Mr. Stephen C. Oldt
This scholarship was established in 2021 by Mr. Steve Oldt in honor of Averell Harris. Averell Harris is regarded as one of the best wide receivers in school history. He lettered three years for Shippensburg and helped the Red Raiders win a share of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship in 1976, his senior year.
In 1975, he led the team in receiving with 49 catches. He set records for the most yards receiving in a single game with 172, most yards in a season with 954, and most touchdown passes caught with nine. Shippensburg went 8-2-1 in 1976 and won the PSAC Western Division. The tie occurred at the State Game when Shippensburg ended Eastern Division champion East Stroudsburg's 19 game winning streak with a 14-14 deadlock. Harris finished the year with 36 catches for 525 yards and one touchdown. For his career, Harris had 99 catches for 1,677 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was an honorable mention All-American and a first team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division player in 1976.
Following his senior year, Harris was signed by the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League and lasted until the final cut. He also had a tryout with the Buffalo Bills the following season. Harris played minor league football for the Chambersburg Cardinals where he led the team in receiving four years straight and helped the Cardinals win back-to-back national championships in 1979 and 1980. Harris then became the supervisor of the credit department for the Equitable Gas Co. in Pittsburgh while residing in his hometown of Sewickley.
In 1988, Harris was inducted into the American Football Association (APA) Minor League Hall of Fame and also the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Minor Pro Football Hall of Fame. In November 2014, Averell Harris was inducted into the South Central Pennsylvania Hall of Fame.
Scholarships associated with Mr. Stephen C. Oldt