PITTSBURGH (March 6, 2020) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC today has announced its 2020 Hall of Fame ballot, which consists of seven candidates.
Paul Child and Gene Klein form the builder’s side of the ballot whereas Steve Bell, Tenywa Bonseu, Randy Dedini, Gary DePalma and Phil Karn form the ballot on the player’s side.
Child served as an assistant coach during the Riverhounds SC inaugural season and was hired as the director of youth development at this time. The former Pittsburgh Spirit indoor soccer star currently serves as an analyst on the club’s broadcast crew and has greatly propelled the popularity of the sport across western Pennsylvania.
Also serving as an analyst on the team’s broadcast, Klein began his Riverhounds SC tenure as an assistant coach during the inaugural 1999 season. He later became the club’s head coach, leading the team from 2006-09. In 2006, he guided the Hounds to a semifinals postseason appearance.
Both Bell (Peters Township native) and DePalma (Upper St. Clair native) were among the first three players signed in team history (Riverhounds SC Hall of Famer Justin Evans rounds out the trio). This group was signed on Feb. 24, 1999.
Bell started for the Hounds in 1999 and appeared in 21 matches while logging 1,560 minutes. Although a string of injuries led him to stop playing after this campaign, the midfielder took his talents to the broadcast booth where he became an announcer for Riverhounds SC matches during the early years.
Meanwhile, DePalma played with the club from 1999-04 and finished his Hounds career with 145 games played, which is the third most in team history. The attacking midfielder also posted 15 goals and 22 assists with the organization over the course of his career. He is one of four players to have at least 100 games played and 50 points in Black and Gold.
In net, Dedini played for Pittsburgh from 1999-03 and holds the most appearances in club history for a goalkeeper at 113 games played. His 27 career shutouts are also a team record.
Karn suited up for the Hounds from 1999-02. He led the team in goals (13) during its inaugural 1999 season and recorded the first hat trick in club history on Aug. 1, 1999. He is one of two players in team history to have two hat tricks, and his 54 points rank seventh in organization history.
Playing three seasons for the Hounds, Bonseu anchored the backline in 1999-00 before returning to the franchise for the 2009 season. In 1999, he was named All-League First Team. Nicknamed “T-Bone,” the defender posted 65 games played, seven goals and two assists in his Riverhounds SC career.
Riverhounds SC inducted its inaugural Hall of Fame class last year, consisting of Evans, David Flavius, Paul Heasley, Dave Kasper and John Kowalski. The club will enshrine a class into its Hall of Fame every year through 2023. Afterward, members will be elected into the Hall of Fame every two years, ensuring a Hall of Fame class on decade anniversaries of the organization’s inaugural season.
Players must be retired a minimum of three seasons to be eligible for induction.
For more information on the Riverhounds SC Hall of Fame, visit https://www.riverhounds.com/hall-of-fame.
