William Lenzi
William "Bill" Lenzi was the playmaker on the 1961 Hickory High basketball team that made its exciting run to the PIAA State Championship game before losing to Nanticoke. The quick guard, who also shined on the defensive end of the floor, scored 297 points his senior season for the Hornets of coach Frannie Webster who set a school record with 25 wins out of 27 games.
In the state semifinals, he led the team with 19 points in an upset of previously undefeated WPIAL champion Mt. Lebanon, making 13 of 16 free throw attempts.
He joins former teammates Gary Roberts, Fred Greene and the late John Crumbacher in the Mercer County Hall of Fame.
Bill also shined in football at Hickory and was an outstanding golfer. On the links, he finished sixth in the district championships and qualified for the state tournament. He is believed to be the first Hickory athlete to qualify for state in two sports.
He earned a scholarship to play basketball at Youngstown State University, where he started as a freshman and had an outstanding career. He also golfed for two years on the YSU team.
While in the Army, he played fast-pitch softball and basketball, while refereeing football.
In independent softball, he played shortstop and pitched for the Virginia state championship team in the 1970s. He was inducted into the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame in 1997.
He also won the Virginia state golf championship and was carrying a 3.4 handicap in the senior division in 2004. Bill coached pee-wee football for five years and coached youth basketball and baseball.