Joseph A. Naperkowski

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In 1963, Joe started displaying his baseball prowess by becoming St. Joseph’s Little League’s Home Run Champion. In 1964, he was Luzerne County’s marbles champion. From 1967 through 1969 he played both baseball and basketball at Wilkes-Barre Township High School, named All-Scholastic in both sports. He led Wyoming Valley in basketball scoring with a 33.5 average, scoring 1,309 points in two and a half years, making him the leading scorer in the history of Wilkes-Barre Township High School. From 1968-1978, he played Sunday baseball in the Central League as catcher for Heights, Hilldale and Georgetown teams. In 1971 he was offered a baseball contract to play in the Rookie League in Florida for the Cincinnati Reds by scout Al Caputo. From 1971-1972 he played for coach Jim Atherton at Luzerne County Community College and had a 23-1 record, the team winning the Championship. From 1986-2001 Joe was PA and United States Bench Press Champion with a lift of 578.5 lbs., and also an unofficial 600 lb. bench press at Nanticoke Area High School. He was featured in Power Lifting USA Magazine. He was honored by hometown Wilkes-Barre Township with a resolution by Mayor Bob Delescavage. 1997-1998, he won the PA Karate Championship at Keystone Games in Harrisburg. In 1999 he won the United States karate Championship at the Scranton Catholic Youth Center and was named Best Black Belt Fighter in the tournament. He was named grand Champion by winning all five flights at the Tang Soo-Do Tournament and was featured in Black Belt Magazine. Joe is a military veteran, serving with K-75th Airborne Rangers in Vietnam. He and his wife Lynda reside in Wilkes-Barre and have 6 children, Gina, Dori, Dina, Ashli, Joseph and Lydia.