MAC Hall of Fame Inaugural Class
ANNVILLE, Pa. - Lebanon Valley College legend Lou Sorrentino '54 has been selected as a member of the inaugural class of the Middle Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame.
The MAC is establishing a hall of fame as part of the celebration of its 100th anniversary in 2012-13. Sorrentino is one of a 36-member inaugural class selected from current and former MAC member institutions.
Sorrentino's Hall of Fame selection is one of several tributes to him by the MAC; this year, the conference began presenting the Lou Sorrentino Award to a member administrator who has displayed a lifetime committment to the MAC and NCAA Division III, and the Lou Sorrentino Player of the Year Award is given to the top Commonwealth Conference men's golf finisher.
Also a member of the LVC, Central Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania athletic halls of fame, Sorrentino had nearly 60 years of involvement with Lebanon Valley College from the time he stepped foot on campus as a freshman in 1950 until his passing in 2010. He was a star three-sport student-athlete, and as a four-sport coach and athletic director, he mentored thousands of student-athletes and fellow coaches. Today, the College gives the Lou Sorrentino Outstanding Athlete award annually to its top male performer.
A native of Sharon Hill, Pa., in Delaware County, Sorrentino came to the College as a freshman in 1950 and earned 12 varsity letters while starring all four years in basketball, football, and baseball. In football, he was named first team All-State and second team Little All-America and later had his #21 jersey retired (one of just six football numbers retired). He played in the Blue-Grey Senior All-Star game in Alabama, earning game MVP honors at quarterback. In basketball, Sorrentino was a starter on the legendary "Seven Dwarfs" team that played in the NCAA Tournament and upset Fordham to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
Following his senior season, Sorrentino served in the Army's 101st Airborne at Fort Meade, Md., for two years. After being discharged, he signed a baseball contract with the Baltimore Orioles and a football contract with the Philadelphia Eagles but left the pros to accept the football head coaching position at Shamokin Area High School. After earning his master's degree from Bucknell University in 1961, he was named head coach at Woodrow Wilson High School in Bucks County. In 1971, he returned to LVC as its head football coach.
Sorrentino remained as LVC's football coach from 1971 to 1985, impacting thousands of student-athletes in that time and becoming LVC's all-time leader in wins at 47 games. In 1972, he held the unusual distinction of being one of the nation's few three-sport coaches, leading LVC's football, men's basketball, and baseball programs. Upon adding basketball to his football and baseball responsibilities, then-president Frederick Sample said Sorrentino was chosen because he felt he "wanted as many as possible of Lebanon Valley College athletes to work with him."
He found immediate success with men's basketball, winning a MAC Championship in his first season and continuing to coach them until 1975. He also led the re-introduction of baseball to campus in 1973, coaching the program for two seasons.
Sorrentino served as Lebanon Valley's golf coach for 22 seasons, beginning during his tenure as athletic director and continuing through his retirement. He produced multiple NCAA qualifiers including the program's first-ever Commonwealth Conference individual titlist, Ryan Ogurcak '05.
