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LEWISTOWN -- The Mifflin County Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors has selected Robert "Buck" McCurry and Carl Barger as its 2027 Veterans Committee inductees.
McCurry and Barger make up the Hall of Fame's complete Veterans Committee class for 2027. They will be honored with the regular class during the organization's induction ceremony May 8, 2027, at Birch Hill Event Center in Burnham. The social hour will begin at 5 p.m., followed by the ceremony at 6 p.m.
The two Mifflin County natives built national reputations along different paths. McCurry became an All-American football player and three-time captain at Michigan State. Barger helped keep the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh before becoming the first president of the expansion Florida Marlins.
After playing football at Lewistown High School and serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, McCurry continued his career at Michigan State.
A center for the Spartans from 1946 through 1948, McCurry earned All-America honors and served as team captain for three consecutive seasons. Michigan State hadn't named a full-time captain in 15 years before his teammates selected him for the 1947 season.
The Detroit Lions drafted McCurry in 1948, but he remained at Michigan State and earned his degree. He later served as a Spartans assistant football coach in 1949 and 1950.
Michigan State continued to honor McCurry long after his playing days. In 1982, he received the Duffy Daugherty Memorial Award, presented annually to an individual for lifetime achievement and outstanding contribution to amateur football. He was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993. The university also established a football scholarship bearing his name.
His career after football included 28 years with Chrysler Corp., where he rose to group vice president of automotive sales and marketing. He later held executive positions with Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., and was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame. McCurry died in 2006 at age 83.
Barger, born in Lewistown in 1930, graduated from Lewistown High School in 1948. After earning degrees from Shippensburg State College and Dickinson School of Law, he built a career as a Pittsburgh attorney and baseball executive. He became a partner and chairman of the law firm Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott.
When the Pirates' future in Pittsburgh became uncertain during the mid-1980s, Barger helped organize the public-private coalition that purchased the franchise and kept it in the city. He became the Pirates' president and chief operating officer and helped build an organization that rose from the bottom of the National League East to win three consecutive division championships from 1990 through 1992.
Barger left the Pirates in 1991 to become the first president of the Florida Marlins. He helped assemble the expansion franchise's front office and prepare the club for its inaugural 1993 season.
He never saw the Marlins take the field. Barger died Dec. 9, 1992, at age 62 after collapsing during baseball's winter meetings in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Marlins dedicated their inaugural season to Barger and retired No. 5 in his honor, a tribute to his favorite player, Joe DiMaggio. The number remained retired through 2011. The organization later placed a bronze plaque honoring Barger at its ballpark.
McCurry and Barger had earned national recognition long before receiving this local honor. Their 2027 induction will place their names among the athletes, coaches, administrators and contributors preserved in their home county's Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame is accepting memberships for the 2027 induction cycle. Annual membership costs $20 and gives members voting privileges in the selection of individual inductees. Membership is open to sports enthusiasts interested in preserving and recognizing Mifflin County's athletic history.
Those wishing to join or renew their membership may send the $20 membership fee to the Mifflin County Sports Hall of Fame, P.O. Box 989, Lewistown, PA 17044, or register online at www.mcsportshof.com.