John Boliver
John Boliver was one of the top all-around athletes produced at Penn High School, Greenville, during the early 1940s, starring in football and basketball.
He helped the football team to a district title, playing fullback, halfback and handling the punting. In basketball he played guard and earned All-County honors his junior and senior seasons.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps during World War II and played basketball while stationed at Iwo Jima and Occupied Japan.
After the service, he attended Thiel College in 1946-47, lettering in football, basketball and tennis. He played on the 1946 unbeaten football team as fullback and punter and was later inducted into the Thiel Hall of Fame along with the team. He made All-State honors in basketball.
He transferred to Youngstown State College on a football scholarship, where he played defensive end and punted. During his junior year he was the leading punter in small colleges. He also played tennis and the team had a record of 42-0.
His senior year the tennis team played at the nationals at Northwestern University and John and his partner Joe Pickering advanced to the semifinals before losing to future pro Tony Trabert and his partner in three sets. The duo went to the Eastern Intercollegiate tournament at West Point and advanced through several rounds before losing.
His interest in tennis began at the age of 10 and he won the boys division of 16-and-under in Mercer County. He went on to win many tournaments in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.
After retiring from public school teaching, he played in four national tournaments and Florida Super Senior Grand Prix, which consists of eight tournaments. In the United States Tennis Association, his highest ranking has been No. 7 in doubles and No. 24 in singles. He has competed in national father and son tournaments.
He worked instructing youth recreation tennis and helped with Little League programs.