George Spetar
George Spetar was one of the top baseball players ever produced in the Mercer County area.
At Hickory High School, he was a three-year letterman in baseball as well as earning a letter in cross-country.
He went on to a stellar baseball career at Slippery Rock University (1972-75), a career that earned him induction into the Slippery Rock U. Hall of Fame in 2001.
At The Rock, George was a first-team Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference All-Star and was named first-team All-District 18. He also was voted first-team Tri-State Baseball Coaches Association Select Team.
Voted team captain his senior year by teammates and coaches, he set six out of 10 school offensive single-season records, including home runs, stolen bases and RBIs. He established eight out of 10 offensive career records, including batting average, home runs, stolen bases and RBIs.
He also excelled in the classroom and was a first-team Academic All-American, majoring in mathematics and computer science.
George also shined in American Legion baseball (ages 16-18) under the direction of coach Nick Mamone. He was a standout in the Youngstown AA League, under coach Bob Leipheimer. He was invited to several pro baseball tryouts, including the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Between the ages of 23 and 36, he played on various slow-pitch competitive softball leagues in Dallas, Pittsburgh and the Shenango Valley.
While living in Farragut, Tenn., near Knoxville, he was honored by the Mayor of Farragut on June 28, 1996 when he proclaimed "George Spetar Day" for his community contributions. In 1995, George founded the Farragut Senior Pro Baseball League for boys, ages 15-18, serving more than 1,000 players. The following year he served as a member of the Farragut Recreation Committee.
In 1994, he raised $10,000 and organized 13
"goodwill" baseball games between Knoxville area players and players from Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, New Castle, Slippery Rock and the Shenango Valley.