John Valentino, a 1943 McCaskey HS graduate, earned 12 varsity letters during high school in soccer, basketball, track, gymnastics and cheerleading. At McCaskey, Valentino was the PIAA Eastern Regional State Champion in gymnastics.
Following high school, Valentino enrolled at Penn State University and competed in both gymnastics (as a tumbler) and swimming (as a diver). At Penn State, he was the Eastern Intercollegiate Tumbling Champion in 1944.
After his freshman year at PSU, Valentino served his country in the military service. While in the service, Valentino competed in AAU Gymnastic meets, winning first place at AAU meets in New Orleans, LA, and second place at the Southwestern AAU meet in Dallas, TX. He placed fourth in the National AAU Meet in New Jersey. When returning to Lancaster from the service in 1948, Valentino entered Franklin & Marshall College and competed in diving.
Valentino has served as both a gymnastics and diving instructor for the YMCA … and a swimming instructor for Special Olympics.
John Valentino was inducted into the McCaskey Athletic Hall of Fame and also into the Susquehanna Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.