Dale Redfoot
Dale Redfoot was one of the top athletes in the county in the late 1940s at Mercer High School, but his future athletic career was cut short by spinal polio.
He starred in both football and basketball at Mercer High in 1948, '49 and '50.
In basketball, he played on the undefeated junior varsity team in 1948. He was named to the Mercer County All-Star team his junior and senior seasons, but couldn't participate because he had helped guide the Mustangs to the postseason playoffs. The 1950 team defeated Kane (1949 state champions), as Dale pumped in a game-high 16 points.
District 10 championship game the previous week, he scored 18 points as Mercer topped Lawrence Park. That team became the first Mercer team to make it to the state western regional finals. Dale was one of the leading scorers in Mercer County both his junior and senior years.
He received five or six college scholarship offers, but contracted polio shortly after graduation and was unable to continue in sports.
But while it halted his athletic career, the courageous Mustang star didn't let the disease get him down. He was featured in a newspaper article, which told of how he fought back from the ailment with the help of Mrs. Jack Donnelly, a nurse at Sharon General Hospital.
After becoming an architect, he turned some of his athletic energy toward helping others in sports. He designed, raised money for and organized the construction of the Sharpsville Little League complex in 1979-80. The complex included fields for three divisions - Minor, Major and Senior. It also included a concession stand, maintenance and restroom building, and a parking lot.
He was also designer and part owner of the former Shenango Valley Racquet Club. He was active in both the Sharpsville Touchdown Club and Sharpsville Boosters Club.