A retired globetrotting physical therapist, two former NFL players and a deceased West Virginia University professor will be honored Friday, Nov. 5, during the School of Physical Educations annual Hall of Fame celebration.

Jack Front, whose career as a physical therapist took him from the hills of West Virginia to the coastal plains of Israel, will accept the 2004 Outstanding Alumnus award during the 7:30 p.m. public ceremony at Erickson Alumni Center.

WVU associate athletic director Garrett W. Ford Sr. and independent sales consultant John Mallory, both NFL alums, and the late John G. Scherlacher, who helped establish the Department of Recreation at WVU , will join the hall.

The Class of 2004 inductees are nationally recognized as collegiate and professional athletes and successful and visionary leaders in business and education,Dean Dana Brooks said.The School of Physical Education is proud to add the names of this years class of inductees to its growing list of outstanding alumni.

Jack Front

Raised in Beckley, Front graduated from WVU in 1956 and the University of Buffalos School of Physical Therapy the following year.

He practiced throughout the United States, serving as chief physical therapist at WVU Hospitals from 1960-67, running a private practice in Detroit from 1979-89 and retiring as director of hospitals and clinics for a national rehabilitation corporation in 1996.

Front reached the pinnacle of his career when he served as head of the physical therapists and athletic trainers for the U.S. teams that competed in the Maccabiah Games, orJewish Olympics,in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1985 and 1989 and in Caracus, Venezuala, in 1987.

He was also associate vice president for academic affairs at the College of West Virginia from 1998-2000 and has a masters degree in business administration from Michigan State University. He served several years on the WVU School of Physical Education Visiting Committee until this summer.

He and his wife, Ellie, live in New Port Richey, Fla.

Garrett W. Ford Sr.

Ford, a native of Washington, D.C., graduated from WVU in 1969. While at WVU , he starred as a running back on the football team, becoming the first Mountaineer to top both 2,000 career rushing yards and 1,000 yards in a single season. He was a second-team All-American in 1966.

In 1968, Ford was a third-round NFL draft pick of the Denver Broncos. He played two seasons with Denver before returning to WVU to complete his bachelors degree in physical education.

He made history in 1970 as the first black coach at WVU , accepting a position as an assistant football coach. When he wasnt on the sidelines, he was in the classroom working on his masters degree in guidance and counseling, which he obtained in 1973.

Ford served as an academic counselor at WVU from 1977-85, when he accepted his present position as associate athletic director.

He was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

He and his wife, Thelma, reside in Morgantown.

John Mallory

Mallory is a Summit, N.J., native who graduated from WVU in 1968. He played on the football team while at WVU , leading the Mountaineers in punt returns from 1965-67 while excelling as a defensive back. He was a two-year All-Southern Conference pick and earned honorable mention All-America honors. He also lettered twice in track. Mallory was a 10 th-round draft selection by the NFL s Philadelphia Eagles. Traded the next year to Atlanta, he became the Falconsall-time punt return leader. He was also a player-coach for the defunct World Football Leagues Houston Texans.

After leaving the NFL , Mallory spent nearly 25 years with AT&T in various management positions and is currently an independent sales and marketing consultant.

A dedicated WVU alumnus, Mallory is a member of the WVU School of Physical Education Visiting Committee and has served as vice president of the WVU Alumni Association board of directors. He was named to the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

He lives in Whitehouse Station, N.J., with his wife, Maribeth, also a School of Physical Education graduate.

John G. Scherlacher

Scherlacher taught at WVU from 1947-72, the majority of that time in the School of Physical Education.

He developed the schools Recreation Leadership Training Program in 1948 and helped to establish and later chaired the Department of Recreation, now a part of the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences.

While on the faculty, he also served as West Virginias recreation consultant, traveling across the state to assist communities in planning and implementing parks and recreation programs.

Before coming to WVU , Scherlacher was director of the Sarah Heinz Recreation Center in Pittsburgh and director of recreation for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was director of recreation for the American Red Cross Services to Armed Forces during World War II. He had degrees from Springfield ( Mass.) College and the University of Pittsburgh.

He died in 1981.

This years inductees bring to 86 the number of School of Physical Education alumni named to the Hall of Fame since it was established in 1988.