Athletic Hall of Fame Inducts Luther Phillips

Luther Phillips was a four-year letterwinner and two-time qualifier and placewinner at the PIAA Class AA State Championships for the Mercer Track & Field team under Hall of Fame coach Mark Hannay.

As a freshman, Luther helped lead the Mustangs to a 4-3-1 dual meet record. He finished 4th in the 100 meter dash at the District 10 Southern Qualifier at Oil City High School. During his sophomore season, Luther finished 6th in the 100 meter dash and was a member of the 3rd place 4 x 100 meter relay team at the D-10 Southern Qualifier. The following week at the District 10 Championships at Oil City, he finished 6th in the 100 meter dash and the 4 x 100 meter relay team garnered 5th place honors.

Luther helped lead the Mustangs to a Mercer County & Tri-County Championship with a 7-1 dual meet record during his junior year. The team finished 1st at the Mercer JC Invitational and 2nd at the Fairview Invitational. At the Tri-County Meet, he finished 1st in the 100 meter dash and 200 meter dash and was a member of the 4 x 100 meter relay team that finished 1st and established both a meet and school record (44.7 seconds). Luther finished 3rd in the 100 meter dash, 4th in the 200 meter dash, and was a member of the 2nd place 4 x 100 meter relay team at the District 10 Southern Qualifier. The following week, he finished 3rd in the 100 meter dash and was a member of the 4 x 100 meter relay team that took 4th place in the District 10 Championship. The 4 x 100 meter relay team of Luther, Calvin Phillips, Ken Tarczy, and John Zurasky concluded their season by securing an 8th place medal at the PIAA State Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University.

During his senior season, the Mustangs finished the dual meet season undefeated with an 8-0 mark earning both Mercer County and Tri-County Championships for the 2nd time in as many seasons. The team also finished in 1st place at both the Fairview and the McTaggart-Shaver Invitational and in 3rd place at the Mt. Lebanon Invitational. The Mustangs dominated the Tri-County Championships, earning a meet record 185 points. Luther was named Most Outstanding Performer at the meet, finishing 1st in both the 100 meter dash and 200 meter dash and was a member of the 1st place 4 x 100 meter relay team. Luther helped lead the Mustangs to a 2nd place finish at the District 10 Championships, finishing in 1st place in the 100 meter dash, 1st place in the 200 meter dash, and was a member of the 1st place 4 x 100 meter relay team. At the PIAA State Championships, Luther earned medals in the 100 meter dash (5th place), 200 meter dash (2nd place), and was a member of the 4 x 100 meter relay team that garnered 8th place honors. At the time of his graduation, Luther held or shared school records in the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, and the 4 x 100 meter relay. He currently still holds the school record in the 200 meter dash.

Luther was also a member of the Mustang football team, earning 3 varsity letters as a running back and defensive back. During his junior year, the football team finished 2nd in the Tri-County League and earned a berth in the WPIAL Class A playoffs, falling in the quarterfinals to Chartiers Houston 24-23 in an overtime thriller.

An active member of the Cedar Avenue Church of God in Sharon, Luther retired from UPS after 20 years of service and now works for George Junior Republic as a driver. He and his wife, Laurie, reside in Mercer and have 3 children (Jazhmine, Ashley, and Channing) and 2 grandchildren (Jadon and Josiah).

An induction ceremony was held at halftime during the Kennedy Catholic-Mercer Boys' Basketball game on December 9th. Luther's accolades were read by Hugh Ringer to a packed gymnasium. The permanent wall plaque was unveiled immediately following the basketball game and a brief social gathering was held in the high school cafeteria.

Congratulations to Luther Phillips!