Past Members of the Decade:

Officially voted on by club membership or officers:

Clarence Butcher (awarded in 1990, for the 1980's)

Zella Witt (awarded in 1992, not for a specific decade, but for an incredible personal contribution for the previous 10 years)

Harvey Hayes (awarded in 1993, not for a specific decade, but for an incredible personal contribution for the previous 10 years)

Joe Marschak (awarded in 1999, for the 1990's)

Most outstanding members of the decade prior to the establishment of the award in 1990 (as chosen by this site's administrator):

1920's (organizer):  Sam White-- Founded and served as the only president of the Erie Horseshoe Pitchers League (started in 1920 lasted until 1935), which evolved into this club in 1936.  Started the Erie County Horseshoe Tournament in 1921 which still exists today.  Held many horseshoe pitching exhibitions at the Erie stadium (throughout the 20's and 30's), bringing in current and past world champions and trick shooters.

1920's (player): Sam White--  Won the County Championship 3 straight times in the 20's.  Won many league titles and tournaments in PA, NY and OH.

1930's (organizers):  Sam White & Paul Hewitt--  to Sam White again for a never ending contribution all through this time, but we would be remiss if we overlooked Paul Hewitt-- He was the club's first official president and did many things to help firmly establish this club.  He also pursued his own venture with indoor pitching at the Central Recreation Facility in the mid 30's, which did a lot to escalate the status of the game in Erie.

1930's (player):  Francis White--  Unquestionable!  He won six straight Erie County titles (still a record!) in a time when winning even one was no easy feat!  He also won many other titles in tournaments throughout the tri-state area and competed in the championship class in the state many times.  H e was a dominant player in the local leagues as well.

1940's:  No club activity on record due to lack of play during World War II

1950's (organizers):  Frank Beniasz, Glen Sebring, Joe Peters, Ed Wurst and Jack Potter-- Reorganized the club and revitalized horseshoe pitching in Western PA.

1950's (player):  Jack Potter-- won four out of five county championships held in this decade, averaging in the high 70% range; dominated in league play and was clearly the best player in the county at this time.

1960's (organizers): Paul Beer, Joe Abbott, Jack Potter & Joe Peters--  They brought the World Tournament to Erie and held some of the best Eastern National Tournaments ever.  A number of state championships were also held here.  This was the most active decade of outdoor play in the club's history.

1960's (player):  Dan Kuchcinski-- No doubt about it!  He would also be the player of the century if we had such a title!  3 world titles, 2 state titles before moving to Indiana, many other tournament victories all over the country.  Appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and did horseshoe pitching exhibitions all over the world, all the while pitching in the mid 80% range-- almost unbeatable!  A true champion for sure.

1970's:  None.  Club activity floundered during this period.  There were no stand out players and no stand out organizers.

1980's (organizers):  Listed above

1980's (players):  Frank Bohun & Don Kuchcinski-- Frank won five Erie County Championships and dominated play on a local level.  Don won two state titles, two county titles, ranked in the top five in the world and won many other titles across the Eastern United States, averaging a solid 80+% throughout the 1980's.

--Also in the 1980's:  In 1988, Francis White won the 40' Elders World Title to become our club's 2nd world champion!

1990's (organizer):  Clarence Butcher (Listed above)

1990's (players):  (Aileen Drayer, Steve Kuchcinski and Frank Bohun)-- Aileen won four straight state titles, six county titles and other regional tournaments.  Steve won the state title in 1994, six Erie County titles and was ranked in the top ten players in the country.  In 1988, just prior to the '90's, Steve finished fourth in the World Championships, missing winning the title by just a hair, having lost three games by a combined total of four points!  you can't get much closer than that!  Frank won four World Elders titles, setting cross the board records in Elders play.

Also in the 1990's:  Francis White set a world tournament record for most victories in the 40' Elders Championship Class.