John R Gracon

John Played basketball for Salem College from 1960-1964. Coming from McKeesport High School, he was Coach Dan Christie’s first recruit. In the 1962 WVIAC Torunament (15 teams) he was named 1st team All Tournament, set the individual consecutive foul shot record in a game (10 for 10), set the individual consecutive foul shot record in a tournament (17) and led Salem to a third place finish. In 1963 WVIA Tournament, he led salem to the tournament finals for the first time since 1937. He was selected to the 1964 WVIAC All Conference 1st team, led the WVIAC in rebounding with 14.4 per game and set a new 4 year rebounding record for Salem College with 919.
After receiving his B.S. in Industrial Arts from Salem in 1964, John started a career in teaching and coaching at South Allegheny High School (1964-1998). He received a masters Degree in Education from California State University and was an industrial Arts Instructor at Allegheny County Community College, Pittsburgh, from 1978 – 1988. He was also a Real Estate Associate and member of the Pennsylvania Board of Realtors from 1976-1977. John retired from South Allegheny High School in 1998.
               

His accomplishments both on and off the court make John a welcome addition to the Salem Athletic Hall of Fame.