Charles "Chub" Ruffo
The 2009 Posthumous Inductee to the Mercer County Hall of Fame is former West Middlesex High athlete Charles "Chub" Ruffo.
Chub was a starting member of the 1954 state Class C championship team under coach Jim Marcolivio. He was co-captain of the squad and 4-year letterman, he sparked the team offensively and defensively with his aggressive play.
After high school, he dedicated his life to helping youth activities in coaching and other ways. He was regarded as one of the best hitting coaches in the area and during 15 years of coaching West Middlesex Little League, his teams won several league championships.
Several of his former players went on to compete on the Shenango Valley National Senior Division tam, one of the first local Senior Division teams to reach the state level in the early 1970s.
As a member of the Mercer County Regional Council of Governments, he was instrumental in building the softball complex located in Shenango Township, both as an organizer and in the construction phase.
He was part of the group that helped sod the West Middlesex football field in the 1970s and worked with the lighting project for the field.
As a Shenango Township supervisor, he served on many committees to benefit youth projects as well as the township park. He was a member of the West Middlesex Sports Boosters and a charter member of the West Middlesex Gridiron Club.
The 1954 basketball team was inducted into the West Middlesex High School Hall of Fame in 2005-06. This spring the 10th Charles "Chub" Ruffo Athletic Scholarship will be presented to an outstanding athlete from the West Middlesex School District.