When talent meets preparation, dreams can come true.
Just ask Jack McDonald and Lance Rautzahn.
Both will soon add induction into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame to their long list of honors.
McDonald and Rautzhan are both members of the local Allen-Rogowicz Chapter and were recently elected as part of the state’s 2014 hall of fame class.
The 52nd annual Pennsylvania State Hall of Fame Convention will take place Nov. 7-8 at The Woodlands Inn in Wilkes-Barre.
Founded in 1962, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame seats 10 living and two deceased inductees each calendar year. It is used as a way of recognizing athletes, male or female, who have brought lasting fame to the state of Pennsylvania through athletic achievements.
Other 2014 inductees include Mount Carmel native Joe Bressi, Deborah Hock, Gerald Karver, Robert Donato, Robert Mlkvy, Ron Necciai, John Cartwright and Joe Amato as the living inductees and legendary broadcasters Harry Kalas of the Philadelphia Phillies and Myron Cope of the Pittsburgh Steelers as the deceased inductees.
For McDonald, the honor came as a long-awaited surprise. He was nominated 13 years ago, but didn’t make it as one of the 10 inductees.
“The ballots came this year and I looked and saw my name,” McDonald said. “It was a complete shock and honor.”
McDonald is a 1952 graduate of Pottsville High School, where he was a record-setter in football and track. He became one of the greatest running backs for Muhlenberg College, located in Allentown. He was the first Mule to win the Maxwell Award as the Eastern College Football Player of the Week in 1953 in a 20-7 win over Lafayette. He won the award again in 1955 after rushing for 127 yards to lead Muhlenberg past Temple 7-6, making him the only Mule to win it twice.
“Being inducted has made me sit back and think about all of the athletic events I was in and the great athletes and coaches,” McDonald said.
The 80-year-old led the Mules in rushing during his sophomore and senior years and ranks among Muhlenberg’s top all-time rushers with more than 1,300 yards. McDonald was inducted into the Muhlenberg College Sports Hall of Fame.
As a junior, McDonald was listed in Courier’s Magazine as one of the best small college football players in the nation and was named to the all-star and All-East teams.
McDonald is now retired and resides in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
“When I went to high school in the late 40s and early 50s, things were different. We had helmets but no face guards and no weight training,” McDonald said. “All you had were a lot of tough kids who loved to play the game.”
Like McDonald, Rautzhan was a multi-sport standout during his high school career, excelling in three sports at Blue Mountain.
It was baseball, however, where Rautzhan made a name for himself.
After graduating from Blue Mountain, Rautzhan was drafted in the third round of the 1970 Major League Baseball Amateur Player Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The left-handed pitcher played 7½ years in the minor leagues, setting the Eastern League record for complete games in a single season with 21 for Waterbury in 1975, and was a 1975 Eastern League all-star.
Rautzhan pitched three years for Waterbury (1973-75), which played games against Reading in the Eastern League.
“I had a long career in the minors in front of my hometown fans,” Rautzhan said. “That was always what made it a lot of fun for me.”
Rautzhan got the call to the major leagues in July 1977, and appeared in 25 games that season as a reliever. He would pitch three years with the Dodgers (77-79), appearing in 80 games — all in relief — and pitched in 1977 and 1978 World Series games against the Yankees.
When asked about his experience at the two consecutive World Series, Rautzhan feels they are once in a lifetime moments.
“I wish we would have won and beat the Yankees at least once, though,” he laughed.
Rautzhan was the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the 1978 NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies and recorded a save that clinched the 1978 National League West Division playoff against the San Francisco Giants.
“I’m very proud and happy to be a part of this prestigious group and I’m really looking forward to the induction ceremony,” the 61-year-old said.
After playing for the Dodgers, Rautzhan had his contract purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers in May 1979 and appeared in just three games with the Brewers. He was traded from the Brewers to the Kansas City Royals in October 1979 had a brief minor league stint in 1980 before retiring.
Rautzhan now lives in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where he spends his time managing a construction company.
“I would like to thank everyone at the local chapter for all of the hard work they put in to get me inducted,” Rautzhan said.
McDonald and Rautzhan started out simply playing the sports they love for the fun of the game and through hard work and dedication, they were able to make an impact, not just on their hometowns, but on the state of Pennsylvania.