ARCHIBALD

Lyman Walker Archibald was born on July 3, 1868, at Pleasant Valley, Colchester County, Nova Scotia, Canada, and was one of five children.

Lyman’s father, and generations before him, were farmers and lumberjacks in the winter upon the family’s arrival from Ireland. Archibald left school at 16 years old and spent two years farming before he became a clerk at a large general county store. He then left Canada, moving to Rhode Island where he farmed for six months, before learning the machinist trade. After three years in this business, he returned to Nova Scotia and took up a position with the branch of the YMCA there. He was offered the position of general secretary in a small town, but refused due to his concern that he was not prepared for the position. However, at the urging of his boss at the YMCA, he agreed to attend the International YMCA Training School, now Springfield College, in Springfield, Massachusetts to prepare himself for the position. While at the school, Archibald distinguished himself as an excellent athlete. He played alongside his instructor, James Naismith, and William Morgan, inventor of volleyball, on the football team’s offensive line under the tutelage of coach Amos Alonzo Stagg, considered by many as the father of modern football.

Archibald’s athletic prowess was not limited to football. Archibald was not only a participant in the first basketball game but he also played in one of the first games open to the public, until recently, regarded as the first public game ever played. Upon graduation from the International YMCA Training School in 1893, Archibald became general secretary at the St. Stephen, New Brunswick, YMCA in Canada. Archibald took the invention of basketball with him to St. Stephen, as several other original players brought the sport to different areas in Canada. This would spark a successful 27-year career serving as general secretary and physical director for various branches of the association, predominantly in Canada. A member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Mr. Archibald “on December 12, 1946 was honored before a crowd of 18,000 in Madison Square Garden, New York City. The occasion was the celebration of the 55th anniversary of basketball. He alone of the original team was able to attend. At the time of the golden jubilee in 1941, he was honored at the celebration which launched the Naismith Memorial and the Hall of Fame planned to commemorate the origin of the game.” (Warren Times- Observer, 2020).

Gerald Archibald

Eventually, he returned to the United States and became, alongside his son, Gerry Archibald, a prosperous fox breeder in Warren. Lyman Walker Archibald died of a heart attack on Nov. 10, 1947, on the family farm in Warren at the age of 79. His remains are buried in Oakland Cemetery in Warren. There is another headstone for him in Snyder Cemetery in Warren.

Top Accolades:

¯ Played for Dr. James Naismith’s first-ever basketball team

¯ Participant in the first-ever public basketball game on March 11, 1892

¯ Member of the first-ever Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 1959

Lisa (Huey) Hochberg

GERALD ARCHIBALD

Gerald Archibald was born in 1907 in Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, Canada.

A few years after moving with his parents to Warren in 1915, he formed several basketball teams, of which one in the mid-1930s was sponsored by HyVis Oil. Archibald was the team’s owner/GM/coach as well as a player. The team was also known as the Warren Penns. A member of the Midwest Basketball Conference, the Warren Penns later joined the National Basketball League despite losing its sponsorship with Hyvis Oil.

Archibald secured a sponsorship from White Horse Motors in Cleveland and moved the team to Cleveland midway into the 1938-39 season. The following year Archibald moved the franchise to Detroit and sold the team in late 1940.

Archibald was the son of Lyman Archibald, a member of James Naismith’s first basketball team in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891. Lyman was the founder of the Archibald Fox Ranch in Warren in 1915, a business that Gerald and his wife Elizabeth (“Betty”) took over and became even more prosperous. Gerald and Betty had two children. Gerald Archibald is a well-documented graduate of the Warren High School Class of 1926. The National Basketball League was originally created in 1935 as the Midwest Basketball Conference, comprised mainly of teams from the midwest, sponsored by a variety of companies, many large corporations. The number of teams competing varied from time to time, but peaked at 14. Two years later it changed its name to the National Basketball League, a forerunner of the current National Basketball Association. According to “The National Basketball League: A History, “the last spot in the Eastern Division went to Warren, coached by locally respected Gerry Archibald who had a history of forming basketball teams dating to 1926. The team was initially sponsored by HyVis Oil Corporation, a historic lubricant company, founded in 1882 in Cleveland before moving to Warren in 1932. Before the 1937 NBL season, HyVis dropped its sponsorship of Archibald’s team, and it then became known as the Warren Penns. Similar to the MBC, the NBL was divided into two groups: the eastern and western divisions. The roster included head coach and player Gerry Archibald, Reno Strand, Jack Sterling, Walter Stanky, Steve and John Pawk, George Malackany, Bob Lytle, Stub Jackson, Bill Holland and Frank “X” Maury.

Tom Santo

Teams included the Akron (Ohio) Firestone Non-Skids, Akron (Ohio) Goodyear Wingfoots, Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Pirates, Buffalo (New York) Bisons, Warren Penns, Columbus (Ohio) Athletic Supply, Oshkosh (Wisconsin) All-Stars, Whiting Ciesar (Indiana) All-American, Fort Wayne (Indiana General Electrics, Indianapolis (Indiana) Kautuskys, Richmond (Indiana) King Clothiers, Kankakee (Illinois) Gallagher Trojans and the Detroit (Michigan) Metros. The Akron Goodyear Wingfoots won the 1936-37 and 1937-38 season championships. Following its second season in the NBL, Mr. Archibald moved the Warren Penns to Cleveland and it became the Cleveland White Horses, sponsored by White Motors.

Top Accolades:

— Formed several basketball teams, of which one in the mid-1930s was sponsored by HyVis Oil. Archibald was the team’s owner/GM/coach as well as a player.

— Owner/player of the Warren Penns who later joined the National Basketball League despite losing its sponsorship with Hyvis Oil.

LISA (HUEY) HOCHBERG

Submitted photo Tom Scarcella served as a football coach at various levels in Warren and was perhaps most visibly recognized through his 35 years of service with the Warren Sports Boosters.

Lisa (Huey) Hochberg is one of the most successful divers in Warren swimming history. As a Dragon, Lisa was a four-year letter winner on the swimming and diving team and earned the second-place silver medal in the 1979 PIAA Diving Championships as a junior. During her senior year, she finished fifth in the state of Pennsylvania. She would continue her successes at the University of Pittsburgh and be a varsity letter winner from 1980-1982, making valuable contributions to the Panthers squad. While at Pitt, Lisa dove against, and outscored, Penn State University’s Mary Ellen Clark, who is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist in diving at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Huey was named to the University of Pittsburgh swimming and diving all-time roster.

TOM SANTO

Tom Santo’s dedication to sports, youth and community spans decades and touches nearly every corner of Warren County athletics.

Tom served as a certified PIAA high school football official for 39 years, excelling in both his love for the game and his leadership of others. He was part of officiating crews that presided over more than 900 regular-season games, 100 district playoff games and three state championship games — an honor reserved for only the top 1% of officials in Pennsylvania. Tom often spoke with gratitude about having the privilege of officiating 23 players who went on to play in the NFL. His storied career culminated in being selected to officiate football practices for his beloved Penn State Nittany Lions. Beyond the field, Tom was a tireless mentor to young officials, holding leadership roles within the Warren chapter where he initiated and led recruiting campaigns, served as a constant source of support and helped solve problems for those around him.

He served as chapter secretary for more than 20 years, maintaining training records for all Warren chapter officials. In 2021, his years of dedication were recognized when he was named “Secretary of the Year” by the PIAA.

On the court, Tom was part of the Warren Dragons basketball staff in the 1980s before going on to lead the Eisenhower girls basketball team. He then spent 17 years as athletic director at Eisenhower, serving as a member of the District 10 Athletic Director’s Association and on their Executive Board. He also shared his passion for the game as a sports analyst for Lily Broadcasting, covering Warren High School basketball.

As colleague Chuck Demco so fittingly said, “Tom was one of those people that truly lived a life of service. He gave so much to his family, his friends, community, athletes, coaches and administrators.”

Tom’s encouraging words, infectious smile, and positive attitude left a lasting mark on everyone fortunate enough to cross his path.

TOM SCARCELLA

Tom Scarcella was a lifelong resident of Warren County and a dedicated community leader whose impact on local athletes spanned generations. A 1963 graduate of Sheffield High School, Tom played football for four years, earning varsity letters in his junior and senior year, and played basketball for three years. He was also a proud member of the 1961 Allegheny Mountain League Championship football team for the Wolverines.

Tom served as junior high and ninth-grade head football coach at Beaty for 15 years, while simultaneously contributing as an assistant football coach for the Warren Area High School varsity football team. He was a valuable assistant coach alongside legendary Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Hall of Fame coach Toby Shea.

At Beaty, he helped compile a team record of 67-24-6, including two undefeated seasons in 1969 and 1970. His success at the junior high level laid a critical foundation for the Dragons’ sustained excellence at the varsity level as he emphasized fundamentals, discipline, and a holistic, program-wide coaching philosophy. Tom also served as a leader of the WAHS Advance Scouting Team, traveling to opponent’s games, evaluating players and team performances, and compiling detailed statistics.

Scarcella was perhaps most visibly recognized through his 35 years of service with the Warren Sports Boosters, where he was a founding member and unwavering advocate. His crowning achievement came during his tenure as vice president in 1998-1999, when his long-held vision to renovate War Memorial Field became reality. Tom played a pivotal leadership role in spearheading a $2.4 million capital project funded entirely through booster-led fundraising efforts. Over the course of 15 football seasons, Tom coached and mentored more than 1,000 young men, leaving behind a legacy worth honoring and remembering.