he West Liberty University community is mourning the loss of Hilltopper Hall of Famer Dr. Albert M. Blatnik, who passed away on Friday, February 25th at the age of 87. A mentor to many and a friend to all, Dr. Blatnik was an All-Conference football standout for the Hilltoppers during the late 1940s who went on to earn great respect from generations of West Liberty students as a professor, coach, athletic director and chair of the School of Health and Physical Education.
A member of the West Virginia University School of Physical Education Hall of Fame, Dr. Blatnik was inducted into the West Liberty Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984 and was inducted into the West Liberty University Academy of Honor in 2010. The Albert M. Blatnik Wing of the University’s Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex is named in his honor.
Friends will be received on Sunday from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at the Altmeyer Funeral Home located at 1400 Eoff Street in Wheeling, W.Va. Funeral liturgy will be celebrated at St. Joseph Cathedral on Monday at 11 a.m. with the Very Rev. Msgr. Kevin Quirk as celebrant. Please click here for a link to Dr. Blatnik’s obituary in the Sunday News-Register: Dr. Albert M. Blatnik.