RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sourcesIn celebration of the 250 th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence just across the river in Philadelphia, the Courier-Post sports staff has compiled an wide-ranging list of the top 250 South Jersey athletes of all time.
Our staff scoured the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and Daily Journal archives, spoke to countless South Jersey athletic luminaries and argued endlessly on the final list of 250 names.
To be eligible for this list, an athlete must have attended a South Jersey high school, lived their formulative years in South Jersey or gained their notoriety from their connection to South Jersey.
In the coming weeks, we will present the names in reverse order until we get to No. 1.
USA 250 South Jersey Athletes of All Time links
201-250 | 151-200 | 101-150
51-100 | 26-50 | 1-25
This week, we bring you the athletes from 100-51:
100. Billy Melchionni, Bishop Eustace
A standout at every level he played, Melchionni put together one of the most decorated careers of any hoop player in South Jersey history and was a teammate of both Wilt Chamberlain and Julius Erving. A two-time state champion at Bishop Eustace, Melchionni was a star at Villanova where he tallied 1,612 points and was the NIT Tournament’s Most Valuable Player as the Wildcats finished third. A second-round pick (19 th overall) in the 1966 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, Melchionni was a key member of the 1967 NBA champion squad. He went on to play in the ABA with the New York Nets where he was a three-time All-Star and two-time ABA champion.
99. Whitey Witt, Alloway
A longtime resident of Alloway Township, Witt played 10 years in the majors, including four with the New York Yankees when he was roommates with Babe Ruth and scored the first ever run at the original Yankee Stadium. Witt hit .287 with 300 RBIs and was a World Champion with the Yankees in 1923.
98. Barney Shultz, Burlington City
How good was the Burlington City High School baseball team in 1944? Three players reached the majors, including the knuckleball-throwing pitcher Schultz. While with the Blue Devils, Schultz struck out 21 batters in a game. Schultz was a key reliever on the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals in 1964, saving 14 games during the regular season and Game 1 of the World Series against the New York Yankees.
97. Orlando Caceres, Pemberton
One of Burlington County’s all-time best, Caceres was a two-time state champion at 120, in 1979 and 1980. He finished his senior season at 31-0, raising his career record to 79-3-1, which included a string of 60 straight wins. He was a Division III runner-up while wrestling for Trenton State College in 1984 and went on to represent Puerto Rico later that year in the Olympic Games.
96. Blaine Neal, Bishop Eustace
The Haddon Heights native was a standout first baseman at Bishop Eustace Prep, collecting a single-season program record 53 RBIs as a senior. He signed with the Florida Marlins as a fourth-round draft pick in 1996 and remained as a first baseman due to elbow problems. His career would take a huge jump the organization later turned him into a reliever. He would pitch five seasons with four teams in the majors. He was the closer on the United States gold-medal winning team at the 2008 Beijing Games.
95. Eddie Miksis, Burlington City
Despite being courted by several big-time colleges for basketball as well as World War II raging on in 1944, this infielder got an offer from the Brooklyn Dodgers he couldn’t refuse. The team told Miksis he would go immediately to the major leagues, even before he picked up his diploma from Burlington City High School. He would play 14 seasons in the majors and participated in two World Series for the Dodgers in 1947 and 1949.
94. Tara Lipinski, Sewell
Before she grew up to become one of the world’s top figure skaters, Lipinski resided in the Sewell section of Washington Township. She would win a gold medal at the World Championships in 1997 before capturing Olympic gold at the 1998 Nagano Games. She earned a silver medal at the U.S. Championships held in Philadelphia in 1998, a year after winning a gold medal at the event in Nashville. She’s gone on to become a popular broadcaster.
93. Deanna Knobloch, Moorestown
An All-South Jersey defender and state champion for the Quakers, Knobloch moved on to Trenton State College (now TCNJ) after graduating in 1986 and became a two-time NCAA All-American player for the Lions, while winning three NCAA Division 3 championships. Knobloch returned to Moorestown as a teacher and took over girls lacrosse program at the school. In 27 seasons at the helm, Knobloch's teams won 15 outright state titles and 14 group championships. Knobloch retired with a state record 554-44-4 career mark. Knobloch sent scores of players to NCAA careers and produced dozens of coaches through her program.
92. Danyle Heilig, Moorestown
Don't make the mistake of overlooking the athletic career of this 1991 Moorestown graduate. She is the prototype for the amazing two-sport stars that the Quakers are known for. A standout field hockey and lacrosse player, Heilig went on to become a two-time lacrosse All-American and three-time Regional All-American field hockey player at James Madison, leading the Dukes to the 1994 NCAA Field Hockey championship. Heiling returned to become the premier scholastic coach in South Jersey history. Following a one-year, South Jersey Rookie Coach of the Year stint at Haddon Heights, she authored the most accomplished two-decade run of all time at Eastern. Heilig won 21 consecutive NJSIAA Group 4 championships with the Vikings before retiring with a 527-16-10 record.
91. Amirah Ali, Eastern
One of the most dynamic soccer scorer's South Jersey has ever seen, Ali was a three-time All-American at Eastern Regional and the 2015 Courier-Post Player of the Year. Ali scored 99 goals with 51 assists in high school before moving onto Rutgers University, where she score...
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.