Five PHS Grads Inducted into Sports Hall of Fame

Photo by John Armato

From left, Carroll “Mush” Bechtel III , Howard Brown , Brent Voynar, and Ron Reinhart

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by John Armato, director of community relations for the Pottstown School Ditrict.

On Saturday five Pottstown High School graduates were inducted into the Tri County Sports Hall of Fame.

They are Carroll “Mush” Bechtel III, Howard Brown, Brent Voynar, Ron Reinhart and Claude "Deacon Reinhart.

Decaon Reinhart, Ron's father, has passed away. But this may be the first time in the 38-year history of the hall of fame the father and son have been inducted in the same year.

They have distinguished themselves not only in sports but in their professional lives and give us more reason to say proud to be from Pottstown.

• Ron Reinhart – During his four years of high school, Reinhart earned 10 varsity letters. From 1978-1982 he was a starter in both football and baseball. He also lettered two years in wrestling. He was the Male Athlete of the Year and the Tri County Male Athlete his senior year at Pottstown High School. He was a four year starter as a catcher in baseball and co-captain his senior season. He medaled twice in Sectionals in wrestling. He started on both the offensive and defensive lines in football, where he was named the ChesMont League 2-Way Player of the Year. He made numerous All-League teams from the Pottstown/Philadelphia area. He then started as an offensive guard on the undefeated team at Fork Union Military Academy before attending Shippensburg. He started on the defensive line four years, was the Defensive Player of the Week two times, Defensive Player of the Year, and named All-PSAC two times while at Shippensburg.

• Carroll “Mush” Bechtel III – “Mush” was a well-rounded athlete from Pottstown. He is best known as a hard-hitting football player for the Trojans. He started three years making All-ChesMont two times as a linebacker and fullback. He played on the legendary 1961 team. He also played basketball two years, and baseball three years. He also swam in the winter and summer. He then went to Colgate and played football for four years. He was named ECAC Weekly All-Star three times during his football career. After graduation from Colgate he went into coaching. He coached various sports at various levels. After his coaching days, he turned to officiating for swimming and baseball. He stayed active in the area doing radio and writing sports articles as well.

• Howard Brown – Brown is one of the most honored basketball players ever of the TriCounty area. He scored over 1,700 points and is secnd all-time in Pottstown basketball history. He led his team to four straight PAC-10 championships, three District I championships, two Eastern Conference championships, and the only State championship in Pottstown High School history (1993). He was named the Gatorade PA State Player of the Year, Mercury Player of the Year, and All PAC-10 several times. Brown went to Villanova where he played in the NCAA Tournament three times, and won the Big East championship in 1997. He scored more than 1,100 points in college and was known for his “all round” game. He is still ranked in the top 25 in many categories at Villanova University such as steals, assists, and rebounding. He was named Villanova’s Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1997. He then played professionally for 13 years in Spain and other European countries, where he averaged over 20 points per game three times.

• Claude “Deacon” Reinhart – Reinhart was widely considered one of the best athletes in the Pottstown area in the 1940s. He earned nine varsity letters at Pottstown High School, including three in basketball where he set a scoring record of 25 points in one game. He played first base and captained his senior year in baseball where he earned three varsity letters. He is best known as a football star where he played on the legendary 1946 team with Dave Detar among others that went 8-1. He was the first two time co-captain at PHS, and made numerous All-Star teams, including Philadelphia Area All-Scholastic, and honorable Mention All-State. He accepted a full scholarship to the University of South Carolina, but left early to come home with his family. He then played professional football with the Bethlehem Bulldogs in the American Football League.

• Brent Voynar – Voynar starred in baseball and football while at Pottstown High School. He excelled as a middle infielder making secnd Team All PAC-10. He played in the Carpenter Cup and was an All-Star with the Pottstown Steelers in legion ball. He quarterbacked the Trojans to a Co-PAC-10 championship in football and was named PAC-10 Player of the Year, Mercury Player of the Year, and 1st All PAC-10 QB. He then moved on to East Stroudsburg to play safety. He was named co-captain during his college career, and also made All-PSAC as a safety, ECAC Division II All-East safety two times. He served as a Graduate Assistant at ESU for two years when he picked up both an undergrad degree and a Masters degree.