The Post-Journal

Honor Roll of Student-Athletes: Top Seniors

Bob Wisniewski wasn’t much of an athlete in his sophomore year at Cardinal Mindszenty High School in Dunkirk.

“I was sort of a goof off,” recalls The Post-Journal’s pick for outstanding senior athlete of 1963-64. “In fact, I was thrown off the team during the season. So I transferred to Dunkirk the next year.”

And what was Mindszenty’s loss became their rivals’ gain. From fall 1962 on, Bob “Peanuts” Wisniewski was Mr. Everything for the Maroon and White. He was the third leading scorer for Dunkirk in football and basketball that year, took over second base in baseball and captained the track team – all as a junior.

This year is history. Very few county athletes have performed the wonders Wisniewski has over the past season. He was co-captain of the football team this year scoring both touchdowns as Dunkirk nipped Fredonia 12-6, one of the two wins mustered this season. His 25 points scored ranked fourth in the conference, while his 32 points overall paced the Marauders. He was first team all-conference.

Basketball, Bob’s “favorite sport,” saw the 5-8 mighty mite even more outstanding. Despite his lack of height, he played in forecourt and captained Dunkirk High into Memorial Auditorium for the Section VI Double-A finals. He was second in the Lake Shore League behind Jamestown’s Dick Cole. In the county race, Wisniewski was fourth, with an overall 18.1 average, tops for Dunkirk. Again, he made the all-conference first team.

In track Wisniewski scored more points than anyone in the Southwestern Conference. He paced Dunkirk to second in the conference and was one of three Dunkirk boys to qualify for the over-sectional meet with a second place finish in the sectional 220.

The Dunkirk baseball team co-captained by Bob is still fighting for top sectional honors. He led the team to the runner-up spot in the Lake Shore League with a .333 batting average, sixth in the league and tops for DHS.

All this for a boy who just “came out for the teams, hoping to do well in something.”

Dunkirk Athletic Director Angelo Pagano calls Wisniewski “one of the best athletes in recent years.” Al Stuhlmiller, who coached teams paced by “Peanuts” into basketball and baseball finals says, “He’s a tremendous competitor, all the time.”

Bob hopes to take up both basketball and track at Buffalo State next year. He hasn’t been accepted yet, but is eager to try out the larger world of college athletics.

His biggest thrill over the past two years – “When I scored a touchdown in my junior year, the one that beat Jamestown.”

Wisniewski was an easy choice for Chautauqua County’s “Athlete of the Year” among the Class A, AA, and AAA schools.


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