Of the 12 inaugural MU Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, only one was voted as a unanimous choice by the Hall of Fame Committee---and that was
Richard W. "Max" Bishop.
A gentleman of unquestioned integrity who exuded sincerity and devotion in everything he did, Dr. Bishop excelled in leadership capacities as an athlete, coach and faculty member at Millersville, and later went on to gain excellence as a scholar in Michigan and Florida.
Dr. Bishop's roots were local because prior to enrolling at Millersville State Teacher's College, he attended Millersville Training School and Manor Township Senior High School. As a high school athlete, he warned three varsity letters apiece in basketball and baseball and was named captain of both squads in his senior year.
When he became a collegian at Millersville, Dr. Bishop continued to excel on the basketball court. As a three-year starter and two-year captain, Bishop led Millersville to State Teacher's College championships in 1934-35 (11-1 record) and in 1936-37 (13-2 mark). He also played four years on the 'Ville baseball team and was elected captains as a senior.
Max also served as president of the Varsity Club as an undergraduate. When he received his bachelor's degree in 1937, he received the Guy Bard Award as the institution's outstanding student teacher.
Prior to World War II, Dr. Bishop was a mathematics teacher and coach at West Lampeter high School. As a baseball mentor, he led his 1940 team to a 10-0 league championship, and he turned the basketball program around from doormat to league champion in three years.
Prior to joining the service, Dr. Bishop competed on the Lancaster Roses professional basketball team and he also played baseball with several amateur and semi-pro teams in Lancaster City and County.
From 1942 to the end of 1945, Dr. Bishop served in the U.S. Navy achieving the rank of lieutenant. He remained on active reserve duty until October, 1953.
In 1946, Dr. Bishop returned to Millersville to teach mathematics and he became a basketball coaching assistant to his mentor, John Pucillo. Two years later, in '48, Dr. Bishop assumed the head coaching duties.
As a collegiate cage coach, Max was one of the best in Millersville history. In eight seasons, he compiled a 123-49 (.715) record. All of those eight campaigns were winning ones and three squads amassed a school-record 18 victories. In conference play, Dr. Bishop led Millersville to an impressive 94-18 (.770) mark.
He guided the Marauders to three consecutive undefeated PSAC championships (under the old Saylor System format) in 1953-54 (14-0 league), 1954-55 (13-0 league), and 1955-56 (12-0 league) that included a club-record 41 straight wins against conference opponents. He also skippered five NAIA district playoff appearances between 1952 and 1956.
Dr. Bishop also served as head baseball coach at Millersville from 1947 to 1954 and compiled a 44-43 overall record.
In 1956, Dr. Bishop left Millersville to join the faculty at Michigan State University and served in a dual capacity with the College of Education and the newly-formed Highway Traffic Safety Center.
In 1962, he moved to Tallahassee, Fla., where he accepted a position as traffic safety specialist for the Florida Institute for Continuing University Studies.
Three years later, Dr. Bishop was appointed associate professor in the College of Education at Florida State University. He received full professorship at FSU in 1973 and retired as professor emeritus in 1979.
At Florida State, Dr. Bishop devoted his scholarly pursuits to driver and traffic safety education. In 1971, the University received a grant of nearly $400,000 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration thanks to Bishop's three years' service in the development of a traffic safety education curriculum.
A prolific writer, Dr. Bishop authored or co-authored more than 40 professional articles, books and other materials. One of his most important contributions was as director and principal writer of the project, "A Resource Curriculum in Driver and Traffic Safety Education", published in 1970 by the Automotive Safety Foundation. Max was also in frequent demand as a keynote speaker, workshop trainer, and meeting planner.
He was inducted posthumously into the Safety and Health Hall of Fame International in Chicago in October, 1989.
Bishop received a bachelor's of science degrees in mathematics and social studies. He also earned a master's of education from Penn State in 1941 and his Ed.D. from New York University in 1961.
Dr. Bishop passed away August 25, 1981. His wife, Ruth, died in 1992. He is survived by his daughters Lucille, Kay and Nancy, and 11 grandchildren.
