Bonnie Bacon Dickson
Bonnie Bacon-Dickson is one of the top female athletes produced in the Mercer County area.
She began her sports career in Little League and is believed to be the first girl to make the boys teams in the county. She played in the Patagonia league and was a member of the All-Star team, starting at first base. She hit numerous home runs, including a grand slam. Her team won the first-ever county championship in 1977. She played basketball and volleyball at the former Sacred Heart School.
She went on to a tremendous sports career at Kennedy Christian High School in basketball, track and softball. In basketball, she was a 3-year starter, scoring 838 points, setting records in assists and most foul shots in one game (13), which still stands.
She set school and meet records in the javelin and won the District 10 title, then finished as state runner-up with a throw of 134’10”.
In softball she set numerous records and was named Player of the Year in 1981 and 1982. She was named KCHS Athlete-Scholar of the Year in 1982.
Bonnie earned a basketball scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown and played from 1982-86, helping the team compile a record of 94-16 and having national records of #1 and #2. She was also a member of the women’s track team her freshman year, prior to tearing her ACL. Surgery allowed her to return to the hardwood as starting guard in her last two seasons. She was senior class president.
She went on to play in various basketball and softball leagues. She coached girls basketball for 24 years at elementary, junior high and varsity levels at Kennedy, Sharon, Farrell and Notre Dame schools. As head girls coach at Notre Dame School, the team won 4 county crowns in 6 years. Her team also won the school’s first Erie Diocesan championship in 2008-09. The team finished third in the Pa. CYO State Championship out of 250 teams.
She has coached AAU basketball for boys and girls and has coordinated men’s and women’s basketball and men’s racquetball competitions and table tennis competitions for the last 8 years at the Mercer County Senior Games.