Jan 17, 2024 3 min read

Bob Schilken

Dr. Robert Schilken of Mt. Lebanon will be inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) Hall of Fame.

The 14-member Class of 2024 was announced Jan. 17 during a press conference held at the Senator John Heinz History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum. The official induction ceremony will take place May 31 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Green Tree.

A three-year starter, Schilken helped lead Mt. Lebanon to WPIAL Class 4A football championships in 1980 and 1981. He garnered Parade All-America, Associated Press All-State first team, and United Press International All-State second team accolades.

Schilken went on to play collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh. From 1982 to 1985, he earned three letters and competed in the 1983 Cotton Bowl as well as the 1984 Fiesta Bowl. He received the Blue-Gold Award for academic achievement and an NCAA scholarship for post-graduate studies as a senior at Pitt, where he attended medical school.

He had a fellowship at Milton Hershey Medical Center and residencies at Allegheny General Hospital and the University of Missouri.

Currently he serves as a team physician for the Pittsburgh Pirates and surgeon with Allegheny Orthopedic Associates.

Schilken and his wife, Dolores, have two daughters, Alex and Meghan. In 2010, he was honored with the Mt. Lebanon High School Great Alumni Award.

The WPIAL Class of 2024 includes five athletes, three coaches, two teams and one member each in the official, contributor, heritage and courage categories.

The Peters Township 1989 soccer squad is one of those teams.

The Indians finished that year with a 23-2-2 record. They successfully defended their 1988 Class 2A championships at the WPIAL and PIAA level. The unit allowed just 19 goals and posted 15 shutouts

Peters Township outscored its postseason competition, 23-0. The Indians blanked Quaker Valley, 1-0, in the district finals before recording four shutouts in the PIAA tournament. After wins against Perry Traditional Academy, 5-0, Fairview, 2-0, and Quaker Valley, 3-0, the Indians battled to a 0-0 overtime tie with Great Valley in the state finals.

The 1989 squad boasted an All-State selection in Kevin Shaeffer. A Naval Academy graduate, he survived the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the Pentagon.

While the Canon-McMillan 2011-12 championship wrestling squad is the other team to be inducted, Clairton’s Tyler Boyd, Yough softball player Nicole Sleith Schaffer, Connellsville three-sport standout Beth Swink, Knoch track and field star Jordan Geist are the other athletes joining Schilken in the hall.

Aliquippa’s Mike Zmijanac and Washington’s Ron Faust enter the hall for their coaching achievements as does Oakland Catholic’s George Rudolph.

Jim Chacko of Charleroi will be recognized for his officiating in baseball, basketball and football while East Allegheny’s Bob Trautwine will be acknowledged for his contributions to the league in cross country as well as track and field.

Seneca Valley athletic director Heather Lewis is the recipient of the Courage Award for her battle with cancer and Midland’s Simmie Hill is the Heritage Award winner.

Visit wpial.org for full bios on all the inductees as well as ticket information for the banquet.