Hall of Fame
With consistency and power, Scott “Skooter” Roebuck was a three-year starting first baseball and catcher for the Vulcan baseball team from 1986 through 1988.
Roebuck transferred to Cal U from Division I Charleston Southern University. He practiced, and traveled with the 1985 Vulcans, but could not play with the team that won the PSAC-West title that spring.
Once he was eligible Roebuck made an immediate impact. He led the 1986 Vulcans in doubles (10), walks (21), home runs (7) and runs batted in (40). He batted well over .300 his final two seasons, including a team-leading .372 during his 1988 senior season.
A first-team, all-conference and all-region selection, Roebuck helped the Vulcans win 23 games and 11 PSAC-West games. In addition to holding the team’s top batting average, he also led Cal in doubles (14) and runs batted in (42).
In just three years playing under head coach and 2003 Cal U Hall of Fame inductee Chuck Gismondi, Roebuck compiled a .330 career batting average with 68 runs, 108 RBI, 29 doubles, six triples, 13 home runs and 52 walks. With his induction he joins teammates Jim Burns and Randy Wadsworth, who received their Hall of Fame honors in 2004 and 2007 respectively.
Roebuck is the 21st baseball player to be inducted into the Cal U Hall of Fame, which accepted its first class in 1995. He appreciates the elite list he is joining and respects Cal’s rich baseball history.
"I was kind of shocked when I heard about this,” Roebuck said. “Coach Gismondi had mentioned the Hall of Fame several years back but I really did not think this would happen. Because I only played the three seasons my career numbers were not that high but this is a great honor and again I am shocked and grateful.”
Not so surprisingly, Roebuck praised Gismondi for giving him an opportunity to return from the south to southwestern Pennsylvania.
“When some things got difficult down south he was the only guy that I considered calling,” said Roebuck. “I had spoken to him when I was in high school but back then all of us wanted to go south to play baseball. So I asked if he would be interested and it only took that one call to get things rolling. He took care of everything and has been great. What he did for me meant a lot. He was always there for me.”
Two decades have past since Roebuck’s baseball days at Cal but the memories of the times he spent with his teammates remains vivid and timeliness. He labeled the 1985 catcher Scott Nichols “a fantastic player” and marveled how Wadsworth would catch the first game of a doubleheader; play center field in the second game while batting leadoff in both games.
“I just thought we had a great group of guys and when I heard about making the Hall of Fame I just though of all of the other deserving guys because we had a lot of talent,” Roebuck said. “This honor is really something because there were so many good players and they all have gone on to become good professionals and people.”
Roebuck grew up in nearby Brownsville and graduated in 1983 from Brownsville High School, where he was an all-county player in both baseball and football.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Cal U, Roebuck worked for a couple of years as a substitute teacher and for three seasons as an assistant football coach at Belle Vernon Area High School.
He returned to his scholastic alma mater and has been an economics teacher the past 15 years. He has also been the Falcons’ highly successful head baseball coach for 13 years and the school district athletic director for the last seven years. Roebuck was an assistant football with Brownsville from 1994 through 2006. He helped the Falcons reach the 1997 WPIAL Class AAA championship game and the 1998 Class AA semifinals.
An active athletic administrator, Roebuck is vice president of the Interstate Football Conference and a member of the Tri-County Athletic Directors Association, as well as the WPIAL Baseball Coaches Association. Mixing his teaching and coaching skills, he has published a popular article, “Make Baseball Practices Fun.”
After his collegiate playing days ended, Roebuck played baseball for nearly 15 years in the competitive summer Fayette County League. Always looking to improve in the classroom as well as on the field, Roebuck earned his master’s degree in sport management from Cal U in 2006.
A true scholar and athlete, Roebuck believes his Cal U education paid off as much as his fine playing career did.
“I thought Cal was excellent and I never had a problem with any of the faculty members,” he said. “They all treated you fairly. It was fantastic and if I had to signal one prof out I suppose it would be good ole Doc (Thomas) Code from the history department. He was really something and I enjoyed his classes. The faculty most definitely prepared you well.”
Skooter still lives in Brownsville with his wife, Andrea ’89. They are the parents of a 14-year-old daughter, Taylor, and a 12-year-old son, Shane.
The Roebucks remain a part of Cal and this past summer Taylor was part of The Mon Valley Performing Arts Summer Academy. The two-week summer theatre experience also proved to be an eye-opening one for the father whose many work responsibilities and family duties consume all of his time.
“I ran her down to campus each day and could not believe the changes on campus. It’s really something,” Roebuck said. “We usually make Homecoming every year but watch the parade from town. The campus is just gorgeous. It’s like a different place. I’m certainly looking forward to coming back again for this.”
