WILKES-BARRE — George Toma, the legendary head groundskeeper at all 56 NFL Super Bowls, was inducted into the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame John Louis Popple Chapter Sunday with 13 other local sports notables.
The event was held at the Best Western Genetti Hotel and Conference Center in Wilkes-Barre. Jim Martin, chapter president, presented the incoming class.
Toma, 93, is a world renowned groundskeeper and an Edwardsville native who got his start at the former Artillery Park to help with his family’s finances. His career blossomed into one that has taken him to various venues around the world where he has helped prepare playing fields for the NFL’s Super Bowl, World Series games, the Olympics and the World Cup.
Toma’s fellow inductees include Shelley Black Leap of Coughlin, track and field; Amy Mantush Filanowski, Hazleton Area grad, track and field, basketball; Dr. Pamela Yanora Hughes, Tunkhannock Area volleyball star; Edward Kopec Jr., Wyoming Valley West cross country and coaching; Megan Krebs Kriso, three-sport standout at GAR; Shelley Black Leap, Coughlin track and field great; Linda Messner, Towanda, coaching; Timothy McGinley, wrestling coach and referee; Joshua Richmond, SFC, Sullivan County, marksmanship; Brea Lynn Seabrook, GAR three-sport standout; Chris Shovin, GAR basketball great; Charles ‘Chuck’ Suppon, Dallas, football, and Dr. Gary Verazin, Nanticoke Area basketball great.
In addition the Hall of Fame honored Dan Mulhern of Wilkes-Barre with its Community Service Award for his work with Challenger Baseball; Robert Baker of the Wyoming County Examiner with the Media Award and Para-Olympian Audrey L. Jumper with the Tracey Tribendis “Profile of Courage” Award.
In his speech, Toma was sure to let the crowd know that even though he has lived in Kansas City since the mid-1950s, Wyoming Valley will always be his home. Toma wore a Super Bowl hat that clearly proves his love of Edwardsville and Wyoming Valley.
“Right on the side, it says George Toma, Edwardsville, PA,” Toma said. “The fingerprints of everyone from Wyoming Valley are on every blade of grass of every Super Bowl. This will always be the Valley With a Heart.”
When he finished, Toma received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Toma began his groundskeeper’s career at the former Artillery Park, then the home of the Class A baseball Wilkes-Barre Barons, and only a short distance from his home in Edwardsville.
From there, he became world renowned as the best in the business, earning him the moniker ‘God of Sod.’ His career progressed through baseball’s minor leagues before becoming head groundskeeper for the Kansas City Royals, a position he held for 30 years.
He has prepared the playing fields for such events as the Super Bowls, World Series, World Cup soccer and the Olympic Games.
Toma also served as head groundskeeper for the Kansas City Chiefs and it was in that role that he was called upon to supervise field preparations for the first Super Bowl by then NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle at the Los Angeles Coliseum. He has since help prepare fields for subsequent Super Bowls even after his “official” retirement in 1999. He also oversaw preparations for the World Cup soccer matches in the LA Coliseum, Atlanta Olympic Stadium, Chicago’s Soldier Field and in Pontiac, Michigan.
His turf knowledge has led to numerous awards. In 2001, the Pro Football Hall of Fame honored him with the Ralph Hay Pioneer Award and, in 2012, he was inducted into the Major League Baseball Groundskeepers Hall of Fame as one of its charter members.
At age 93, he continues to consult on field preparations for major sports events.