California University of Pennsylvania Athletics

The late James "Jim" Vandermer was a four-year shooting guard for the men's basketball team from 1962-63 through 1965-66.

Despite only starting in his final two seasons, Vandermer finished his career as the fourth-leading scorer at the time with 942 points. 

He joins the three scorers ahead of him — Roger Hotz '59, Dick Majernik '55 and Lloyd Gilmore ´57 — and his coach, Myles Witchey, as a Hall of Fame honoree.

"Jim started grade school a year earlier than most at the age of five which probably held him back somewhat physically early on," said Witchey. "However his willingness and commitment to work on his game and conditioning was exemplary.

"He earned everything he got believe me."

Vandermer was a two-time all-conference selection and a 1966 NAIA Honorable-Mention All-American. He still ranks third and fourth in school history for his free-throw percentage in a single season — .824 as both a junior and senior.

One of Cal U's first players off the bench during his sophomore season, Vandermer helped the Vulcans win nine games, the program's highest single-season victory output in more than 10 years. Among the wins that year was a 111-96 upset of previously unbeaten IUP.

During his junior season, Vandermer averaged 19.3 points per game and helped the Vulcans achieve their first winning season (12-11) since 1953-54.  

In one of many memorable victories during the team's last season at Herron Hall, Vandermer hit 25 of 27 free throws and finished with 35 points in a 108-95 victory over Edinboro. Earlier that season, Cal U had scored a school record 124 points in a home victory over Lock Haven.

The 1964-65 Vulcans led the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) District 18 in points per game (90.0) and field goal percentage at nearly 48 percent.

Vandermer finished his collegiate career by averaging 17.7 points per game and shooting 52.8 percent from the floor. 

His consistent play helped the 1965-66 Vulcans compile a 16-8 overall record and win the program's first-ever NAIA District 18 playoff game — an 11-point victory over Slippery Rock in which Vandermer scored 33 points.

One of the Vulcans' early victories at the new Hamer Hall was a 155-84 win over Bliss College (Columbus, Ohio) that surpassed the previous season's single-game record by 31 points.

Vandermer scored 812 points over his final two seasons, including 425 points in his senior season. 

"He was a very good, sound player both offensively and defensively who always came to win every game," Witchey recalled.  "He played within the team structure regardless of a game's situation. 

"Jim was never an individual that said I. He was such a pure shooter but everything was always about the team."

Echoing Witchey's comments was one of Vandermer's teammates, James "Skip" Kughn ´66.

"He was the consummate team player passing up his own shots for a better one for a teammate," said Kughn, who is now a longtime vice president for Institutional Advancement at Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia. 
 
"He had a great work ethic that paid huge dividends for him and the team, especially our last two years when we became more competitive.
 
"Vandy was the 'go to' guy when we needed a basket and constantly worked extremely hard on his shooting touch and defense."

He earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Cal U in 1966 and his master's in 1970.

A native of nearby Charleroi, Pennsylvania, Vandermer was a 1962 graduate of Charleroi High School.

Kughn credited Witchey for patiently bringing along players and making them steadily improve.   

"Jim and I were unheralded players coming out of high school, but Coach Witchey gave young fellows like us the opportunity to play collegiate basketball and succeed," added Kughn. "But you had to work hard and show that you would make the sacrifices needed."

Vandermer and Kughn's improvement not only helped the Vulcans succeed but the duo also represented the school in 1965 and 1966 at the North-South College Attraction game, held every April in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Vandermer's stellar collegiate playing career also brought praise from local media, including Ron Paglia, who was sports editor of the Valley Independent in the mid-1960s.

"The wiry 6-1 sharpshooter has also built a reputation as an excellent free throw shooter," Paglia wrote in a column early in 1966.   "By virtue of his accuracy California's cagers have won several close games and are in the midst of one of their best seasons ever."

He went on to enjoy a 45-year teaching career. It included 18 years at Peters Township (Pa.) High School, where he spent five seasons as head coach for the boys' basketball program. 

Vandermer also spent five years as a part-time assistant coach under Witchey and helped develop standout players such as Delmer Beshore ´78 and Scott Mountz ´78, who still rank third in career scoring and second in career rebounds in school history.

"Jim Vandermer came to Cal U to get an education and he got an excellent one from our mathematics department which he turned into a wonderful career," Witchey said. "I was fortunate to bring him back as an assistant and he helped bring along a really good group.

"He was just an outstanding person who left his mark here."

He also served as an assistant coach at his scholastic alma mater for a couple of seasons under legendary Cougars' head coach Jim Chacko.

Eventually Vandermer relocated to San Bernardino, California, where he met his wife, Linda. They raised three sons, James (Scott), Ryan, and Brian. They later moved to nearby Highland, California. Vandermer taught math for 27 years at Cajon High School in San Bernardino.  

Vandermer died on June 30, 2014.

updated 04/20/17