DP Sports

The Penn State Wilkes-Barre Wall of Fame was established to recognize outstanding athletic and academic achievements of its student athletes, as well as achievements of its coaches, administration and teams.

click image to enlarge

The first three inductees into the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Wall of Fame are, from left, first row, Daniel Tucker, John R. Murphy and James H. Ryan. Second row, Scott Miner, men’s basketball coach; Tom Conti, Penn State Wilkes-Barre Alumni Constituent Society president; Dr. Charles H. Davis, chancellor, Penn State Wilkes-Barre; and Jack Monick, Penn StateWilkes-Barre Athletic Director.

Select images available for purchase in the
Times Leader Photo Store

At a recent Penn State Wilkes-Barre basketball game, the first three inductees to the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Wall of Fame were honored. They are John R. Murphy, James H. Ryan and Daniel Tucker.

John R. Murphy served as Dean of Student Affairs at Penn State Wilkes-Barre from 1967-2003 and also coached the men’s basketball team from 1968-1971.

He served as chairman of the Athletics and Recreation Building construction project and received the John Egli Award for his contributions to the Commonwealth Campus Athletic Conference.

James H. Ryan, Campus Executive Officer from 1981-1990, made significant contributions to the athletic programs at Penn State Wilkes-Barre.

Under his leadership, the Athletics and Recreation Building was constructed through the securing of state funding with the assistance of numerous congressmen, representatives and senators. The Athletics and Recreation Building officially opened in 1990.

Daniel Tucker was a two-sport athlete, spending three years on the men’s basketball team and one year on the baseball team. He earned 1st Team All-Conference honors in basketball three years in a row and, at the time of his Wall of Fame induction, was the only player ever to reach the 1,000 point milestone.

Tucker graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Sciences and Technology.