I had season tickets to Georgetown games in the years Owens played for Syracuse and saw him play many times. A very good college player.
PA high school coaching legends (all sports)
- Thread starter Got GSPs
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A good friend of mine was a player for Central Catholic who lost to Billy when he put up those 53. We talked about that game all the time until he passed a few years ago.
I had the opportunity to play for Henzes in a UNICO game in the late 60's,
he coached the West team. During time spent at practices, I became good friends with Paul Marranca, who later became HC at Wyoming Area, his Alma Mater
My cousin played for Jack at Wyoming Area.
What a great rivalry between Chet Vonsavage & Eddie Gayeski ....
No one missed those games, freshman or seniors.
Yep ,
grew up in Edwardsville, every one in the town knew of Toma. I read the short preview to his book, interesting to me because i met so many of the locals mentioned.
George Toma
This is the story of George Toma, who climbed from his roots in a poor coal-mining town in Depression-era Pennsylvania to the top of his profession as a groundskeeper. Toma has become the authority in his profession, preparing the field for every Super Bowl that has ever been played. Toma was...
books.google.com
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Yep ,
grew up in Edwardsville, every one in the town knew of Toma. I read the short preview to his book, interesting to me because i met so many of the locals mentioned.
George Toma
This is the story of George Toma, who climbed from his roots in a poor coal-mining town in Depression-era Pennsylvania to the top of his profession as a groundskeeper. Toma has become the authority in his profession, preparing the field for every Super Bowl that has ever been played. Toma was...books.google.com
View attachment 307056
Yep ,
grew up in Edwardsville, every one in the town knew of Toma. I read the short preview to his book, interesting to me because i met so many of the locals mentioned.
George Toma
This is the story of George Toma, who climbed from his roots in a poor coal-mining town in Depression-era Pennsylvania to the top of his profession as a groundskeeper. Toma has become the authority in his profession, preparing the field for every Super Bowl that has ever been played. Toma was...books.google.com
View attachment 307056
A coupler other notables who hailed from Edwardsville were Gwen Kopechne (Mary Joe's mother) and Bessy Levine , Mama Cass Elliott's grandmother.
I recall attending McDs opener when Bryant and Barowski were seniors and there was so much buzz about them. Watters was a SO and on the first or second play of the game he went about 80 yards for a TD and everyone instantly knew he would be the best of the three.
Thank you Hugh,
Growing up in the early 60's, we knew of th he Mama Cass connection, but thought she was the mother.
If I'm thinking right, the Kopechne you mentioned is the gal involved with Ted Kennedy, She's interned in a Larksville cemetery.
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I still go with Mike Pettine. Amazing CB West football teams. Also broke down game film for his son and coaching staff in the NFL.
I googled it and here is his HOF induction biography:
His teams were a combined 410-10 over a storied 41 year career with an amazing 40 state championships. All 10 losses and the one year he did not win the championship were in his second season 1918, which can be attributed to the flu pandemic.
His teams had an overall GPA of 4.31 (some AP courses). Among his graduates were 31 US Senators, 153 Congressmen, 1 Congresswoman (she broke the glass ceiling and was the first girl to kick an extra point in a high school game, shortly before becoming the first woman to vote in a US election upon turning 18 her senior year).
Dr. Jonas Salk was the left offensive guard on his 1932 team. He attributes his discovery of the polio vaccine on his 45th attempt to the "never say die" mentality instilled by his coach.
Guion Buford, America's First Black Astronaut, was a gritty freshman on his final 1956 team, and went on to Penn State, where the coach had a legendary advisory relationship with Penn State President Milton Eisenhower, forged during his stint as a foreign policy advisor to his brother, US President Dwight Eisenhower.
Shortly before retirement, while on a recruiting trip to Montgomery, Alabama, he was on a bus and offered up his seat near the front of the bus to a young African American woman, Rosa Parks, igniting the civil rights movement.
Post retirement from his HS coaching position, in addition to the aforementioned relationship with Eisenhower, the coach advised JFK on the Cuban missile crisis, served on the Warren Commission upon JFK's assassination, was the "deepthroat" informant who blew open the Watergate investigation, and was a speech writer for President Ronald Reagan, crafting the famous "tear down that wall Mr. Gorbachev!" line.
Ever the Renaissance man, other achievements include the invention of the M&M, was the co-producer for Pink Floyd's epic album Dark Side of the Moon, and worked with former US Vice President Al Gore on the invention of the internet.
Now well over 100, when not yelling at kids to get off his lawn, he enjoys retirement and posts frequently on a college football message board as an ardent supporter of Head Coach James Franklin, who his late wife babysat. He has fond memories of drawing up plays with young James on his etch-a-sketch, and teaching him the RPO on an electric football game in Franklin's formative teen years.
On a personal note, coach was deeply saddened (but secretly relieved) that coach Paterno was fired before Paterno tied his 410 career wins.
Pease join us in welcoming Marshall23 to the Pennsylvania High School coaching Hall of Fame!
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Bob a Thomas. chambersburg Baseball. 45-50 years. Few state titles. 600-700 wins
If I recall correctly, believe I was told Craig grew up in Po and was an outstanding gymnast in high school
Jim Cross Meyers High School Track and Field
Gave Ismail the nickname "Rocket"
Gave Ismail the nickname "Rocket"
My track coach… one better was Larry Watkins the xc coach. Won about 99% of his meets, 15 league titles, dozen district titles and 1980 state title. Great guy
I just read up on Larry Watkins. He was indeed a great coach! As was Bill Hilburt (many individual state champions) for wrestling and Mickey Gorham for football (His '74 and '75 teams I have been told were the best of all-time in the Wyoming Valley). It's obvious that
South Wilkes-Barre produced many spectaular athletes in the 70's and 80's.
South Wilkes-Barre produced many spectaular athletes in the 70's and 80's.
!
I'm sorry I missed your post w/ attached article. When I played(as an opponent-in county rival) there in the late 80's early 90's was the peak of their home court advantage. It was an absolute circus. You had to really be there to witness it to believe it.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Dave coached Mickey Shuler at East Pennsboro before going home to Carlisle.
George also was Woody Hayes' offensive coordinator at OSU. Finished his career at Central Dauphin East, which beat Central Dauphin in his final game.
You don’t have to tell me about the circus. I was part of it. Kicking those old wooden bleachers when the other team was on defense. It lasted well into the 90’s. It wasn’t uncommon for rivalry games and home playoff games to have standing room only and the doors locked about an hour before the game because they couldn’t legally let anybody else in. Bailey’s teams would usually go deep into the PIAA playoffs only to have their season end to a private school like Kennedy Christian Academy or Serra Catholic. Not too shabby for team from a town as small as Saxton. Bailey utilized his team’s strengths and exposed the other teams weaknesses as well as anybody.
East Penn was good during that time period. In addition to Mickey Shuler, the Duffin brothers, Randy and Ric, were part of that squad. Randy went on to play at Seton Hall. And Ken Bostdorf had a good career at Shippensburg U. after finishing high school. Greater Harrisburg area had a lot of quality teams with quality players during that stretch, such as Jimmy and Reggie Wells at Milton Hershey, Hank Kuzma at Hershey, Pete Kramer at Camp Hill, Kurt Kanaskie at Cumberland Valley was just getting started. Even my old high school, Millersburg, had a wonderful player named Mike Scheib who scored nearly 2,000 points in three varsity seasons despite being just 5-8. Mike went on to play at Susquehanna University, where he was tagged the Frances Naismith Award winner (best player in the country under 6-0) as a senior.
