Bill Purvis
Bill Purvis was a Grove City High football and track star who went on to a spectacular college track career and later became a world champion weight-lifter.
At Grove City, he was a 3-year letterman in football, scoring 24 career touchdowns, including a school record 98-yard run against Franklin in 1959. He was selected to the Mercer County All-Star Team. In track, he was a 4-year letter winner, winning Mercer County championships in the 100- and 200-yard dashes, as well as the 880 relay team. The relay team went unbeaten for 3 years with Bill running anchor leg. He won all 3 of his specialties at the New Castle Invitational. He was named GCHS Outstanding Track Runner for 2 years and was the team's leading scorer for 3 seasons.
He continued his career in both sports at what is now Slippery Rock University. He was a 4-year letterman in football, scoring 18 career TDs. He was named to the NAIA District 18 team as honorable mention (1963) and 2nd team (1964). He was a member of the 1962 conference champion squad. In indoor track, Bill was a 4-year letterman and set 7 school records. He was the AMA-AAU 50-yard dash champion 4 straight years and USTFF (Western Pa.) champ 3 times. He won numerous meets in the dashes and had a dual-meet record of 21-3. He set SRU Morrow Field House records in the 60-yard dash (6.2 seconds); 220 (22.4) and 300 (31.8).
In outdoor track, he set 9 school records and was Pennsylvania State College Conference champion in the 100 (3 times) and 220 (twice). He won numerous other meet championships and posted a dual meet mark of 46-6. He was a member of the Small College medley- and mile-relay teams that won twice at the prestigious Penn Relays. During the 1964 Penn Relays in the Olympic Developmental Invitational 100, he placed 5th. The winner was Bob Hayes, Olympic champion.
He ran indoor and outdoor track after graduation from SRU and won a USTFF national championship in the outdoor 100 and indoor 50 (30-34 age group), as well as several Masters titles.
He went on to Masters power lifting, setting a world record in the two-man deadlift with Butch Frye in age group 30-39, pumping 1,051 pounds. The mark stood for 7 years. He won numerous Masters meets in lifting and was two-time champion in the Eastern U.S. meet in the 181 class.
He coached football, basketball and track at various levels at Chartiers-Houston and Knoch school districts and started cross country at Knoch in 1976.
He was inducted to the Western Pennsylvania Track Club Wall of Fame in 1985, the U.S. Powerlifting Federation Masters Hall of Fame (1988) and Slippery Rock U. Athletic Hall of Fame (1990).