Joe Pukach may have been small in stature for a
basketball player at 5'-4" but his play earned him big time respect,
being regarded as one of the best players in the history of Davis
and Elkins College. Joe was known as a brilliant floor leader, with
a penchant for knocking down long range set shots from as far as
center court. Before he was done at Davis and Elkins, Joe had accumulated such
nicknames as “The Mighty Atom,” “The Elusive Elf,” and “A Human
Dynamo.” Joe began his career at Aliquippa and graduated in
1943. After serving in World War II, Joe accepted a scholarship to
Davis and Elkins, where
Press Maravich was an assistant coach and
recruited Joe and two other Aliquippans to play for the Senators. An
exceptional student, Joe graduated in just three years with honors,
but still managed to leave his mark on the hardwood. A starter from
the beginning, Joe helped the Senators to the state playoffs in each
of his first two seasons. As a senior, Joe was co-captain and led
the Senators to a 29-5 record, the best ever at the school, and to a
state tournament title, with Joe named to the All Tournament team.
In the national NAIA tournament that followed, Joe again earned All
Tournament honors and All American honors for his senior year. Joe
was named to the Davis and Elkins Team of the Decade for the 1950s
and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 1982. In 1980 he
was inducted into the Aliquippa Sports Hall of Fame. Joe retired from
teaching at Aliquippa in 1982 after assisting in basketball for
several years and also serving as the school’s athletic director.
Joe Pukach may have been small in stature for a
basketball player at 5'-4" but his play earned him big time respect,
being regarded as one of the best players in the history of Davis
and Elkins College. Joe was known as a brilliant floor leader, with
a penchant for knocking down long range set shots from as far as
center court. Before he was done at Davis and Elkins, Joe had accumulated such
nicknames as “The Mighty Atom,” “The Elusive Elf,” and “A Human
Dynamo.” Joe began his career at Aliquippa and graduated in
1943. After serving in World War II, Joe accepted a scholarship to
Davis and Elkins, where