Jones to speak at induction of 1st MC Sports HOF class

BURNHAM — The “Voice of Penn State Nittany Lions” football for the past 21 years, Steve Jones, will be the guest speaker at the inaugural induction ceremony of the recently formed Mifflin County Sports Hall of Fame, scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 19, at the Birch Hill Event Center in Burnham.


Tickets are on sale now to the general public and charter Hall of Fame members who have not yet made their purchases.

A 1980 graduate of Penn State, Jones’ broadcasting career for the Nittany Lions began in 1982 with the Penn State men’s basketball team as Jones provided play-by-play for more than 1,000 games since that time. When legendary broadcaster Fran Fisher retired from duties as play-by-play announcer for Penn State football in 2000, Jones was the natural choice to step into that role — adding 250 games to his game coverage in that sport, working side-by-side with color analyst former Steeler great Jack Ham. Jones also assists Joe Putnam as the play-by-play announcer for the State College Spikes baseball team.

Jones’ appearance locally will coincide with induction of the first class of the Mifflin County Sports Hall of Fame, which will enshrine the names of the New York Jets Ralph Baker, world renown racquetball player Cindy Baxter, former pro football lineman Dave Bradley, the late broadcaster Fran Fisher, former professional baseball catcher and long-time scout Tim Thompson, and famed Lewistown Football Coach Alex Ufema.

In the team category, the Lewistown Girls’ basketball teams — state Class 3A champions from 1997 and 1998 — will be honored jointly. Several of the players involved played both years for Coach Kevin Kodish.

The event will begin at 4 p.m. with a catered social hour with heavy hors d’oeuvres included. A cash bar will also be available.

Tickets for the general public are $40. For charter members of the HOF, tickets are $30. They can be purchased by submitting a check in the appropriate amount to: Mifflin County Sports Hall of Fame, P.O. Box 989, Lewistown, PA 17044. Tickets may also be purchased electronically through eventbrite.com. The event number must be included: 166826238771. There is a slight handling fee for using the website for tickets.

Those interested should note that seating is limited, so do not delay in placing your order. No paper tickets will be needed at the door — a registration list will be used at that time.

Formed last year, the Mifflin County Sports Hall of Fame is open to all persons with an interest in sports — especially at the local level –with a goal of perpetuating the memory of area residents who have excelled on the playing field or through some other connection to sports. The members annually select those to be inducted into the local Hall of Fame. Supporting memberships for the HOF are $25 annually and may be submitted to the mailing address listed above.

It is hoped that at some point a physical location will be available to house an already large collection of sports memorabilia. A hall of fame website will also soon be launched.