Seven hundred and fifty wins earned Paul Brutto a place on the all-time winningest basketball coaches’ list in Pennsylvania.

Amassed through an amazing span of 40 seasons – 10 at Shenandoah Valley and 30 at Marian Catholic – Brutto owns a lofty place as one of the top-15 winningest coaches in the Commonwealth, and ranks in the top-five among girls’ coaches there, too.

On Sunday, his status in the District 11 Hall of Fame was solidified with his induction during a ceremony held at The Delta Hotel in Breinigsville.

“I’m humbled; it’s an honor,” Brutto said at a press event held prior to his induction. “It means the world to me and I’m looking forward to it (the program).”

The longtime mentor of the Marian Fillies joined 14 others, including former Mahanoy Area Lady Bears standout Meggan Yedsena, in being inducted into the Class of 2024 during the sixth induction ceremony held in District 11, which includes 58 schools in Carbon, Schuylkill, Monroe, Lehigh and Bucks counties.

Brutto retired after heading the Fillies in 2021. His success, he said, was due to him “being fortunate to have had a lot of great players and great coaches, and, most of all, a family that was behind me.”

During his career, Coach Brutto amassed records of 144-126 at Shenandoah Valley and 606-223 at Marian Catholic, as he undoubtedly left his mark on high school basketball in not only District 11, but the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

“The state championship,” Brutto quickly replied when asked about what stands out in his career. Under his guidance, the 2007-08 Fillies went 32-1 and won the PIAA Class A State Championship. “That would top the list,” Brutto said, adding, “but the games against longtime rivals Nativity and Mahanoy Area rank up there.”

Looking back at his career, he said, “When I went to Shenandoah, the program had been down for a number of years. We had a great sophomore class and worked hard. Two years later, we went 27-6 and lost, ironically, to Marian in the Eastern Final. So that was a program building situation.

“When I went to Marian, it was like walking into the successful program (the late) Elsie Tolan built, and the goal was to continue the great tradition she established. Because everyone knew about the Marian Fillies.”

While Brutto’s numbers are revealing enough and the goal of keeping the Fillies program at a high level certainly was met right from the start, the mentor said the “relationships with his players, camaraderie, good times and shared memories ”hold special places in his heart.”

He continued, “Again, I was fortunate to work with some great people, including longtime assistants. I am ever so humbled to be mentioned in the same breath as Stan Dakosty and Diane Decker (former Marian coach and former Fillie who were inducted into the district hall in 2018 and 2020, respectively). It’s quite an honor. And any honor you get isn’t the same if you don’t have special people in your life to share it with.”

Brutto accepted the HOF plaque from his daughter Pam, while looking on were his wife, the former Vicki Martin, and their son, P.J.

The Brutto File

Overall record: 750-349 (70.8 winning percentage)

Shenandoah Valley – 10 seasons; four winning seasons, five losing seasons, one .500 season.

Marian Catholic – 30 seasons; 27 winning seasons, three losing seasons. During one seven-year period (2001-08), his Fillies won an incredible 195 games, vs. just 32 loses, averaging 27.8 wins per season, compared to an average of 4.5 losses per season.

Total – 40 seasons; 31 winning seasons, eight losing seasons, one .500 season. His teams won 15 or more games 29 times; 20 or more games 17 times; and 30 or more games three times.

Schuylkill League – Won 15 division championships, one at Shenandoah Valley and 11 at Marian Catholic; won three league championships, all at Marian Catholic; had five league runner-up finishes, all at Marian Catholic.

District 11 – Won three Class A championships, all at Marian Catholic; had 11 district runner-up finishes, all at Marian Catholic.

PIAA playoffs – 22 of his teams qualified for the PIAA state playoffs, including four at Shenandoah Valley and 18 at Marian Catholic; nine of his teams advanced to the Eastern Finals, including one at Shenandoah Valley and eight at Marian Catholic; Won three Eastern Finals; Won one State Championship.

PIAA playoff record – 5-4 at Shenandoah Valley; 40-17 at Marian Catholic; total 45-21 (68.1 winning percentage).