Leroy Leslie - Teacher and Coach
Leroy Leslie was a 1948 graduate of Johnstown Catholic and a standout on the hardwood for the Crushers. During his illustrious career, Leslie scored 663 points, which at the time was second in school history. He is one of eight players in school history to average more than twenty points in a season. In his senior season, Leslie scored 36 points in a game against St. Joe’s, which is fifth in school history.
Following his career as a Crusher, Leroy continued his basketball career at the University of Notre Dame. During his three years on the Fighting Irish varsity team, Leslie set more records than any other man in Notre Dame basketball history up to that point. Leslie earned NABC Division I Honorable Mention honors following his senior season in which he led the Irish in scoring and free throw percentage.
In 1959, Leslie returned to Johnstown Catholic to lead the Crusher basketball team. During his five seasons as the head coach, Leslie amassed a 107-30 record and led Johnstown Catholic to two P.C.I.A.A. State Championships in 1960 and 1963. In four of his five seasons, Johnstown Catholic won twenty games and the team’s twenty-five wins in 1963 is sixth all-time in school history. Coach Leslie was inducted into the Bishop McCort Sports Hall of Fame in 1973.
Joe Majer - Teacher and Coach
Between 1946 and 1955, Joe Majer spent his fall Friday nights roaming the Johnstown Catholic sidelines as the school’s Head Football Coach and his winters as the Head Basketball Coach. His nine years leading both the football and basketball team’s are the second most seasons serving as the head coach in either sport.
As the Head Basketball Coach, Majer led the 1950-51 team to the school’s only undefeated season (27-0) and the school’s first P.C.I.A.A. State Championship. During his tenure as the Head Coach, the Crushers never had a losing season and won more than twenty games six times. Majer’s 183 wins as the school’s Head Basketball Coach still stands as the second most wins in school history.
As the Football Coach, Majer led the Crushers to the school’s first undefeated season (8-0) in 1951. Coach Majer led Johnstown Catholic to a 39-31-8 record in his nine seasons as the Head Coach. His 39 wins is 5th in school history.
Following the 1955 basketball season, Coach Majer took the head coaching job at Conemaugh Township High School and stayed there as the school’s head coach for the next twenty-five seasons. In 1979, Coach Majer’s Conemaugh Township teams was a P.I.A.A. Class A State Finalist. Coach Majer was inducted into the Bishop McCort Sports Hall of Fame in 1973.
Pete Duranko - Student Athlete
Pete Duranko, a fullback-defensive tackle at Johnstown Catholic (now Bishop McCort), was the first Crusher football player named to the Associated Press and UPI All-State Team as part of the 10-0 team in 1961. During his illustrious career at McCort, Duranko set career school records with 3,234 yards rushing, 3,412 combined rushing and receiving yards, and 49 touchdowns scored. Known as “The Diesel” around the halls of Catholic High, Duranko ranked twice in the top five in school history for rushing yards in a season, the only player in school history to accomplish such a feat. In his senior season, Pete rushed for 1,450 yards, which is third all-time and he is fifth all-time with 1,350 yards rushing in his junior season. During his senior season, Pete was second on the team in scoring on the Crusher basketball team.
Following graduation from McCort, Duranko went on to star at the University of Notre Dame and was a part of the Fighting Irish’s national championship team in 1966. Duranko then played eight seasons for the Denver Broncos in the National Football League. Duranko has been inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and was part of the Class of 1973 induction into the Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame.
At a 2008 all-school assembly on the campus of Bishop McCort Catholic High School in the Guzzi Performing Arts Center, Bishop McCort’s Class of 1962 announced the dedication of the weight room in the Bach Wellness Center in the name of Pete Duranko. The Pete Duranko Golf Classic is an annual outing that benefits the Pete Duranko Scholarship Fund and Bishop McCort Catholic High School. In July 2011, Pete lost his courageous battle with ALS.
Mike Patcher - Student Athlete
Mike Patcher began his basketball career by leading St. Joseph’s School to the Pennsylvania State Parochial Basketball Championship. St. Joseph’s Elementary is the only team from our Diocese to ever win a state championship.
In 1965-66 season, Patcher led the Bishop McCort Crushers to the P.C.I.A.A. State Championship. The Crushers beat the PIAA champion, Schenley High School, on their way to a historic 28-2 season. During his career, Patcher scored 862 points which is fifteenth in school history. His 475 points during his senior season was second on the team.
Mike was also a three-year starter at the University of Pittsburgh, where he led the Panthers in rebounding for two consecutive seasons.
“Patch”, as he was affectionately known, left us at an all too early age but will long be remembered as one of the greatest Crushers of them all. His classmates created the Michael P. Patcher Jr. Memorial Junior High Basketball Tournament, held at Bishop McCort, to honor his memory. Donations and proceeds of the Invitational Tournament are restricted to the establishment of the Michael Patcher Memorial Scholarship. The Scholarship will be available to any student wishing to enroll or to continue their education at Bishop McCort High School.
