Leo “Gus” Castle

Category
2001
About This Inductee

The late Leo “Gus” Castle was a three-year starter for the Kingston High School football team, and as a sophomore led them to the Eastern Conference Football Championship, throwing/catching 4 touchdown passes in the championship game. Their three-year record was 23-7-0. He was selected to the Wilkes-Barre Publishing Company’s All-Star Team in 1941 and Sunday Independent All-Scholastic Team in 1942. He was co-captain his senior year. Castle earned 10 athletic letters at Kingston in three sports. Gus ran track for four years, excelling in 100 yard and 220 yard dashes and broad jump. In the 1943 District II PIAA track meet, he set a new record in the 100 yard dash with a 9.8 second time. He broke the previous record of 9.9 set by the great Plymouth and later Columbia University track star Ben Johnson (1933). During World War II serving in the U.S. Navy, he duplicated his high school feat three times in the 100 yard dash. Following discharge, he attended Wyoming Seminary and led them to their best season in many years. He moved to Wilkes College and in 1949 scored four touchdowns in one game. He was also a three year member of the varsity basketball team. In addition to teaching 36 years, Gus was assistant football, head basketball and head track coach at Haddonfield High School in New Jersey for 26 of those years. His track and field teams won 2 Group 3 South Jersey championships and 2 Colonial Conference titles. A scholarship presented to the school’s outstanding senior boy and girl athletes is named after Gus. He was inducted into Haddonfield’s Hall of Fame in 1995. Gus passed away in March of 1996.