Saint Francis University Athletics Hall of Fame
Eugene Kruis turned his experiences on the Saint Francis College football and baseball teams into a higly successful coaching career.
A Native of Altoona, Pennsylvania, Kruis was a widely- respected offensive guard on the football team from 1947-1949. As a senior, he was named Pittsburgh Press Class B all-district team and was an honorable mention all-Pennsylvania selection by the Associated Press. He was named the College’s Most Outstanding Athlete for the 1948-49 academic year.
He began a 30-year coaching career in 1950. In six years as head coach at Lancaster Catholic High School, he led the football team to a 38-22 record, which included Central Pennsylvania Catholic League championships in 1954 and 1956. In a 20-year coaching career at Manheim township High School, he was 142-54-5, including 19 consecutive winning seasons, Conference of the Roses championships in 1961 and 1963, the Lancaster County championship in 1968, and Lancaster-Lebanon league titles in 1976, 1977, and 1982. He was Lancaster County’s first inductee into the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Hall of Fame and is a member of the Susquehanna Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
Saint Francis College is proud to honor Eugene Kruis with induction into the Athletics Hall of Fame on this date, Saturday, November 16, 1996.
