2009 Inductees
Ring of Honor 2009 Inductees
Front Row: Lee Schleicher, Victoria Schleicher, Suzy Jones, Merrill Eckhart, Glenn Rissmiller. Back Row: Athletic Director Bryan Geist, Brian Waylen, Blaine Waylen.
Photography compliments of Joe Seremula
Merrill Eckhart
Class of 1955
Merrill Eckhart graduated from Slatington High School in 1955 and was a member of the school's Iron Men team during the 1953-1954 school year. He played varsity basketball for four years with a career total of 1,469 points and was the leading scorer in the Lehigh Valley League as a senior. Merrill also played baseball as a right fielder on the Lehigh Valley League and District 11 Champion baseball team. In his senior year he won the following awards: Most Outstanding Basketball Player; Most Outstanding Baseball Player; and the Outstanding Sportsmanship Award. After high school, Merrill attended Albright College where he was the Captain of the Varsity Basketball team in his junior and senior year. He graduated in 1959 and accepted a job at Gettysburg High school where he coached basketball for 27 years with a record of 384 wins and 232 loses and his team won four Blue Mountain League Championships. In 2006 Merrill was elected to the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in the Adams County Chapter.
Suzy Jones
Class of 1979
Suzy Jones graduated from Northern Lehigh High School in 1979. Susan was an accomplished athlete and participated in Cross Country; Field Hockey where she scored the most goals each season and was voted MVP in 1978; In basketball she was the first girl to score 1,000 plus points and was scoring Champion of the Centennial League in 1979 and was voted MVP in 1977, 1978 and 1979. She won many first place awards in discus, shot put and javelin for the track team including the District XI Champion in Discus 1977, 1978 and 1979, Shot put, 1977 and 1978, and the Javelin in 1977 and 1978. She earned 14 varsity letters and was a member of the Varsity S Club. She was named Outstanding Female Athlete in 1977, 1978, and 1979. Suzy graduated and played basketball for the University of Delaware and was captain in her last year.
Glenn Rissmiller
Class of 1963 (Notre Dame Green Pond)
Glenn Rissmiller is a 1963 graduate of Notre Dame of Green Pond High school and a 1967 graduate of Shippensburg University with a degree in Accounting Management/Education. Glenn began his teaching career at Slatington High School in 1967 where he taught Business Education. He coached various sports during his tenure at Northern Lehigh including football as an assistant coach from 1969 to 1971; Head Cross Country Coach where his teams were the Centennial League Champs from 1978 to 1982 and the District XI Champions in 1982; and Track as both an assistant and head Coach, and as Head Coach of the Girls Basketball Team from1994-1996.. Glenn's greatest years in coaching were as Head Boy's Basketball Coach from 1971 to 1985. His teams garnered 6 Centennial League Championships and during the 1981-1982 season the boys basketball team was the PIAA State AA Eastern Champions. Glenn was the Morning Call's Boys' Basketball Coach of the Year in 1982 and the Colonial League Girls' Basketball Coach of the year in 1995. He was the Northern Lehigh Athletic Director from 1994 to 2006 where he received the Colonial League Athletic Director of the Year during the 1995-1996 and 1999-2000 school years and the District XI Bob Stimmel Colonial League Athletic Director of the Year in 2000 and 2006. Glenn has also been a PIAA football and track official for 39 years, a member of the McDonald's Game Board of Directors, District XI Football Rules Interpreter, and President of the Eastern PA Football Officials Chapter and the Lehigh Valley Track and Field Officials Chapter. Glenn was inducted into the Lehigh Valley Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002; the McDonald's All- Star Football Game Hall of Fame in 2004; and the Northeast Region Luzerne Chapter PA Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.
Maurice Schleicher
Class of 1955 (Accepted by daughter Victoria Schleicher & nephew Lee Schleicher, pictured)
Maurice Schleicher graduated from Slatington High School in 1955 where he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. As a member of the football team, Maurice was the leading scorer in the Lehigh Valley League in 1953 and 1954 and led the Lehigh Valley League in rushing in 1954. He played basketball for three years and during the 1954-1955 season scored 35 points against Jim Thorpe which was, at the time, the most points scored by a Slatington player in one game. During the same season he led the team in scoring 23 points in the District Championship game in the Hershey Park Arena. Maurice was also an outstanding catcher and hitter on the baseball team for three years. After high school he was recruited by numerous colleges and universities including Notre Dame, Princeton, Duke, Army, and Navy but chose to attend Penn State. In 1958 he received the Associated Press All Pennsylvania Collegiate Team All-East and All-American Honors. In 1959 he was drafted in the Fifth round of the NFL draft by the Chicago Cardinals. From 1960 to 1962 he played for the Los Angeles Chargers and from 1963 to 1964 he played for Toronto in the Canadian Football League. In 1987 he was inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame Lehigh County Chapter. After completing his professional career, Maurice was a scout for the Oakland Raiders for 20 years and was the Commissioner of Athletics for Santa Clara County in California for almost 12 years.
Blaine Waylen
Class of 1982
Blaine Waylen graduated from Northern Lehigh High School in 1982. He was a member of 7 championship teams, 2 basketball, 2 track and 3 cross country. While playing basketball, he is the all-time career points leader with 1499. He was the only player to score 500 points per season, in 2 seasons, with 566 and 538. He is 4th all-time with 163 career steals and 2nd all-time career basketball rebounds, with 747. He participated on 2 Centennial League Championship basketball teams. Blaine was a member of the 1982 PIAA Eastern AA Championship team. In track, he was also was a member of the District XI Championship 3200 relay team, which still currently holds the school record today. As a member of the 1980 cross country team, he placed 1st in the Centennial League Meet and was on the District XI 1981 Cross Country Championship team, in which he placed 2nd. His many awards consist of 10 varsity letters, Northern Lehigh Outstanding Male Athlete Award in his sophomore and junior years, Centennial League Basketball Co-MVP with his brother during his junior and senior years, 1982 Evening Chronicle Player of the Week and member of the LARC All-Star Team. After graduation, Blaine enlisted in the United State Navy and served four years aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Brian Waylen
Class of 1982
Brian Waylen graduated from Northern Lehigh High School in 1982. He participated in three sports, basketball, cross country and track.earning nine varsity letters. As a member of the basketball team, Brian was first in all time career steals with 231, tied for third in all time single season point total with 551, and was fourth in all time career basketball points with 1412 points, was fourth in all time career basketball rebounds at with 645 and participated on two Centennial League Championship teams and a PIAA Eastern Championship team. As a member of the track team participated on the 3200 and 1600 meter relay teams whose school records remain unbroken and his high jump record stood for 25 years. He was the District Champion in both the 3200 and 1600 relays. He participated on the 1981 Centennial League Championship team. As a member of the cross country team he placed first in the Centennial League Meet in 1981. He participated on three Centennial League Championship teams and the first district championship in our school's history. Brian received the Northern Lehigh Outstanding Male Athlete in 1981/1982, was CO MVP of the Basketball team in 1981 and 1982. After graduating from high school, Brian attended LCCC and scored 1142 points while playing basketball for 2 years.