Hall of Fame
Pizzat was one of the pioneers of Gannon basketball, having played on the first edition of the men's basketball team in 1944-45. In that very first year, Pizzat was a forward despite his size and led the team in scoring. The 1944-45 team won 10 of 13 games, including two wins over both St. Bonaventure and Kent State, and another big victory over Niagara. In his freshman year, Pizzat scored 204 points for a 15.7 average, but the team totaled only 671 points for a 51.6 average. Pizzat entered the Air Force following his freshman year, but returned in time for the 1946-47 season and was the second-leading scorer with 170 points, which was only 10 less than the leading scorer. He then transferred to Kalamazoo College in Michigan where he earned both his bachelor and master degrees while competing in basketball and tennis. He also earned his Doctorate at Columbia University. It was through the sport of tennis that Dr. Pizzat developed a national reputation as a player, coach, teacher, professional, and author. And he was equally adept with a brush and canvas, as he is one of the most accomplished artists in this area. He was accorded the singular honor of being named a Master Professional by the U.S. Professional Tennis Association. This prestigious award was presented upon the recommendations of the Testing and Classification Commitee for outstanding service to the USPTA and the tennis industry. He was only the 34th receipient of the prestigious award at the time,
