NORTHAMPTON, Pa. – The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame – Lehigh Valley Chapter has announced that East Stroudsburg University alumni Bob Bydlon '78, Chris Gerhard '88 M'07, Mike Falcone '74 and Mike Terwilliger '78 and will be inducted into the organization's hall of fame on Friday, May 3 at the Northampton Memorial Community Center.
Bydlon '78, a guard, earned All-PSAC East First Team honors during his senior season as a Warrior in 1978. He was a member of three PSAC Championship teams (1975, 1976 (co), 1978) in his four seasons which compiled an overall record of 35-3-1. He served on the same offensive line alongside fellow Warrior legends Jeff Detzi, Pat Flaherty, Art Boorujy, who all earned All-PSAC honors during their careers.
Bydlon, a graduate of Marian Catholic, went on to become a legendary coach at Catasauqua High School in both basketball (eight years) and football (27 years). In seven years as the head coach of football at Catty, Bydlon guided Rough Riders to three Colonial League titles and two Eastern Conference Championships. He also served as an assistant coach at Whitehall and Nazareth.
Gerhard '88M'07 earned All-PSAC honors in both 1984 and 1986, with the defensive back also garnering ECAC All-Region accolades and AP Little All-America Honorable Mention in 1986. The ballhawk is tied for the program lead with seven fumble recoveries in his career and finished his career in the Red and black with 190 tackles and nine interceptions. Along with earning all-conference marks as a defensive back, Gerhard still leads ESU in all-time return yards (2,767), and kickoff return yards (2,008), while ranking second all-time in career punt return yards (759). Despite not playing an offensive position, his 2,821 career all-purpose yards rank 17th all-time at ESU.
After graduating from East Stroudsburg, Gehard was signed as a free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles, then cut. He came back to play in three games as a replacement player during the NFL strike in 1987. He went on to become the head football coach for local high schools Nazareth, Northampton, and his alma mater, Catasauqua.
Falcone '74 was a letterman during ESU's 1973 season as an offensive guard that went 6-1-1 under head coach Charles Reese. The Warriors outscored the opposition 125-50 and took second place in the conference with a 5-1 PSAC record. Falcone has been a staple locally in coaching football, completing his 50th year as a coach in 2023. After graduating, the Bangor native began coaching freshman and junior varsity at Pius X. He has spent time on the sidelines as an assistant for Palmerton, Allentown Central Catholic, and Nazareth, along with two stints as head coach of Pleasant Valley. Falcone is currently an assistant coach at Palmerton and helped guide the Blue Bombers to a 12-1 record and a District XI Championship appearance this past season.
Terwilliger '78 enters his 50th consecutive season holding a role with ESU football in 2024, including the past 45 as a coach. Whether it has been as the offensive coordinator, quarterback coach, or quarterback, Terwilliger has been a part of each of the past 518 games at ESU dating back to 1974. Terwilliger has twice been recognized with major national awards by the American Football Coaches Association - he was named DII Assistant Coach of the Year in 2006 and was honored as the Outstanding Achievement Award recipient in 2015. Terwilliger was involved in all 471 games - the Division II record - that Denny Douds spent sidelines as a head coach prior to his stepping aside last fall. As ESU's quarterback coach since 1978, Terwilliger has tutored all of his successors at the position, including Andy Baranek, Bret Comp, James Franklin, Damian Poalucci, Jeremy Palm, Jimmy Terwilliger, Tim Roken, Matt Marshall, Ray Wagner and Matt Soltes.
As a player, Terwilliger was one of the finest quarterbacks in program history. After taking over as a starter early in his freshman year, Terwilliger earned All-Conference first-team honors twice and was also an Associated Press Little All-America honorable mention selection. He threw for 3,799 yards and 33 touchdowns in his playing career.
Additionally, Phillip Stambaugh will also be honored at the event.
For tickets, contact Mark Farnan at (484) 894-1225 or email markjtf63@gmail.com.
