Northampton inducted its 2017 class into the hall of fame on Friday night, Jan. 13.

Those inducted were the 1996 girls basketball team as well as Dr. Charles Kuntzleman, Eric Spadt, Christine Susko and Edward Yaple.

Dr. Charles Kuntzleman

Class of 1958, Charles Kuntzleman lettered two years in football, two years in wrestling and four years in track and field. In football, Charles was named co-captain in 1957 and was a member of the 1956 and 1957 LVL championship teams. In wrestling, he was named co-captain in 1958. His dual meet record in 1957 and 1958 was a combined 17-2-1 and he finished runner-up in the 1958 D-11 championships at 185 pounds. In track and field, Charles ran the 100, 220 and 440, and held the 220 (22.5 seconds) and 440 (51.1 secs.) records at Northampton. He won the 220, 440 and mile relay in the Lehigh Valley League meets of 1956, 1957 and 1958; was the 440 regional meet champion in 1957 and the 220 and 440 regional meet champion in 1958. Charles qualified for the PIAA state championships and placed first in his 440 heat (51.2 secs), which translated to sixth overall and was undefeated in dual meet competitions from 1956-58 in addition to serving as co-captain in 1958.

Charles went on to enroll at Muhlenberg College and received a full, four-year athletic scholarship. In football, he was a varsity letter winner in 1959, 1960 and 1961. In 1960 and 1961, he was nominated as a Small College All-American (honorable mention). He was named Eastern College Athletic Conference 2nd Team for the 1961 season. At the end of his football career, Charles received the ECAC Academic and Athletic Achievement Award in 1962. Charles was invited to participate in the Gem Bowl (Erie, PA) and was also invited to sign on as a free agent to the New York Titans (later Jets). In wrestling, he lettered in 1961 and 1962, was named co-captain in 1961-62, achieved a dual wrestling meet record of 24-3 and his overall record was 26-6. Charles placed 2nd in the 1960-61 Middle Atlantic Championships, losing to the eventual National Wrestling Champion, 3-2. In track and field, Charles lettered in 1960 and 1962 and was named co-captain in 1962. He ran the 220, 440, mile relay and long jump and received the Coaches Award in track and field in 1961 and 1962.

Charles was declared Muhlenberg College Junior (1961) and Senior (1962) Athlete of the Year and is a member of the Muhlenberg College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Charles and his wife Beth currently reside in Spring Arbor, Michigan, where they have recently retired from Fitness Finders, Inc.

Eric Spadt

Class of 1996, Eric Spadt lettered three years in football and three years in baseball. During Eric’s football career, he was named captain of the football team in 1995, selected to the 1993 Express Times All-Area 3rd Team and the 1995 Mountain Valley Conference 1st Team. Eric currently holds the Northampton football record for most career touchdown passes with 36 passes and sits second on the Northampton football career passing yards list with 3,411 passing yards. In baseball, Eric was a member of the 1994 East Penn Conference and the 1995 and 1996 Mountain Valley Conference Championship baseball teams. Eric was selected as a 1994 East Penn Conference Honorable Mention, 1995 and 1996 Mountain Valley Conference

1st team shortstop and pitcher, and named 1995 and 1996 Morning Call Player of the Year and 1996 Express Times Player of the Year.

Eric went on to play baseball for Penn State University from 1997-00 where he was selected to the Academic All Big Ten Conference in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Eric was named team captain of the 2000 Regional Championship Team which finished 18th nationally in the USA Today/ESPN poll. He was the 2000 Team MVP and was selected to the Big Ten Conference 2nd Team. Eric currently sits in the top 10 of many school offensive categories including runs, total bases, on base percentage, walks, and consecutive games played.

Following his career at Penn State, Eric was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2000 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Eric spent time with the Billings Mustang of the Pioneer League and the Clinton LumberKings of the Midwest League. Eric finished his minor league career with a .321 batting average.

Eric was recently inducted into the American Legion Hall of Fame.

Eric currently works for the Parkland School District as a Health and Physical Education Teacher at Ironton Elementary School and assistant varsity baseball coach. Eric resides in Northampton with his wife, Stacy, and his son, Chase.

Christine Susko

Class of 1987, Christine Susko played softball (4 years), basketball (4 years), tennis (1 year) and field hockey (1 year) and earned a total of eight varsity letters during her time at Northampton Area High School.

In her three years as a pitcher, Christine had a win/loss record of 29-8 with 243 1/3 innings pitched, a 1.36 earned run average, 111 strikeouts, and had a career batting average of .303. In 1985, she played a major part in helping the softball team win an East Penn Conference Division Championship and a District 11 Championship. In 1986, the softball team won the division as well as the overall East Penn Conference Championship. The team was the first Northampton team of any sport to win back-to-back District 11 Championships. Christie was named 2nd team All East Penn Conference as a pitcher at the end of both her sophomore and junior seasons.

Christie went on to attend Princeton University, graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She was a Division I varsity softball pitcher for Princeton for three consecutive years and won the Ivy League Championship in 1988 and 1989 with the Tigers.

Christie has had a rich and diverse career as a marketing and business development professional working for companies in the insurance, financial service and retail industries. She also has extensive experience launching new products. Christie had her own strategic marketing consulting business for ten years and now works for Aon, a global insurance broker, in the Affmity Insurance Services, Healthcare division. Christie has been an adjunct professor at George Washington University and American University since 2010, teaching undergraduate and graduate marketing classes.

Christie is a certified Tae Bo® instructor and trained for her first sprint triathlon this summer. Christie currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia. In her free time, she mentors her students, spends time with her 13-year-old Yorkie Belle, and loves to travel visiting 47 states and more than 25 countries - most recently traveling to South Korea.

Edward Yaple

Class of 1949, Edward Yaple played football (4 years), basketball (4 years) and baseball (3 years) during his time at Northampton.

Edward earned a total of 11 varsity letters and was selected to the Lehigh Valley League Football First Team three times during his career.

Edward was also a 1953 graduate of Syracuse University where he played left end and was co-captain of the football team. A teammate of NFL Hall of Fame center Jim Ringo, Edward played for three years under the tutelage of Hall of Fame head coach Ben Schwartzwalder. Edward earned three letters in football during his time with the Orange and played fullback in the 1953 Orange Bowl against the University of Alabama.

Following his collegiate career, Edward played football for the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the Canadian Football League. After spending time with the Tiger Cats, Edward was called to serve his country as a Corporal in the United States Army during World War II. Edward played football and fast pitch softball during his time in the Army. In 2011, Edward was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame.

Edward passed away on Monday, Jan. 25, 2016. Edward was survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Helen, his brother-in-law, Robert Geist, his sister-in-law, Joanne Yaple, and many nieces and nephews including Barbara Zydyk and Jean Rasley.

1996 Girls Basketball Team

• AAAA Girls Basketball Preseason State Rankings - 3rd Place

• Mountain Valley Conference - First Half Champions

• Mountain Valley Conference - Second Half Winner and Champions (21-3)

• Mountain Valley Conference All-Stars: Laura Newhard (First Team/MVP), Leslie Newhard (Second Team), Nicole Druckenmiller (Second Team), Tara Drago (HM), Amanda Spengler (HM), Sue Kropf (HM)

• District XI AAAA Girls Basketball Tournament Top Seed

• District XI AAAA Girls Basketball Tournament Runner-Up

• PIAA Eastern State AAAA Girls Basketball Champions

• PIAA AAAA Girls Basketball Final Runner-Up

• 27-5 Final Team Record

Coaching Staff: Ellen Malone, Juliann Maurek, Dale Fuller, Sue Fuller

Team: Laura Newhard, Tara Drago, Nicole Druckenmiller, Leslie Newhard, Amanda Spengler, Sue Kropf, Kandiss Kulp, Becky Dashuta, Kristin Filipovits, Lisa Schneider, Alison Edwards

Managers: Rachel Munney, Tanya Drago, Tristin Drago, Lori Paukovits, Lauren Gowdy