Versatility and success are two words that can
be applied to Jim Karwoski. The 1962 Freedom High School graduate
had a stellar scholastic career, winning nine letters in three
sports and was named All County twice in football and All WPIAL as a
senior. In track and field, Jim set school records in both javelin
and shot put and won both events at the PIAA State Championship meet in
1962. Jim continued to develop his football and track abilities at
West Virginia University, where he set school and Southern
Conference records in the shot put. He was also a record setter in
football, shadowing Syracuse All American Larry Czonka and producing a school mark of 24 tackles
in that game. Jim turned to coaching
after graduation, running the cross country program at Penn State
Beaver for six years and taking over the baseball team in 1977. His
diamond squads entered the spring 1998 campaign with an overall
645-340 record. Three of his squads have won state championships and
17 have won Commonwealth Campus titles. In 1996 Jim’s team
was ranked No 1 in the country at the conclusion of the regular
season, and he has taken two teams to the World Series of Junior
College Baseball. In addition to his duties at Penn State Beaver, which
included ten years as athletic director, Jim ran the baseball
portion of the Keystone State Games from 1984 to 1985. His excellent
coaching record has brought numerous honors, including Coach of the
Year at the state district, and regional levels. Jim was
inducted into the Commonwealth Campus Athletic Conference Hall of
Fame of Coaches in 1993 and was also one of the ten coaches selected for
the US Olympic baseball team for the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Versatility and success are two words that can
be applied to Jim Karwoski. The 1962 Freedom High School graduate
had a stellar scholastic career, winning nine letters in three
sports and was named All County twice in football and All WPIAL as a
senior. In track and field, Jim set school records in both javelin
and shot put and won both events at the PIAA State Championship meet in
1962. Jim continued to develop his football and track abilities at
West Virginia University, where he set school and Southern
Conference records in the shot put. He was also a record setter in
football, shadowing Syracuse All American Larry Czonka and producing a school mark of 24 tackles
in that game. Jim turned to coaching
after graduation, running the cross country program at Penn State
Beaver for six years and taking over the baseball team in 1977. His
diamond squads entered the spring 1998 campaign with an overall
645-340 record. Three of his squads have won state championships and
17 have won Commonwealth Campus titles. In 1996 Jim’s team
was ranked No 1 in the country at the conclusion of the regular
season, and he has taken two teams to the World Series of Junior
College Baseball. In addition to his duties at Penn State Beaver, which
included ten years as athletic director, Jim ran the baseball
portion of the Keystone State Games from 1984 to 1985. His excellent
coaching record has brought numerous honors, including Coach of the
Year at the state district, and regional levels. Jim was
inducted into the Commonwealth Campus Athletic Conference Hall of
Fame of Coaches in 1993 and was also one of the ten coaches selected for
the US Olympic baseball team for the 1992 Barcelona Games.