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The Mahanoy Area Athletic Hall of Fame will welcome three new members in the Class of 2025 on Friday prior to the football game against Minersville at William “Coach Faz” Fazio Field at Alumni Stadium.

This year’s class will consist of three individuals who gave their lives to Mahanoy Area as both educators and coaches: Dorothy “Dot” Demmer, Christine Di Casimirro Evancho and William “Coach Faz” Fazio.

Dorothy “Dot” Demmer

Demmer is a graduate of Mountain View High School, located in Susquehanna County. Upon graduation, she attended East Stroudsburg University where she studied Health & Physical Education. While at East Stroudsburg, Demmer was a member of the lacrosse team. Her lacrosse career included:

• 2^nd-Team All-Collegiate Team (Junior Season)

• 3^rd-Team All-Collegiate Team (Senior Season)

• Team Captain (both Junior and Senior Seasons)

• Team MVP (both Junior and Senior Seasons)

After earning her teaching degree, Demmer was hired as a Health and Physical Education teacher at Mahanoy Area, where she held that role from 1972-2004. During that time, Demmer created a gymnastics club that she ran from 1972-1982. She served as girls’ basketball coach from 1973-1981, and again from 2003-2006.

What she is most known for, though, is her time spent as head softball coach. Demmer served as head softball coach from 1974-2008, earning more than 320 wins. She coached two different pitchers who earned 64 wins, as well as numerous pitchers who threw no-hitters. Demmer’s teams won eight Schuylkill League division championships, and in 1986 Demmer was named Schuylkill League Division II Coach of the Year.

Outside of school, Demmer was a member of the ASA Fast-Pitch Class “A” softball team from Binghamton, New York, where they were the national champions in 1978. That same year Demmer was named First-Team All-America as an outfielder.

In 2002, based on the recommendation of State Senator Jim Rhoades, Demmer was awarded the opportunity to assist at the Salt Lake City Olympic Games.

In 2009, Demmer was inducted into the Jerry Wolman Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Demmer would like to send a special thank you to Carol Blue. “I am truly thrilled and excited to become a part of a very special group of people. However, I would NOT be here if not for the many great athletes I had the privilege and honor of coaching. I would also like to thank Coach Faz for being the best teaching partner any physical education teacher could ask for.”

Christine Di Casimirro Evancho

As a 1978 graduate of Mahanoy Area High School, Evancho excelled in both basketball and softball, earning six varsity letters. Serving as captain during her senior year, she was chosen to the Schuylkill County All-Star Basketball North Team. She was also the recipient of both the Rotary and the Lions Club Most Valuable Player Awards in softball while also serving as captain her senior year.

A 1982 honors graduate of East Stroudsburg University, Evancho earned coaching certifications in basketball, softball and swimming.

Upon being hired as a Health and Physical Education teacher at Mahanoy Area in 1982, Evancho’s love of sports, coaching and children resulted in a compilation of years coaching various sports at Mahanoy Area, including basketball, track & field, cheerleading, gymnastics, softball and swimming.

In 1983, she developed the first-ever Mahanoy Area Junior High Girls’ Basketball Team. Recognizing the need for a feeder program into the Lady Bears high school program, Evancho spearheaded the effort as the program’s first coach. Her passion for teaching the skills of the game resulted in a 73-game win streak, setting the foundation for the girls to become state champions in their varsity years. She also served as an assistant varsity coach under Ron Lichtenwalner and Joe Alansky. During this time, Evancho also revitalized the return of the Junior High Cheerleaders, creating both a basketball and wrestling cheer team and serving as the coach. She returned to this position later in her career, as well.

Softball and track and field were also part of her varsity assistant coaching repertoire in the early 1990s.

In 1995, recognizing the need for a female strength training program, and with the support of Superintendent John Murtin, Evancho lobbied and served as the first-ever girls’ strength training coach, creating specific individualized programs for female athletes.

From 1993-2011, Evancho served as Mahanoy Area’s Recreation Director. These programs consisted of community and intramural basketball, gymnastics, the Hershey and Senator Rhoades Track and Field Meets, along with many aquatics activities. For her efforts in this area, Evancho was presented with the Rhoades Foundation’s William “Buck” Jones For the Kids Award in 2010.

As a long-time summer and winter youth swim team coach, Evancho built a strong foundation for a future PIAA Mahanoy Area High School swim team. In 2002, the Mahanoy Area School Board approved the addition of swimming to the PIAA high school sports program. Evancho served as the first head coach for the next nine years. Throughout this time, Evancho constructed a very successful program, developing champion swimmers with many league, district and state medalists, as well as an overall winning program. In 2008 she was chosen as the Republican Herald Female Swim Coach of the Year.

Most recently, in May of this year, Evancho was inducted into the Jerry Wolman Anthracite Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame for her success as an athlete, physical educator and coach.

After a 38-year career in the Mahanoy Area School District, Evancho retired in 2020. She continues to volunteer her time for the benefit of our community by serving on the Mahanoy City Public Library Board of Trustees, President of the Mahanoy City Woman’s Club and most recently was appointed to proudly serve on the Mahanoy Area School Board.

William “Coach Faz” Fazio

Fazio was a 1956 graduate of Mahanoy City High School and a 1963 graduate of Slippery Rock State College where he studied Health and Physical Education. His Physical Education teaching career spanned from 1966-1993, with 20 of those years at Mahanoy Area. Upon leaving the gymnasium, Fazio spent one year as Shenandoah Valley’s Athletic Director before finishing his working career as a mobile therapist.

During Fazio’s teaching tenure, he was a devoted wrestling coach (1973-1979), track coach (1981-1988) and football coach (1973-1993) at Mahanoy Area, where he earned the following accolades:

• 1980 Eastern Conference “Division B” Football Champions

• 1980 Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year

• 1983 Eastern Conference “Division C” Football Champions

• 1983 Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Co-Coach of the Year

• 1983 Hazleton Standard-Speaker Coach of the Year

• 1986 Eastern Conference Class C Football Champions

• 1986 Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year

• 1987 Eastern Conference Class C Football Champions

• 1987 Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year

• 1990 Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year

• 1990 Eastern Conference “South Division” Football Champions

• Head coach of the North Team in the North vs. South Dream Game (1984, 1988 and 1991)

• Inducted into the Schuylkill County Wrestling Hall of Fame (1991)

• Inducted into the Jerry Wolman Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (1991)

• In 2018, the Mahanoy Area School District Board of Directors named the football field as William “Coach Faz” Fazio Field in his honor.