WILKES-BARRE — Kevin Burke, former Pittston Area student and Penn State Academic All American, was inducted into the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame at their Annual Induction Banquet Aug.13 at the Genetti Best Western Hotel
In addition to being an outstanding student athlete at Penn State, Burke was an excellent student athlete at Pittston Area High School and was also inducted in the Pittston Area Sports Hall of Fame.
In addition to being a Penn State Academic All American Burke was also the recipient of the prestigious Penn State Ernest B. McCoy Award for athletic and academic excellence. The McCoy Award is the highest student athlete award at Penn State. A student at Penn State from 1971-1975, Burke had outstanding careers in basketball, baseball and in the classroom.
On the Penn State basketball court, Burke was a three-year starter, averaging 12.9 points per game, was a co-captain and Most Valuable Player of the 1974 team.
On the Penn State baseball diamond, Burke was a three-year starter in right field for the Nittany Lions, hitting .300 as a senior, was a baseball co-captain, played in the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament for three consecutive years, was a NCAA Regional Champion, played in the College World Series and was a National Collegiate Athletic Association Baseball Champion playing for Coach Chuck Medlar.
In the classroom, Burke posted a 3.47 average majoring in Business Administration and was a four year dean’s list student, earning Academic All American and the prestigious Ernest McCoy Award.
During his Penn State career Burke played in over 150 collegiate games for the Nittany Lions in basketball and baseball.
At Pittston Area High School, Burke played basketball and baseball. On the basketball court, he was a three-year starter who averaged 20 points per game, was team captain, All Scholastic and Most Valuable Player. For his outstanding play, he was named to the prestigious Associated Press and United Press International Pennsylvania All State Basketball Teams in 1971 and played in the prestigious Pennsylvania Paxton Jaycees All Star Game.
On the Pittston Area baseball diamond, Burke was a two-year starter, leading hitter, All Scholastic and co-captain. He also had an outstanding career playing for the Old Forge American Legion baseball team, was named the Lackawanna County July Athlete of the Month and was nominated for the prestigious Lackawanna County 1972 Athlete of the Year.
Burke resides in Severna Park, Maryland. with his wife Carol, with whom he has three adult children – son Joe, who played basketball at Salisbury State in Maryland, and daughters Kristen and Lauren, who kept the Penn State legacy going in the Burke family as lacrosse players for the Lady Lions.
