Charlie Young adds Kutztown University to his Hall of Fame resume

By Mike Drago Last updated Nov 17, 2021

Charlie Young added his second Hall of Fame of the year last week when he was part of Kutztown University’s 42nd Athletics Hall of Fame class.

The former Fleetwood boys basketball coach was inducted into the Berks County Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year as part of the Exeter Black Knights, who were inducted as a team.

Young was a two-sport standout at Kutztown in the 1960s, competing in basketball and tennis. He was the Golden Bears’ top rebounder in 1966 and was named Outstanding Senior Basketball Player that year.

As a senior Young set the school record for rebounds in a season with 253, averaging 13 per game. He also averaged 11 points per game and grabbed a career-high of 23 rebounds on one occasion.

On the tennis court Young was a team captain and played at the No. 1 position. He won 33 matches in his collegiate career.

Charlie Young during Kutztown Hall of Fame induction. (Kutztown University photo)

Young, a Kutztown native, coached at Fleetwood for 10 years, from 1976-86 and is the winningest coach in program history, with 166 victories. He led the Tigers to the 1983-84 District 3 Class A championship; his 1982-83 team reached the district title game and the PIAA semifinals, winning 21 games. The Tigers’ 24 wins in 1983-84 are second-most in program history.

He also coached a 20-win team 1977-78.

Young was inducted into Fleetwood’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2013 and serves as the Hall of Fame’s president. He served the school district for many years as a fifth-grade teacher.

Young is part of a seven-member class that includes Justine (Baer) Reading 2002 (field hockey), Chelsea (Deeter) Lovelace 2011 (women’s soccer), Bobby Eberhart 2006 (men’s basketball), Darin Gorski 2018 (baseball), Ziad Haddad 2018 (wrestling) and Kayla Jones 2012 (women’s bowling).

Eberhart was a four-year starter and defensive stalwart on the men’s basketball team from 2001-05. He served as captain during his senior season, in which he took home All-PSAC second-team honors.
Eberhart, a native of Lancaster, is one of 25 players in school history to score 1,000 career points. He ranks 18th in school history with 1,177 points.