Gettysburg College Athletics

The long wait is finally over for our next inductee and rightly so. Walt Hemberger put together a stellar career for three seasons on the gridiron and helped Gettysburg become one of the top teams in the state in the early 1950s.

Hemberger first donned the Orange and Blue over six decades ago during a time when football was a much different game from the one seen today. He joined the squad at the end of the Hen Bream era, when the running game took center stage. In his first season, however, the West New York, New Jersey native became the Bullets’ top aerial threat, hauling in a team-high 23 receptions from quarterback Eugene “Berky” Ward. He posted a career-high 291 yards on the year as Gettysburg went 6-3 on the season.

By his junior year, Hemberger was playing both ways on the left end under new head coach John Yovicsin. The Bullets defeated both Delaware and Western Maryland to start the year and closed with wins in four of the final five contests to once again finish with a 6-3 record. Hemberger averaged nearly 20 yards per catch in 1952, hauling in 11 passes for 210 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He helped Gettysburg retain the “Old Oaken Bucket” against Dickinson by rushing for another score. At the end of the year, he was named to the Little Three All-Star Team.

Two successful seasons on the gridiron were just a preview of a spectacular 1953 season for both Hemberger and Gettysburg. The Bullets won eight games on the season – tying the school record for wins set in 1923. The team lost only once – the opening game at Delaware Valley – while beating each of its final eight foes by at least 13 points. For the first time during Hemberger’s tenure, Gettysburg defeated both Lehigh and Bucknell, taking down the Engineers 22-7 and beating the Bison 26-13. Hemberger set the tone against Lehigh, scoring the final touchdown and making several key defensive stops.

Hemberger was a major contributor during his senior season, finishing with five total touchdowns and posting 254 receiving yards. He was named All-State Second Team, only falling behind ends from the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University.
At the end of three years of varsity football, Hemberger led Gettysburg to a 20-7 record. He reeled in 50 passes for 755 yards and six touchdowns.

Hemberger also made the most of his time away from the gridiron, serving on the Student Senate and President’s Council. He was also President of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and was named Outstanding Squadron Commander of the Air Force ROTC program.
After graduating from Gettysburg with a degree in economics, Hemberger served two years as a first lieutenant in the Air Force. He worked at E.F. Hutton Co., Irving Trust Co., and Templeton, Dobbrow and Vance before becoming a senior vice president at PNC Bank in 1973. He has been retired since 2000.

Hemberger also put together a career in politics, serving on the City Council in Tenafly, New Jersey, for three terms and being elected major in 1991. He was also named the Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year.

Hemberger has been married to his wife Evelyn for 57 years. He has six children and 12 grandchildren, the majority of whom are with him tonight.