Furfari At-Large
December 22, 2004 09:35 PM | General
Charley Hockenberry was one of West Virginia University's last three-sport standouts during the period 1937-41. Later he returned to serve 26 years in various capacities for the athletic department.
A native of Nemacolin, Pa., he was a halfback and punter in football under Coach Marshall "Little Sleepy" Glenn (1938-39), a forward in basketball under R.A. "Dyke" Raese (1939-40), and a baseball catcher under Ira Errett Rodgers (1939-40-41).
Before earning a total of seven letters, Hockenberry also played on WVU freshman teams in 1937-38. First-year athletes were not eligible for varsity competition during that period.
"I always thought baseball was my best sport and I played professionally," Hockenberry said recently. "But I also enjoyed the other two sports as well as golf."
Old-timers will tell you that he arguably was the greatest catcher WVU ever had. His career batting average of .418 might well be the all-time high by a Mountaineer. But a limited schedule kept him from getting the required 300 at-bats to qualify for record-keeping.
His .463 batting average as a sophomore in '39, however, remains the fifth best in school history for a single season.
During his undergraduate years WVU was 4-5-1 and 2-6-1 in football, 10-6 and 13-10 in basketball, and 8-7, 9-5 and 5-10 in baseball. Hockenberry was named captain of the baseball team his senior season.
After receiving his bachelor's degree in physical education, he served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II from Nov. 11, 1942, to Jan. 26, 1946.
"But I didn't get any points," Hockenberry said. "I coached and played baseball on service teams."
While managing in Panama City, he took his team to Pensacola, Fla., and played a ballclub that had legendary Ted Williams in its lineup. "And there were 7,000 GIs at the game," Hockenberry remembered.
He was to play against two other Hall of Fame major league stars later when catching for Rochester, the Triple-A farm club of the St. Louis Cardinals. Those were Jackie Robinson, then playing in the minor leagues at Montreal, and Yogi Berra, then with Newark.
Hockenberry, who was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941, played just three years in the minor leagues.
After spending all of 1946 with Rochester, he returned to WVU and coached the school's baseball team to a 9-7 record while studying for a master's degree.
He then became head coach at West Virginia Tech, succeeding Steve Harrick who returned to his alma mater as baseball and wrestling mentor in the fall of 1948.
In all, he coached five years in Montgomery - all five in baseball and two years in football. He spent the summers there managing the EMCO semi-pro team that was outstanding in Kanawha County competition.
Roy M. "Legs" Hawley, then WVU athletic director, hired Hockenberry in 1952 to coach the golf team and also serve as assistant business manager.
Eventually he was promoted to business manager.
"I did a lot of things after coming back here," he recalled. "Helped with ticket sales, worked with (assistant AD) Lowry Stoops soliciting money for athletics and then headed what was then known as the Mountaineer Scholarship Fund."
Hockenberry devoted 27 years to coaching and administrative duties before retiring in the fall of 1978.
He had been a standout in all three sports at Carmichaels (Pa.) High before coming to WVU. It was the closest college to his home, so he and hometown teammate Joe Czajka, an end, came here together.
"We just showed up and were given a tryout for football," Hockenberry said. "They could do that in those days."
The highlight of his golf coaching career was winning the ECAC championship one season. "We had a good team about every year," he said.
"WVU threatened to drop golf, but they didn't until a year or so after I retired."
Hockenberry and his wife, the former Helen Gregg, still live in Morgantown. They have two grown daughters, Charlene Glogola of Charleston and Judy Ann Wildman of Morgantown. They also have two grandsons, Matthew Glogola of Atlanta and Simon Wildman of Morgantown.
