The Sports 'Burger's Top 30 Sports Stories of 2012
1. The trial and conviction of Jerry Sandusky on 45 of 48 counts related to the sexual abuse of ten victims over a 15-year period and subsequent sentencing of at least 30 years behind bars
2. On the heels of a tumultous end to his coaching career, Joe Paterno passed away at 85 after experiencing serious complications from lung-cancer treatment
3. The hiring of Bill O'Brien as the Nittany Lions head football coach and subsequent success of the team behind sensational senior seasons by Michael Mauti, Matt McGloin, and Jordan Hill
4. Behind a roster filled with former Senators like Stephen Strasburg, Ian Desmond, Bryce Harper, and Ross Detwiler, the Washington Nationals won the NL East and played their first playoff game since 1933
5. The return of professional indoor soccer to the area as the latest incarnation of the Heat took the field behind former player and coach Richard Chinapoo
6. The formation of the Hershey Bears Hockey Club Hall of Fame and first class of inductees including Willie Marshall, Mike Nykoluk, Ralph Keller, Arthur Fausnacht, Lloyd S. Blinco, John B. Sollenberger, and Frank Mathers
7. The Central Penn Piranha won their third national championship with a 49-14 victory over the South Buffalo Celtics in the GDFL Championship
8. York's Chris Doleman was one of five former players inducted into this year's class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
9. Adam Breneman's eventful year including tearing his ACL, committing to Penn State and standing behind that decision, and raising over $160,000 for Project A.L.S.
10. Behind Baseball America's Independent Leagues Player of the Year Blake Gailen, the Lancaster Barnstormers set the Atlantic League regular season record for victories with 87 before falling to Long Island in the finals
11. The Bears took to the ice outdoors at Citizens Bank Park to face the Adirondack Phantoms as part of the Winter Classic week and surrendered a late lead and ultimately fell 4-3 in overtime
12. Lebanon native Jamie Gray brought home a gold medal and set an Olympic record in the women's 50m three-position rifle shooting at the London summer Games
13. Behind the individual titles and undefeated seasons of Ed Ruth, Frank Molinaro, and David Taylor, the Penn State wrestling squad repeated as National Champions
14. Tempering an uneven USL season, the City Islanders pulled off upsets of two MLS clubs (New England Revolution and New York Red Bulls) to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open Cup
15. The retirement of Revs' manager Andy Etchebarren after a 51-year career in uniform as player and coach
16. Former CD standout Alyssa Thomas was named the ACC Player of the Year, MVP of the ACC Tournament, and AP first Team All-American]
17. Led by the AIF's Offensive Player of the Year E.J. Nemeth, the Harrisburg Stampede advanced to the Eastern Division championship before falling to the Cape Fear Heroes
18. Behind a 7-1 regular season, the Keystone Assault made their first-ever playoff appearance after claiming their division title
19. After an illustrious eight-year professional career with the City Islanders, Dustin Bixler retired following the 2012 campaign
20. Lancaster native Andrew Wenger was selected as the #1 overall pick by the Montreal Impact in the MLS SuperDraft
21. CD alum Ryan Whiting shot putted the best two throws of his life to take home the gold medal at the World Indoor Championships in Turkey
22. Harrisburg resident Mike Jenkins can claim the title of World's Strongest Man as he was crowned champion of the 2012 Arnold Strongman Classic
23. Bishop McDevitt's Noah Spence was named the Maxwell Club's HS Player of the Year and was chosen as part of the 2012 Parade All-America Football team
24. The Penn State women's soccer squad won their 15th straight Big Ten title and ventured further than any team in program history as they reached the National Championship game
25. Messiah's reign as a soccer hotbed continued as both men's and women's teams brought home DIII national championships
26. Pennsylvania will now square off against Maryland for the next five years in the Big 33
27. Chris Rahl took top honors at the craziness that was the Eastern League Home Run Derby during the All-Star festivities in Reading
28. Stampede Head Coach Bernie Nowotarski's valiant and courageous fight against stage 2 multiple myeloma
29. The Penn State Board of Trustees approved the 6,000-seat, $89M Pegula Ice Arena and construction on the ice hockey facilities began in February
30. The retirement of some area coaching legends: Elizabethtown's Yvonne Kauffman after 42 seasons coaching women's basketball, field hockey, and women's tennis, York College's Jeff Gamber after 35 seasons at the helm of the men's basketball program, and Tom Kessler after 21 seasons as the wrestling coach of the Spartans
• York was awarded an expansion franchise in the AIF league and will begin play this spring as the Capitals
• Lemoyne native and former Phillies' announcer Andy Musser passed away at the age of 74
• York College's standout soccer goalie Melanie Glessner was named to the D3soccer.com All-American team and the Capital One Academic All-America Team
• The Penn State basketball program was dealt a devastating blow when preseason Big Ten selection Tim Frazier went down with a season-ending ruptured left Achilles tendon
• Former McDevitt and LVC star Andy Panko led the league in scoring and was named the regular season MVP of the Spanish ACB League
• Senators outfielder Brian Goodwin shined in the AFL Rising Stars Game with a leadoff home run and a double as he led his East squad to a 9-4 victory
• Harrisburg native Phil Davis was handed his first professional loss by Rashad Evans in the headliner of a UFC on FOX event
• Andy Linker's excellent book One Patch of Grass chronicling the history of baseball on City Island was released
• Probably the greatest two weeks of Keith Aucoin's life as he was recalled to the Capitals for the remainder of the season and his wife gave birth to their first child, Brayden
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: Jerry Sandusky Penn State Bill O'Brien Michael Mauti Matt McGloin Jordan Hill Joe Paterno Stephen Strasburg Ross Detwiler Ian Desmond Bryce Harper Washington Nationals Harrisburg Heat Richard Chinapoo Hershey Bears Hall of Fame Willie Marshall Mike Nykoluk Ralph Keller Arthur Fausnacht Lloyd Blinco John Sollenberger Frank Mathers Central Penn Piranha Chris Doleman Adam Breneman Blake Gailen Lancaster Barnstormers Hershey Bears Winter Classic Jamie Gray Ed Ruth Frank Molinaro David Taylor Penn State Wrestling Harrisburg City Islanders US Open Cup Andy Etchebarren Alyssa Thomas E.J. Nemeth Harrisburg Stampede Keystone Assault Dustin Bixler Andrew Wenger Ryan Whiting
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