Four Vulcans, Retired Coach to Enter Hall of Fame

Dec 13, 2019

The inductees will be honored May 2 at the Bow Ties and Pearls Ball.

  • - Jim Snyder, Class of 1985.

  • - Terrence Johnson, Class of 2009.

  • - John Luckhardt, retired coach.

  • - Sam DiMatteo, Class of 2010.

  • - Renata Silva Gray, Classes of 2010 and 2011.

Four former Vulcans standouts and a retired coach will comprise California University of Pennsylvania’s 24th Athletic Hall of Fame class.

The 2020 inductees are former baseball outfielder Sam DiMatteo, Class of 2010; football cornerback Terrence Johnson, Class of 2009; football coach John Luckhardt; volleyball setter Renata Silva Gray, Classes of 2010 and 2011; and football safety Jim Snyder, Class of 1985. 

The 2020 Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized at California University of Pennsylvania’s signature fundraiser, the Bow Ties & Pearls Ball, set for May 2 in the Cal U Convocation Center. 

The event is open to the public; proceeds benefit scholarships for Cal U students and alumni recognition projects on campus. Ticket prices and more information will be available online at calu.edu/bowtiesball. 

DiMatteo (Center, Pa./Center High School) earned multiple All-American honors his final two seasons and was a three-time all-conference outfielder who played for the baseball team from 2007 through 2010. 

He helped the Vulcans win the 2010 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship and was named the conference tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He still owns the PSAC career record with 115 stolen bases and also held career school records with 223 hits (now second), 50 doubles (second) and 175 runs scored (tied first). 

DiMatteo finished with a .375 career batting average, and his 31 home runs and 161 RBI ranks second and third in school history, respectively. 

Johnson (Braddock, Pa./Woodland Hills High School), a cornerback, earned multiple All-American accolades his final two years and was a three-time all-conference selection from 2006 through 2009. 

He led the Vulcans in interceptions in each of his four seasons and finished with 16 career picks, the most in recent school history.  

He helped the Vulcans compile a 44-10 cumulative record with four straight PSAC-West titles and three straight appearances in the NCAA Division II national semifinals.

Luckhardt (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley High School) served as the football team’s head coach from 2002 through 2011. 

He is Cal U’s winningest coach in program history with an 88-33 cumulative record and .727 winning percentage. 

Luckhardt concluded his Cal U coaching career by guiding the Vulcans to five consecutive seasons of double-digit victories and the program’s first five NCAA Division II playoff appearances, which included three straight trips to the national semifinals. Cal U won or shared the PSAC-West title each of his final seven seasons.

Silva Gray (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Ateneu) received multiple All-American honors each of her final three seasons and was a four-time all-conference setter for the women’s volleyball team from 2006 through 2009. 

She holds the all-time school record and ranks fifth in PSAC history with 5,507 assists. Silva also ranks third in school history with 497 sets and her 126 career service aces still ranks 10th

The 2008 and 2009 PSAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, she helped Cal U compile a 111-12 cumulative record and 41-0 conference mark over her final three seasons with three straight PSAC and NCAA Atlantic Regional titles. In 2009 she became the volleyball program’s first Academic All-American.

Snyder (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Boyle High School) was a three-year starting defensive back from 1981 through 1984. 

He was a two-time, first-team all-conference safety and earned Associated Press All-American honors his senior season. Over his last three seasons Snyder posted 220 career tackles (108 solo) with 14 interceptions, 23 pass break-ups, six sacks and four fumble recoveries.

During that 1984 season Snyder, a co-captain, helped the Vulcans win their first PSAC championship in 16 years and compiled the team’s most single-season victories, eight, since 1958.