Stanley S. Risser '71
Outstanding Achievement in Athletics
Summer was always a good time in Mechanicsburg; a town blessed with a community pool, and numerous recreational areas for young people. For one young man growing up on 606 West Keller Street in the late sixties and early seventies, it was a time to play baseball and basketball with his friends.
Stanley S. Risser loved and was very good at both sports. So good in fact that he tried out for the Mechanicsburg boys’ basketball team in junior high school and earned a starting spot. He continued to play baseball and basketball when he entered high school in 1969.
Stan was awarded a Varsity ‘M’ letter for both baseball and basketball in his junior and senior year (1969-1971). However, it was in basketball that he excelled like few others have done in Mechanicsburg athletic history. During the 1970-71 basketball season, Stan led the entire Capital Area Conference in scoring with 402 points; an average of 20.1 points per game. During his senior year, Stan led the Wildcats to a victory over the Falcons of Lower Dauphin and set a then record for the most points scored, thirty-one (31), in a Mechanicsburg game vs Lower Dauphin. With 13 points in one game, he also set the new field goal standard mark between the teams. According to Mechanicsburg historian and archivist, Bill Murray, “a number of Harrisburg Patriot News articles credited the success of the Mechanicsburg Wildcats basketball team that year to Stan’s high scoring ability.” Even when a team defeated the Wildcats, newspaper articles credited the “opponent’s success to the fact Risser had been contained in the game.” In the February 14, 1971 edition of the Patriot News’ Mechanicsburg Cage Story, first year coach Denny Beshore summed up the season by saying, “it seems our good nights are the nights Stan has a good game”. He also referred to Stan as ‘like a machine.’ At the conclusion of the 1970-71 basketball season, Stan was awarded the Harrisburg Post Office Sports Club’s Player of the Year for his outstanding basketball achievements. Stan went on to attend Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA. While there he continued to play both sports.
After college, while a mathematics teacher for nearly 20 years, Stan coached various levels of basketball in the Spring Cove S.D. (Central High School). In the fall he coached women and in the winter he coached the men’s basketball program. These included coaching at the youth level, Junior Varsity (both), & Varsity (women) in Martinsburg, PA. In 1991 Stan returned to Juniata College where he coached the Women’s basketball team (Lady Indians) for 4 seasons (1991 – 95) against other NCAA Division III teams like Messiah, E-Town, Moravian, Susquehanna, and Lebanon Valley. Over that span the Lady Indians made the playoffs in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) 3 of the 4 years and led the women to an overall 49 – 41 record. In his first season, Risser led the Lady Indians to a 17 – 8 record, with an upset win over # 1 seed Scranton (24-1) at Scranton in the playoffs. He was also recognized in Sports Illustrated “Who’s Who,” after a 93-92 win over Waynesburg where his ladies shot a record 33 of 34 from the Foul Line. His, team also won back to-back NCAA Division 3 Statistical Championships in 1991-92 & 1992-93, by shooting over 75% “AS A TEAM” from the stripe (foul line) in both seasons. Stan understood it was often the little things like shooting fouls that often made the difference between victory or defeat. In fact, Stan was noted for the saying he used every day in practice, “Lay-ups & foul shots, lay-ups & foul shots, that’s what wins games.”
Post collegiate activities (starting in 1995) include 25 seasons as a PIAA basketball official, and PIAA baseball umpire out of the Huntingdon Chapter (Standing Stone), where he was President in the “SS” Chapter for 21 of those years, and umpired over a dozen D/6 baseball finals at the PNG Field in Altoona, home of the Double AA Altoona Curve, a minor league team of the Pittsburgh Pirates. During his tenure, Stan officiated & umpired hundreds of playoff & inter-district games in Blair County and surroundings.
Because of Stan’s life long career in sporting activities and his overall success in basketball, the Mechanicsburg Area High School Alumni Association has voted to induct him into the Mechanicsburg Hall of Fame for his outstanding achievements in athletics. Both his induction, and 50 year commemoration of the class of 1971 will take place at the annual dinner meeting in June 2022.
Stan was nominated by his son Chris. Currently, Stan and his wife, Bonnie, of 45 years also a Juniata College Grad (1975) live in Martinsburg, PA. They have 2 children (Chris & Holly), and are blessed with 5 grandchildren, 3 local to the area (Dillsburg). Stan hopes one day they will pick up where he left off in the sports world.
Stanley S. Risser loved and was very good at both sports. So good in fact that he tried out for the Mechanicsburg boys’ basketball team in junior high school and earned a starting spot. He continued to play baseball and basketball when he entered high school in 1969.
Stan was awarded a Varsity ‘M’ letter for both baseball and basketball in his junior and senior year (1969-1971). However, it was in basketball that he excelled like few others have done in Mechanicsburg athletic history. During the 1970-71 basketball season, Stan led the entire Capital Area Conference in scoring with 402 points; an average of 20.1 points per game. During his senior year, Stan led the Wildcats to a victory over the Falcons of Lower Dauphin and set a then record for the most points scored, thirty-one (31), in a Mechanicsburg game vs Lower Dauphin. With 13 points in one game, he also set the new field goal standard mark between the teams. According to Mechanicsburg historian and archivist, Bill Murray, “a number of Harrisburg Patriot News articles credited the success of the Mechanicsburg Wildcats basketball team that year to Stan’s high scoring ability.” Even when a team defeated the Wildcats, newspaper articles credited the “opponent’s success to the fact Risser had been contained in the game.” In the February 14, 1971 edition of the Patriot News’ Mechanicsburg Cage Story, first year coach Denny Beshore summed up the season by saying, “it seems our good nights are the nights Stan has a good game”. He also referred to Stan as ‘like a machine.’ At the conclusion of the 1970-71 basketball season, Stan was awarded the Harrisburg Post Office Sports Club’s Player of the Year for his outstanding basketball achievements. Stan went on to attend Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA. While there he continued to play both sports.
After college, while a mathematics teacher for nearly 20 years, Stan coached various levels of basketball in the Spring Cove S.D. (Central High School). In the fall he coached women and in the winter he coached the men’s basketball program. These included coaching at the youth level, Junior Varsity (both), & Varsity (women) in Martinsburg, PA. In 1991 Stan returned to Juniata College where he coached the Women’s basketball team (Lady Indians) for 4 seasons (1991 – 95) against other NCAA Division III teams like Messiah, E-Town, Moravian, Susquehanna, and Lebanon Valley. Over that span the Lady Indians made the playoffs in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) 3 of the 4 years and led the women to an overall 49 – 41 record. In his first season, Risser led the Lady Indians to a 17 – 8 record, with an upset win over # 1 seed Scranton (24-1) at Scranton in the playoffs. He was also recognized in Sports Illustrated “Who’s Who,” after a 93-92 win over Waynesburg where his ladies shot a record 33 of 34 from the Foul Line. His, team also won back to-back NCAA Division 3 Statistical Championships in 1991-92 & 1992-93, by shooting over 75% “AS A TEAM” from the stripe (foul line) in both seasons. Stan understood it was often the little things like shooting fouls that often made the difference between victory or defeat. In fact, Stan was noted for the saying he used every day in practice, “Lay-ups & foul shots, lay-ups & foul shots, that’s what wins games.”
Post collegiate activities (starting in 1995) include 25 seasons as a PIAA basketball official, and PIAA baseball umpire out of the Huntingdon Chapter (Standing Stone), where he was President in the “SS” Chapter for 21 of those years, and umpired over a dozen D/6 baseball finals at the PNG Field in Altoona, home of the Double AA Altoona Curve, a minor league team of the Pittsburgh Pirates. During his tenure, Stan officiated & umpired hundreds of playoff & inter-district games in Blair County and surroundings.
Because of Stan’s life long career in sporting activities and his overall success in basketball, the Mechanicsburg Area High School Alumni Association has voted to induct him into the Mechanicsburg Hall of Fame for his outstanding achievements in athletics. Both his induction, and 50 year commemoration of the class of 1971 will take place at the annual dinner meeting in June 2022.
Stan was nominated by his son Chris. Currently, Stan and his wife, Bonnie, of 45 years also a Juniata College Grad (1975) live in Martinsburg, PA. They have 2 children (Chris & Holly), and are blessed with 5 grandchildren, 3 local to the area (Dillsburg). Stan hopes one day they will pick up where he left off in the sports world.