 2007 and 2008. … Selected in the third round (43rd overall) of the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Sacramento Monarchs. … Enjoyed 10-year professional career in WNBA, Turkey, Bulgaria and Israel, and won five Bulgarian Cup titles in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016. … Currently is an assistant coach with the Notre Dame women’s basketball team.

Trilby Busch (Heritage) – Four-year member of the Munhall rifle team from 1958-61. … Helped lead Munhall to three WPIAL, two state and two national championships. … Part of the Munhall team that won its 14th WPIAL title in 1960 with a perfect score of 1,000. … Posted a perfect score against Doylestown with female teammates Dottie Darsie, Nancy Wilson, Mary Ann Gruen, Barbara Cerra, Christie Harman and Bronwyn Evans to win Munhall’s 14th state title. … Recorded a perfect 100-10x score in the 1960 NRA National Postal Competition. … Named top shooter in the country as a senior in 1961. … Earned runner-up honors at the National Council of Teachers of English’s Annual Achievement Awards Competition as a senior. … Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from William & Mary, and a master’s and doctorate from Ohio. … Currently featured in the sports section of the Heinz History Center’s major exhibition, A Woman’s Place.

Russ Grimm (Athlete) – Earned nine varsity letters at Southmoreland between football, basketball and track and field. … Served as the Scotties quarterback, linebacker and punter, and the school’s football field is named in his honor. … Played football collegiately at Pitt, originally starting as a linebacker before moving to offensive line after his sophomore year. … Started at center for the 1979 and 1980 Panthers teams that went a combined 22-2 and won the Fiesta and Gator bowls. … Picked in the third round (69th overall) of the 1981 NFL Draft by Washington. … Served as a founding member of Washington’s renowned “Hogs” offensive line with Jeff Bostic, Mark May, George Starke and Joe Jacoby, and won three Super Bowls with the team in 1983, 1988 and 1992. … Played 11 seasons in the NFL, earning four Pro Bowl and four All-Pro selections, and was named to the 1980s All-Decade Team. … Spent 26 seasons as an assistant coach with Washington, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans, primarily coaching offensive linemen. … Won his fourth Super Bowl in 2006 as Steelers offensive line coach. … Inducted into many Halls of Fame, including Western Pennsylvania Sports (1999), Pro Football (2010), Pitt Athletics (2022) and Pennsylvania Sports (2023).

Aiden Hanna (Courage) – Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his leg in the summer of 2022, spreading to his other leg in fall of 2023, and returned to his original leg in summer of 2024. … Had three total surgeries in both of his legs to combat the cancer and chemotherapy. … Started his own foundation called Aiden’s Helping Hands, which has held fundraising events to assist with cancer research and offers help to families who have children with cancer. … Played golf and baseball at Hampton and is a member of National Honor Society and Student-Athlete Advisory Council. … Named Most Positive Boys Golf Athlete in Western Pennsylvania in 2023.

Terry Kushner (Contributor) – Serves on the WPIAL Hall of Fame and James Collins Scholarship steering committees. … Spent 10 years as a member of the WPIAL Board of Directors and 11 years on the WPIAL football steering committee. … Worked as a teacher, coach and administrator in the Peters Township, Trinity and Baldwin-Whitehall school districts before becoming the associate high school principal at Upper St. Clair in 1986. … Held the high school principal, assistant superintendent and acting superintendent positions at Upper St. Clair until his retirement in 2009. … Began his career in education in 1969 as a mathematics teacher and football coach at Moon High School. … Named Washington County Football Coach of the Year in 1980 at Peters Township. … Earned the National Football Foundation (NFF) Pittsburgh Chapter Scholar-Athlete Award in 1964 as a football player at Clairton. … Won two letters as the starting center of the Colgate football team in 1967-68. … Currently works as an adjunct professor at Chatham, Carlow and Waynesburg and is co-chair of the Teacher Leadership Academy.

Ty Law (Athlete) – Played cornerback, safety, wide receiver and running back for Aliquippa, helping guide the Quips to the WPIAL and PIAA Class 2A championships in 1991. … Named to the Parade Magazine High School All-America team in 1991 and was a Pennsylvania Big 33 All-Star. … Received the Ron Vincich Underclassman Award in 1990. … Collected Team MVP honors with the Aliquippa basketball team. … Played football collegiately at the Michigan, becoming the first true freshman to start in 1992. … Garnered Walter Camp All-America First Team accolades in 1994 and two All-Big Ten First Team nods. … Picked in the first round (23rd overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. … Enjoyed 15 seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Patriots, and also played for the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. … Won three Super Bowls in 2002, 2004 and 2005 and was named to five Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams. … Led the NFL in interceptions in 1998 and 2005 and finished with 53 in his career. … Inducted into the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

Spencer Lee (Athlete) – Posted a 144-1 career record at Franklin Regional, winning four WPIAL titles and three PIAA gold medals at the 113 and 120 weight classes. … Ranked as the No. 1 wrestler in the country all four of his high school years at his weight class. … Won the U17 world championship in 2014, and U20 world championship in 2015 and 2016 at the 50kg weight class. … Competed collegiately at Iowa, finishing with a 95-6 career record, three Big Ten titles in 2020, 2021 and 2023, and three NCAA championships in 2018, 2019 and 2021 at the 125 weight class. … Earned the James E. Sullivan Award in 2019 for most outstanding athlete at the collegiate or Olympic level in the United States. … Received the Dan Hodge Trophy in 2020 and 2021 for top college wrestler, becoming one of six multi-time winners of the award. … Captured gold medals at the 2019 and 2023 U.S. Senior Nationals and 2024 Pan American Championships at the 57kg weight class. … Brought home the silver medal at 57kg from the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.

Rick Locaitis (Official) – Long-time PIAA official in football, basketball, baseball, soccer, softball and volleyball. … Recognized for 50 years of service by the PIAA. … Member of the West Penn Basketball Officials Association for 50 years and was its past president, and the Tri-State Officials Association for 30 years. … Officiated three PIAA basketball championship games, two PIAA baseball championship games and one PIAA football championship game, as well as numerous WPIAL championship games in basketball, baseball and football. … Worked numerous basketball and football games at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels. … Spent 16 seasons as head coach of North Hills baseball, and has coached basketball at North Hills, Serra Catholic and South Side Catholic. … Retired from North Hills School District after 35 years of service as a teacher and guidance counselor. … Remains an active PIAA official in baseball, basketball, football and soccer for the WPIAL.

Dori Oldaker (Coach) – Compiled a 495-139 coaching record with the Blackhawk and Mt. Lebanon girls basketball programs. … Led Mt. Lebanon to four WPIAL and three PIAA championships, and Blackhawk to two WPIAL and two PIAA titles. … Guided the 2009 Blue Devils to a sweep of the Class 4A WPIAL and PIAA trophies, finishing with a 29-2 record and a No. 7 national ranking by USA Today. … Named Associated Press Big School Coach of the Year on five occasions, in 1999, 2000, 2008, 2009 and 2010. … Earned Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year accolades in 2001 and was a nominee in 2010. … Captured the WPIAL Class 4A Coach of the Year and Johnny Unitas Sportsmanship Coach of the Year plaudits in 2005. … Served as a coach for the USA Basketball national team trials for the U16 trials in 2011 and the U17 and U18 trials in 2012. … Played basketball, golf, softball and track and field at Blackhawk and was the 1986 Beaver County Co-Athlete of the Year. … Inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Girls Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. … Currently serves as a second grade teacher at Washington Elementary School in the Mt. Lebanon School District, holding that position since 2003.

Rich Saccani (Coach) – Started the Upper St. Clair boys tennis program, compiling a 404-43 coaching record in 24 seasons with nine section titles and six WPIAL team championships (1971, 1975, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1990). … Coached two WPIAL singles champions (1981, 1982) and the 1982 PIAA singles winner, Martin Sieckmann. … Guided four WPIAL doubles champions (1975, 1976, 1985, 1986) and two PIAA doubles winners (1986, 1987). … Posted five undefeated seasons. … Named Coach of the Year by the Allegheny Mountain Tennis Association and Middle States Tennis Association in 1980. … Claimed the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Coaches Award in 1975. … Saw 29 of his student-athletes go on to play at the NCAA Division I level and six play on the National Amateur Tour. … Taught mathematics and engineering at Upper St. Clair from 1966 to 2001. … Coached his collegiate alma mater, Cal (Pa.), from 1990-93, compiling a record of 58-4 with two PSAC championships and a runner-up finish. … Named PSAC Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1993. … Guided the 1991 Cal team to the No. 1 national ranking. … Retired from Cal with a 51-match winning streak, which was highlighted in 2001 during the PSAC’s 50th anniversary as one of the greatest moments in conference history.

Ron Semkiw (Athlete) – Held WPIAL record for shot put for 44 years, tossing a throw of 70 feet, 1¾ inches at the 1972 WPIAL championships. … Claimed the PIAA championship meet record in shot put for 33 years with his 1972 toss of 66-5½. … Captured three PIAA titles in shot put. … Earned the 1973 AAU national junior championship in shot put with a throw of 64-1¼, winning by more than five feet. … Became the first member of the 70/70 club at 19 years old with a throw of 70-0½, claiming distances of at least 70 feet with both 12 and 16-pound shots. … Competed collegiately at Arizona State, Mesa Community College and San Jose State. … Owns the NJCAA shot put record with a toss of 70-5 in 1974 and captured the title that year. … Collected top-five NCAA Championships finishes in the shot put in 1973 (fifth, 63-3), 1976 (second, 64-2), and 1977 (fourth, 62-1). … Ranks second all-time at San Jose State in outdoor and indoor shot put, tossing respective marks of 65-9 and 62-9 in 1976.

Brooke Stewart (Athlete) – Scored 3,055 career points in her career at East Allegheny, serving as one of three WPIAL student-athletes to eclipse the 3,000-point mark in girls basketball. … Led the Wildcats to the 1999 WPIAL Class 2A title and PIAA semifinals, which is the school’s only championship in the sport. … Tallied a career-high 56 points as a sophomore, which is a WPIAL postseason record. … Captured numerous accolades, including Pennsylvania Coaches Association Class 2A Player of the Year, USA Today Pennsylvania Honorable Mention Player of the Year, and Street & Smith High School All-American Honorable Mention. … Paced the WPIAL in scoring as a sophomore with 31.5 points per game. … Had her No. 5 jersey retired at East Allegheny. … Played college basketball at Pitt, serving as a three-year starter with 1,114 points in 111 career games. … Inducted into the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Women’s Hall of Fame in 2022.

Rodney Wilson (Athlete) – Won 12 letters for West Greene in football, wrestling and track and field. … Named all-state twice in 1992 and 1993 for football. … Was a Big 33 nominee in 1993. … Claimed two Greene County Messenger Player of the Year awards in 1992 and 1993 and was the 1993 Dapper Dan Class A Football Player of the Year. … Finished high school football career as WPIAL all-time leading rusher, compiling 6,304 rushing yards and 75 touchdowns. … Helped lead the Pioneers to the 1993 WPIAL Class A championship game, the program’s only appearance to date. … Captured WPIAL wrestling gold in 1992 and 1993 at the 171 weight class and won the 1992 PIAA Southwest Regional. … Finished with a career wrestling record of 106-25-1. … Won the 1994 WPIAL Class 2A team wrestling title with West Greene and the 1993 PIAA Southwest Regional team crown. … Played football collegiately at Slippery Rock, earning four letters and a pair of All-PSAC selections. … Made the 1997 NCAA Division II quarterfinals after winning the PSAC title with Slippery Rock. … Currently works as the vice president of business development for CNX Resources, Inc.

1984 Seton LaSalle Girls’ Basketball (Team) – Led by the late Ben Hartman, Seton LaSalle finished the season with a 35-1 overall record, capturing the WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A championships despite having an enrollment two classifications below. … Topped Strath Haven, 55-53, for the school’s first PIAA title in any sport. … Defeated Beaver Falls, 71-59, to win the first WPIAL Class 4A title and successfully defend its 1983 WPIAL championship. … Boasted three 1,000-point scorers in Suzie McConnell, Kathy McConnell and Lisa Heuer. … Saw four student-athletes play basketball collegiately and a fifth compete in track and field. … Had a Parade Magazine All-American in Suzie McConnell, who went on to enjoy an All-America career at Penn State and an All-WNBA professional career, captured a pair of Olympic medals with gold in 1988 and bronze in 1992, and was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. … Produced another NCAA Division I basketball player in Kathy McConnell, who played in four NCAA Tournaments at Virginia, including two Sweet 16 appearances and one Elite Eight. … Did not have a player on the team taller than 5-foot-7.

2012 North Allegheny Football (Team) – Finished the campaign with a perfect 16-0 mark, winning the WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A championships. … Ranked No. 4 in the country according to MaxPreps. … Became just the third team in WPIAL history to win three consecutive titles at the largest classification and remains the last to do so. … Outscored its opponents 671-140 and went over the 42-point mark in 11 games, including all three PIAA postseason contests. … Topped Woodland Hills, 21-14, for the WPIAL title and held current NFL running back Miles Sanders to 15 second-half yards on 13 carries. … Bested McDowell in the PIAA quarterfinals, 56-6, and held another current NFL running back in James Conner to 36 rushing yards for the game. … Defeated Coatesville, 63-28, in the PIAA championship game, with the 63 points scored the most ever in a PIAA championship game at the time. … Coach Art Walker was named the National Sports News Service National Coach of the Year. … Boasted six all-state selections, including Mack Leftwich, Greg Garrity, Patrick Kugler, Zach Lyon, Brendan Coniker and Jeremy Gonzales. … Leftwich, the quarterback, was named Pennsylvania Sports Writers’ Class 4A Player of the Year after throwing for over 3,000 yards and 45 touchdowns, and later became a two-time Broyles Award nominee at Texas State, which is given to the best assistant coach in college football. … Kugler, an offensive lineman, went to the Michigan.

Note: Bios provided by the WPIAL

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Aliquippa, Baldwin, Blackhawk, East Allegheny, Franklin Regional, Hampton, Monessen, Mt. lebanon, North Allegheny, Seton La Salle, Southmoreland, Upper St. Clair, West Greene