Franklin & Marshall College

Henry Eberle, originally from Sharon Hill and now retired fromSun Oil Corp., is the recently elected mayor of Ridley Park. Heplayed both football and basketball at F&M and at the end ofhis career, was presented the F&M Alumni Association's athleteof the year award. Football was his true love. Eberle playedreceiver for football and started every game except the first ofhis freshman season for the Diplomats. In his first game, he scoredtow touchdowns. During his career, he caught 75 passes in 32 games,20 of which resulted in touchdowns.

Eberle also played defensive back and blocked three punts whileplaying on the football team. Probably the most memorable game forEberle and the Diplomats was a 40-38 come-from-behind victory atAmerican International College (AIC) during his sophomore season.The Diplomats rallied from a three-touchdown deficit to win on thelast play of the game. Facing fourth down and 10 at the AIC 20-yardline and just two second on the clock, sophomore QB Dale Ritterfound Eberle for his third TD reception of the day (Ritter's fifthTD pass of the day).

F&M drove 63 yards in the final three minutes for the gamewinning score to stay undefeated (5-0) on the way to a 7-1 finalrecord. The Lancaster newspaper reported, "How Eberle ever managedto elude all the black jerseys that surrounded him is one of thosethings that will never be known. It was one of the most sensationalcatches in the history of football at Franklin & Marshall."

He was a three-year starter for the basketball team and wasnamed co-captain his senior year. The Diplomats recorded a 28-26record during Eberle's three seasons, including a 14-6 mark hissophomore season.