Photo by Matt Michelone
Erin (Johnson) Kelly stands with presenter John Nardozza during her induction into the Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday.
EVERETT — Claysburg-Kimmel High School graduate Erin (Johnson) Kelly was born with an undeveloped left forearm.
That didn’t stop her from seeing success on the basketball court.
“People started noticing that basketball actually was kind of easy for me,” she said. “I played in several elementary leagues and didn’t really find anything I couldn’t do.”
She was one of eight individuals, including Northern Bedford graduates Barry Crawford and Steve Moyer, inducted Saturday afternoon into the Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame at Everett Area High School. Three teams were also honored as part of this year’s event.
Kelly’s interest in taking to the hardwood started in elementary school. Her dad was the junior high and varsity girls coach, and she enjoyed time she spent in the gym.
Her story inspired a family from Bellwood with a similar disability who asked for her advice for how to handle having a young child going through a similar challenge.
“The fact that they came to me, just a young teenager at the time, for advice, for inspiration was crazy to me because I still hadn’t figured out how to pull my hair up with one hand.”
Kelly scored 1,000 points at Claysburg-Kimmel. She held the record for 3-pointers (194) at the time she graduated. She was featured in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd in October 1999.
She was named Claysburg-Kimmel’s Outstanding Senior Athlete for 1998-99.
During her time at Penn State Altoona, she was named the Female Student-Athlete of the Year for the 2001-02 school year. She has also won the 1999 Blair County Sports Hall of Fame’s Inspiration Award and the 1999 YMCA/Tribune-Review Scholar Athlete Banquet’s Frank B. Fuhrer Family Outstanding Performance Award.
As part of the Altoona Mirror’s annual Athlete of the Year Banquet held each May, a local award honoring an area high school senior that overcame the most adversity is named after her.
Crawford has been a staple of the Panther athletic department over four decades. He was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball, and lettered seven times.
Crawford became the first-ever Panther boys basketball player to reach the 1,000-point club. He went on to average 20 and 21 points per game for the Penn State Altoona men’s program, leading it to the 1981 Commonwealth Campus championship.
Taylor Ridgeley spoke on her father’s behalf as Crawford continues his fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was present at the ceremony in a wheelchair to take in the celebration as his other daughter, Andrea Ritchey, assisted in the presentation with her sister.
“When I look in the trophy case at Northern Bedford High School and see all of the terrific coaches and outstanding athletes who have been inducted before me,” Ridgeley said for Crawford. “I consider joining them in the Hall of Fame a tremendous honor. I finally get to join my dad, Harold Crawford, and my brother, Greg, as inductees. They were part of NBC football teams that have been recognized in the past.
“I’d like to thank my family and friends who have always been there for me during my playing days and time as a coach. A special thanks to goes to my wife, Tess, who has always been beside me, supporting me.
“Sports have always been a part of my life in some way. I worked with some amazing coaches who have impacted my skills in a positive way and me as a person. I hope as coach that I made a similar impact on the student athletes that I’ve come across in my time.”
He went on to serve as a coach in Panther boys basketball program as an assistant from 1984-1998 before ascending to head coach from 1998-2013, winning 201 games before assisting with the girls program from 2018-2025.
Moyer originally wanted to be a sprinter, or at least that’s what former Panther track coach Dave Mahaffey thought.
It turns out, that distance running suited Moyer well as he won three District 5 championships in the 3200-meter run and just missed out on a PIAA medal his senior year, finishing seventh.
“Being a multi-sport athlete wasn’t always easy,” Moyer said. “It meant long days, short offseasons and constant adjustments. When I first laced up my shoes, I wasn’t chasing medals and world records. I wanted to fit in with the team, but also chase something inside of me, a desire to push limits, to test what was possible.
“The track, the road, the hills, they taught me discipline, resilience, grace in the face of adversity. However, I didn’t run this race alone.”
Moyer had the fortune of training with future Olympian and fellow NBC graduate Brian Sell, which helped propel him into a successful career at Division II Lock Haven where he became an All-American.
During a three-year span, Moyer was a two-time all-PSAC performer, all-regional and finished as the 25th American and 41st overall at the 1999 Division II national meet. He was the team captain during his senior year.
He became the PSAC 3000-meter steeplechase champion in 1999 and 2000 while finishing the runner-up in 1998.
Other members of the class include:
– Basketball coach John Black who led the boys and girls basketball programs between both Bedford and Chestnut Ridge. He led the Lady Lions to their first-ever winning season in 1979-80 and won four District 5 championships while winning two with the boys en route to winning a combined 400 games.
– Sam Carroll from Everett was a three-sport athlete selected for the ICC football all-star team, registered 106 wins on the wrestling mat while being named Altoona Mirror “Cream of Crop” all-star.
– Jeff Clark from Everett recorded a 110-15 record on the wrestling mat and is a 2021 inductee of the District 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame. He set the rushing record during his senior year — 1,885 yards — which stood for years and was selected for the Big 33 Classic, but was unable to participate due to his commitment to the VMI wrestling program.
– Hyndman graduate John Clites is one of the area’s most decorated marksmen, including the North American Hunting Club and NSSF Mentor of the Year Award in 2011, and has a AA rating from the National Sports Clays Association.
– Amy Ray was a four-sport athlete at Bedford as Title IX began to take effect, having played basketball, volleyball, softball and tennis. She was part of three undefeated Bedford County League basketball teams and three District 5 championships between girls basketball and softball.
– In the team category, the 1996 Chestnut Ridge girls track and field team went 12-0 while winning the Bedford County title and the District 5 championship.
– The 1990 Northern Bedford girls basketball team racked up a 23-5 record while winning the Bedford County League, the Sideling Hill League, District 5 class 1A championship and reached the PIAA’s Elite 8.
– The 1967 Claysburg-Kimmel baseball team went 11-1 and won the Blair County League. It won the league after dropping the season opener before capping things off with its first-ever District 6 championship.