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Hall of Fame 2018
PAUL ‘BUD’ ALEXANDER (1926 – 1989)
Paul “Bud” Alexander was born in the Kensington section of Philadelphia in 1926. He was a Navy Veteran of World War II. During one battle, his ship was sunk and Bud spent eight hours in the water, contributing to later health problems. He moved back to Philadelphia upon his discharge from the Navy, and was employed by the Boys Club of Philadelphia and was their Director for 25 years, retiring in 1969. He then moved to East Cocalico Township where he resided for twenty years.
Bud was the director of Indian Run Camp in Vinemont where he was instrumental in bringing in boys from the Germantown Boys Club for a week to give them a taste of life outside of the big city. Being a fan of high school soccer, he followed many of the local soccer teams, especially Ephrata and he also coached at Wilson in Berks County. He was an assignor, assessor and instructor for the Reading-Berks and Lancaster-Lebanon Soccer Associations. Referee instruction was new to many of these areas so he can be credited with originating many of the programs there.
His friendship with Werner Kraheck led him to become involved in the Central Penn Soccer league in 1979 which encompassed 30 teams in 3 divisions: West, Central, and East. When a new league, the EPASL was formed, he joined as the Registrar and held that position until becoming ill and dying in the spring of 1989. EPASL honored Bud by hosting tournaments for several years beginning in 1992. Named the Bud Alexander Tournament, this competition drew players from all areas of Eastern Pennsylvania.
Bud’s passion for soccer made him an important part of the history and development of the game in Berks, Lancaster, and Lebanon Counties.
Norman S. Inazu (1942 – 2011)
Norman Inazu was born in 1942 in a Japanese hospital in Los Angeles, California. Because of the war and the bombing on Hawaii, as an infant he and his family were placed in a relocation camp in Manzanar CA for 3 years. Norman served in the United States Army from 1965 to 1981, and eventually made his way to Pennsylvania, attended Drexel University, and found a home in Glenside with his wife Marlise of 41 years. They had 2 children, Scott and Anna, who got him started in his second career as a soccer coach and administrator.
Norman was involved with the Hunter Soccer Club for over 30 years. He held various titles including President, and coached both their youth and adult teams. In fact, he led the Hunter Men’s soccer team to multiple League championships, and advanced them to both State and National competitions in the Open and Over-30 divisions. Hunter SC has a scholarship awarded yearly in his honor, which Norman helped to establish and fund. He coached High School soccer and also volunteered for the Inter-County Soccer League as their Registrar for many years.
At the State level, he was active with the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer as a delegate, and he was the Cup Commissioner for the adults with Eastern Pennsylvania Soccer. The EPSA has named their Men’s Over 30 competition after Norman, for all of his hard work and the selfless effort he maintained throughout his soccer career.
Norman Inazu was a truly genuine man, with a love of reading, growing orchids, and a true bird enthusiast. He will be remembered for his good nature and his active involvement in sustaining soccer in Eastern Pennsylvania.
Michael Lukashunas
Michael Lukashunas began his soccer officiating career in 1979 as an AYSO referee. He continued to grow as a referee, becoming licensed as a United States Soccer Federation referee and as a high school (PIAA) and college official (NISOA), accelerating to National status in both organizations. He also refereed in the professional indoor ranks with the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA) which eventually became the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) where he retired from the floor after 27 years.
Michael worked many high level youth and adult tournaments and leagues, receiving both Gold and Bronze medal game awards as referee and assistant referee and he had the distinction of officiating at the prestigious Donnelly Cup. He has also been recognized for numerous awards throughout his career, including two very distinguished awards – “Best Out of State Referee” while at the USA Cup in Minnesota and the USSF “Region 1 Referee of the Year” award. Two of his fondest memories were having the pleasure of being the referee liaison for the international referee crews for the men’s Olympic Qualifying tournament and the Women’s Gold Cup, both of which were held in Hershey in 2000.
In addition to officiating, Michael was a National Assessor and local Instructor. He is currently the Assistant State Referee Administrator for the Capital Region in Eastern Pennsylvania, and has served on the EPSA Referee Committee since 1994, a position he holds to this day. He was the Capital Area NISOA President for 15 years, as well at their treasurer, and currently volunteers to serve on the boards of both local PIAA and NISOA chapters. Michael’s contributions both on and off the field have helped to sustain the Capital Area soccer program, as well as the Eastern Pennsylvania Soccer Association, for many decades and we thank him for his continued dedication to the sport in Eastern Pennsylvania.
Larry Samples, VMD
Larry Samples grew up in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from Penn State, and was a versatile athlete playing football, rugby and running track. After completing his VMD from the University of Pennsylvania and moving to Hummelstown PA, he opened his own practice, specializing in large animals.
His wife Anita signed him up in 1979 to coach his children in the then-forming South Hanover Soccer Association (SHSA). “The only things that I knew about soccer were that it was played with a round ball and that there was a man named Pele.” During his involvement with SHSA he coached, was President of the club and became a USSF licensed referee. He was also District Commissioner with the Central Penn Youth Soccer League (CPYSL). His love of soccer affected his son Eric, who became a licensed referee when he was 13 and continues to be an active referee in college and PIAA games.
He was instrumental in forming, and was president of, the first professional indoor soccer team in Pennsylvania, the Hershey Impact, which played in the Hershey Park Arena. He was Game Commissioner of the Central PA Soccer Association (CPSA) and became involved in the Eastern PA Soccer Association (EPSA) as the CPSA representative. He helped start the EPSA League Champions Cup, was elected Vice President of EPSA and appointed Arbitration Committee Chairman, both positions he continues to hold today.
Larry looks back with pride at the growth and success of the game in Pennsylvania and the United States. “I remember our fight to convince the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) to authorize soccer as an official sports program and Ron D’Anjollel, John Toutkaldjian and myself preparing for our meeting with the PIAA Board of Directors. Today, I believe there are more participants in the soccer programs than any other scholastic programs. There is definitely more to soccer than a round ball and a man named Pele.”