Four Collingswood Alums Inducted Into County Sports Hall of Fame

Fifty-plus years have passed since Stan Pawlak Jr., Claire Harden, Ferne Labati and Raymond "Bucky" Waters graced the halls of as student-athletes. But all got a trip down memory lane Thursday when they were inducted into the Camden County Sports Hall of Fame.

The four were among 13 "local legends" inducted. 

“Their focus on teamwork and leadership qualifies these latest inductees as permanent fixtures in the history of Camden County,” Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said in a statement.

Learn more about the four Collingswood inductees in biographies provided by the county:

Claire Alden Harden

Claire was a four-sport athlete (hockey, basketball, tennis and softball) athlete at Collingswood from 1940-44. She had an outstanding athletic career at Temple University and was elected to the Temple Hall of Fame in 1985. She is a 1938 graduate of Temple’s School of Physical Education. She was a four-year member of Temple’s field hockey, basketball and tennis squads. Captain of the 1947 field hockey squad, her team went 22-4-3 in four years. She produced 235 wins and many outstanding teams during 21 years of coaching basketball at Holy Cross High School. 

Ferne Labati

Ferne was one of the best all-around athletes at Collingswood during the decade of the 1960s. She was inducted into the South Jersey Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. She lettered for three years in both field hockey and basketball and for two years in softball, as well as playing on the tennis team. After a fine collegiate career at East Stroudsburg, Ferne became one of the top women’s basketball coaches in the nation, first at Trenton State College, then at the University of Miami. She was Big East Coach of the Year in 1992 when the Hurricanes won 28 straight games.

Stan Pawlak Jr.

Stan was the first Collingswood basketball player to reach the 1000-point level. He made All-South Jersey his last two years and as a senior was selected Player of the Year. He went on to a great court career at Penn. He was honored by being named a charter member of the Big Five Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Al Carino Basketball Club Hall of Fame. After college he starred for years in the Eastern Professional Basketball League and served as an assistant coach at Woodrow Wilson. Stan was a three-time All-Ivy honoree and three-time leading scorer for the Quakers. As a Penn senior in 1966, Pawlak averaged 23.2 points per game and still stands third in career scoring average (20.3 ppg) at Penn.

Raymond “Bucky” Waters

A guard with a fine outside shot and superior ball-handling ability, Bucky was a key player on the 1953 Collingswood South Jersey Group 4 championship team. He also earned honors as a football end. In baseball, he was one of the top pitcher-outfielders of his era. He went on to play three years with North Carolina State University. He then became a head coach at Duke and West Virginia where his teams enjoyed conspicuous success. At both schools he produced teams that reached post-season play. For two decades Bucky was a familiar commentator on national television. During those years he has covered many sports, including work at the Seoul Olympics of 1988.