Hall of Fame - 2004
Raymond Clapperton '47
Football, Basketball, Baseball
A three-sport athlete, he enjoyed a prolific athletic career that included earning nine varsity letters over the course of seven years. He came to College Hill and earned a pair of varsity monograms in football before an injury curtailed his gridiron career. He earned four letters on the basketball court and was the team captain of the Juniata squad for his senior season. He added three letters in baseball and was the captain of the baseball team as a senior. After two years on College Hill he joined the Army and flew 35 missions as a nose gunner in a B-24 Bomber in World War II. He returned to College Hill and competed in his final two years as a basketball and baseball player. In both 1941 and 1942 he was the single-game and season-high scorer on the hardwood. On the baseball diamond he led the team in runs scored and stolen bases in all three of his seasons. He paced the team in both categories as a senior while posting a .327 batting average. He continued his contributions in athletics following his graduation from Juniata, serving as a coach for numerous high school programs.
Nicole Firestone '94
Women's Volleybal
A four-year letter winner in volleyball, she ranks as one of the most productive hitters in school history. A major contributor beginning as a freshman, she ranks first all-time in career kills at Juniata with 2,021. That total ranks her 15th in NCAA Division III history in career kills at the time of her induction. She also holds the Juniata record for kills in a match when she pounded out an astonishing 46 kills in a match against Wisconsin-Whitewater. The 46 kills was also an NCAA Division III women’s volleyball record for kills in a match, a record that stood until 1996. She also holds the 20th highest single-match kill total in NCAA history with a 41-kill performance in just four games against UC San Diego. She holds two of the top-10 single-season-kill campaigns in school history, posting 618 kills as a senior, and 522 as a freshman. She was named an American Volleyball Coaches Association and ASICS first-team All-American following her senior season when she helped Juniata to a 36-3 record and a national runner-up finish. She was selected for the NCAA All-Tournament Team as a senior and also captured All-Conference honors following her junior and senior seasons. Juniata posted an impressive 164-25 record during her four seasons with the program, and advanced to the NCAA semifinals three times.
Cecil Jackson '51
Football, Track and Field, Special Friend
A player and a coach on College Hill, he was a big part of the Juniata and Huntingdon community since graduating from the College in 1951. He was a two-year member of the Juniata football team, and then served as an assistant coach in his final season. As a sophomore tackle he was an honorable mention All-State choice on the gridiron. Then as a junior he became the first Juniata footballer to earn Little All-America honors as he was selected for the third team. He was a key component of the football teams that began Juniata’s post-war turnaround towards the dominant teams of the 1950s. He also earned a pair of letters as a member of the Juniata track and field teams. Following graduation, he became a staple of the local sports community as both a coach and a friend. He served for more than two decades as the head track and field coach at Huntingdon High School and also worked as an assistant coach for the Bearcat football and wrestling squads. In 1976 he became the director of athletics for Huntingdon High School, a post he would hold until 1986. He continued to support Juniata athletics throughout his life including seeing his son, Steve, serve as an assistant coach for the Juniata football squad. Another son, Stu, was an All-Conference lineman for the Juniata football team, while a third son, Tim, competed as a wrestler on College Hill. He was inducted into the Huntingdon County Sports Hall of Fame in 1999, a member of the second class to be chosen for the distinguished honor.
Mark Knaub '93
Men's Volleyball
He was a standout setter and leader for the Juniata men’s volleyball program in its early years of varsity competition. He helped Juniata earn a Middle Atlantic Conference Championship in 1990, and then back-to-back Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Division III titles in 1992 and in 1993 when he was named the tournament most valuable player. He became the first Juniata volleyball player selected for the EIVA All-East Team (consisting of Division I, II and III student-athletes) when he earned second-squad honors following his senior season. He captured first-team EIVA Division III All-Star status as a junior and senior, the first Juniata men’s volleyball competitor to earn the honor twice. Through the 2004 season he still ranked first in Juniata history in career assists with 4,767. He is also second in the Juniata annals in career service aces with 114. He also added 295 blocks for his career—the sixth-highest total in College Hill annals at the time of his induction. His senior season total of 1,884 assists ranks him first in school history in assists for a campaign, and he averaged more than 15 assists per game in that senior year. He also helped Juniata to one of the biggest wins in the program’s history when they knocked off 14th-ranked Ohio State in a five-game battle during his senior season.
William Scott '36
Football, Basketball, Baseball, Track and Field
He was a jack-of-all-trades athlete during his four years at Juniata. He earned an astonishing 13 varsity letters as a competitor on College Hill, including four apiece in football and baseball. He added three varsity monograms as a basketball player and two more as a track athlete. His greatest accomplishments came in football, moving into the starting lineup as a sophomore and playing every minute of every football contest during that season. He would be a regular on both offense and defense for the rest of his career, earning the nickname the “Iron Man” by the coaching staff. He was a captain of the football team his senior season. He became a regular starter on the basketball court as a sophomore and remained a starter for the rest of his career. A versatile performer, he was capable of playing each of the five positions on the floor. In baseball he saw time as an outfielder and pitcher. His top season came as a sophomore when he batted .408 with 20 hits in 49 at-bats, while also recording a 2-0 record as a pitcher. He also found time to compete as a track athlete on days when he wasn’t playing baseball. He competed in the discus and shot put events for the Juniata track team.
Championship Participants (2007-08)
Championship Participants (2007-08)