Baseball
Inducted Class of 1992
A 1957 graduate of Geneva High, Gene was a three-year starter on the baseball team where he helped lead the Panthers to two Section V Class AA championships, three league titles, and a 52-3 overall record. Gene, a shortstop and a pitcher, had a .363 career batting average with a 9-2 won-loss record including two no-hitters and 69 strike-outs. Gene was a 1st-team all-league selection in football as a junior and senior and an All-State selection his senior year. In basketball he led the league in scoring with 20 ppg.
Gene was offered a professional baseball contract by both the Milwaukee Braves and the Brooklyn Dodgers, but decided to go to the University of Buffalo instead where he played football. He played quarterback for three years and was selected the Most Valuable Frosh back in 1958. After being drafted into the Army, he played football for the 8th Infantry for two years and was selected to the 2nd All-Army Team in Europe in 1963. Gene coached Little League and Babe Ruth baseball along with Junior League football.