The Niagara Falls Sports Hall of Fame celebrated nine inductees during a ceremony Saturday at the Como Restaurant and Lounge. The Hall of Fame has been honoring Niagara Falls’ great athletes since 1968.
Bruce Fraser (Football, basketball, golf, coaching): Fraser was the first Niagara Wheatfield football player to be named first-team All-Niagara Frontier League, winning team MVP in 1967. He was also a second-team All-NFL basketball player in 1968, while playing varsity golf from 1966-1968. Fraser was a three-time captain for the University at Buffalo football team and an All-East linebacker in 1970. He won team MVP that season and was the school’s most outstanding athlete in 1971. Fraser coached football, basketball and wrestling at Niagara Wheatfield from 1974-1980 and was the UB defensive coordinator from 1977-1970. He finished his coaching career, leading the Ticonderoga High School football team (1981-1983) and Orchard Park (1984-1986).
Matthew M. Jacob (Baseball, football, basketball, cross country and coaching): Jacob was an All-Monsignor Martin Athletic Association and All-Western New York baseball player while leading Niagara Catholic to a league championship. He was also an all-league and All-Western New York football player. Jacob was a four-year starter for the Niagara University baseball team from 1980-1984 and a two-way starter for the football team from 1980-1983. He went on to coach junior varsity basketball (2000-2011) and varsity basketball (2011-2015) at Liverpool High School, where he also coached JV baseball from 1995-2006. Jacob was also an associated basketball coach at the Park School in 2017-2018 and an assistant for SUNY Oswego from 2018-2021. Additionally, Jacob was an assistant for the Syracuse Stallions in the Professional Basketball League and is currently an assistant baseball coach for Onondaga Community College.
Kevin Karwath (Football and hockey): Originally born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Karwath’s family moved across the border to Niagara Falls when he was 2 years old. He was a three-year starting quarterback for LaSalle, winning offensive MVP all three seasons. He set school records in yards passing (2,550 yards), touchdowns (29) and extra points (15). He was an All-Western New York selection after leading the Explorers to a 7-0-1 record in 1976. Karwath was a third-team All-Section VI defenseman for LaSalle’s Section VI championship team in 1976 and was a co-captain for the team that reached the final in 1977. He went on to be a three-year starting quarterback for Canisius College, setting school records with 3,647 yards and 31 touchdowns. He was an All-ECAC quarterback in 1979.
E. Paul Maynard (Swimming, football, track and field, coaching): Maynard was a four-time letterwinner for the LaSalle swim team from 1960-1964, becoming the first freshman to earn a varsity letter in school history. He set five school and pool records, placing second in the state in the 50-yard freestyle and helped the Explorers win the state championship in the 200 freestyle relay in 1964. He was an All-Niagara Frontier League offensive tackle in 1963 and 1964 before earning a swimming scholarship to the University of Wyoming, where he set school records in the 50 and 200 freestyles in 1968. Maynard returned to coach swimming at LaSalle and Niagara Falls from 1970-2002, coaching state champion Mark Jarosz in 1976.
Bill Metzler (Hockey, baseball and golf): Metzler was an All-Niagara Frontier League golfer for Trott Vocational in 1977 and then earned all-league honors for Niagara Falls in 1978 and 1979. He was an All-NFL baseball player for Niagara Falls in 1979 and 1980, while also earning All-Western New York honors in hockey during the same years. Metzler went on to be an all-conference first baseman for the University of Notre Dame in 194, setting school records for hits (56) and RBIs (49) in a single season.
John Wesley Patterson (Lacrosse and coaching): A native of the Tuscarora Reservation, Patterson was a 1947 graduate of LaSalle before being an All-New England lacrosse player in 1950 and 1951 at Springfield College, where his record of 25 goals in two days is still a school record. Patterson coached and taught in the Baltimore City School system for 20 years, founding the first youth lacrosse league in Baltimore County, where he earned the title of “Father of Lacrosse.” He returned in 1970 and started Tuskewe Krafts cottage industry, running the business with his wife Carol and securing hundreds of distributors for his lacrosse sticks. Patterson founded and coached the Niagara University lacrosse team, the Buffalo Lacrosse Club, the Iroquois All-Stars and assisted his wife in coaching the University at Buffalo women’s lacrosse team. He also formed and served as the first executive director of the Iroquois National Team in 1983. One of his proudest achievements was securing the right for his players to travel the globe with Iroquois Nation passports.
Lee Wallace (Coaching): Born and raised in Niagara Falls, Wallace coached Niagara Wheatfield softball from 1984-1995. His 320 career wins were the most in the state at the time of his retirement, while also capturing six Niagara Frontier League and four Section VI championships. Wallace also coached varsity and junior varsity girls basketball for the Falcons, winning three sectional championships and made two state Final Four appearances. He was the Western New York girls basketball (1992, 1997) and softball (1989, 1991) coach of the year two times apiece.
John Zankowski, Football and baseball): Zankowski was an All-Niagara Frontier League and All-City running back for Niagara Falls in 1962, setting a single-season school record with 113 points. He also set a single-game record with 33 points, scoring five touchdowns and three extra points. He was also an All-City baseball player in 1962. Zankowski was a four-year starter for the Cornell football team, earning All-Ivy League honors at defensive end in 1966 and was the starting centerfielder on the baseball team in 1964.
Greg Lowry (Pep DiRamio Service Award): Moving to Niagara Falls from Youngstown, Ohio in 1973, Lowry became involved in education and youth sports. He was a fundraiser and promoter for the Niagara Falls Police Athletic League, Niagara Falls Boys and Girls Club, Elks Club and Sertoma. He also donated time and resources to Fun Days at Maple Avenue, 79th and Kalfas Elementary Schools, while being a booster for the Niagara Falls varsity baseball team. In 2014, Lowry was elected president of Whirlpool Park Little League and initiated efforts that resulted in the merger of youth baseball leagues in the city to become Niagara Falls Little League. He helped Whirlpool build a snack shack, storage shed, raised funds for an electronic scoreboard and worked with the city to secure new dugouts, fencing and water and electric lines.