Ask anyone from Pittsburgh what their town is like and they will most likely say that it is a sports town and go on to mention the Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins.
However, that is just the tip of the ice burgh for Pittsburgh.
The second annual Pittsburgh City League All Sports Hall of Fame banquet held on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Wyndham Pittsburgh University Center Hotel in Oakland was a sold-out event and the master of ceremonies was the legendary Pittsburgh Steelers and NFL Hall of Famer Franco Harris.
The event was presented by Achieving Greatness, Inc., in conjunction with the Office of the Mayor, Office of the Chief Executive of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh School Board and city council members and the National Football League Alumni Association is.
Twenty-three new inductees were awarded along with the posthumous induction of 50 of the City League’s greatest all-time athletes and coaches.
The selection of inductees was made by the nine-member Hall of Fame committee: Eddie Jefferies, Smokin’ Jim Frazier, Chuck Franklin (chair), Vince Neal (co-chair), Fred Lucas, Ron Saunders, Curtis Hefflin, Toni Allen,and Mike Harber.
“I was honored to attend the Pittsburgh City League All-Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and the atmosphere emitted dedication, commitment and hardwork,” said Jodi Velazquez, author of ‘SlickMove Guide’. “I sat among NFL Super Bowl champions and Hall of Famers, Olympians and Olympic medalists, a Kickboxing World Heavyweight Champion, state champions, national contenders, record holders, record breakers, all-time leading scorers and other celebrated athletes for their remarkable achievements. The well-orchestrated, elegant affair hosted by Bill Neal, was an eye opening event as to how much Pittsburgh really is a sports town!”
There is a foolproof way to turn a casual conversation about high school sports into a heated debate. Ask somebody to name 10 to 20 of the best players in city league history.
For most Hall of Fame athletes, their most memorable moments happened on the field or the court. For Marc Hogan, he had many electrifying moments on the field but his legend grew from the friendly skies.
“I was an assistant basketball coach at Brashear high school back in the ‘70’s and early 80’s and we had a kid by the name of Marc Hogan who was a quarterback on the football team, “said Coach Chuck Franklin. “The last week of school all the Phys Ed classes were outside and this big orange helicopter flies over our field. It circles the basketball court and then hovers over the football field and finally it lands. University of Tennessee head football coach Johnny Majors jumps out and puts Marc Hogan in the helicopter and flew him back to Tennessee.”
The 2015 Allderdice Dragons and the 2007 Schenley Spartans are considered by many as two of the best basketball teams in City League history. But, maybe Bill Clark’s 1976 Fifth Avenue’s team should get a vote.
“I was a teacher at Fifth Avenue when they won the state championship in 1976 and most of the players were underclassmen. Warner Macklin, David Kennedy and Sam Clancy,” said Vince Neal, Special Ed teacher and coach. “The one senior on the team was Bill Clarke, who went on to play at Duquesne University. When they began state playoff play. There was a candy bar called Fifth Avenue and before the games the players would throw Fifth Avenue candy bars into the stands. The state championship was played in Hershey, so the team would also throw Hershey bars into the stands. The center on the team was 6’10 Bill Clarke and he would throw Clark bars into the stands. After they won the state title Mars Candy Company donated boxes and boxes and boxes of Clark bars, Fifth Avenue and Hershey candy to the school.”
Westinghouse High School has its own Hall of Fame. So many great men and women walk through those hallways and if you’re a Bulldog, you ride or die with The House.
“I was a running guard and linebacker and was All-City in 1953 and 1954. I was Honorable mention all-state and I played in the Big-33 game,” said Curtis Hefflin. “At Westinghouse we believed in winning championships. In 1951 the Westinghouse Basketball team of Maurice Stokes and Ed Fleming could beat most small college teams. They were that good.”
Ricky Cannon, star of the 1986 Perry High School undefeated city league championship football team and he was also All-City in basketball and baseball. But, when “Lightning” Rod Rutherford walked in the room parted like Moses splitting the Red Sea.
Rutherford was All-American in football All-State in basketball at Perry and broke all of Dan Marino’s passing records at Pitt.
“I coached Rod Rutherford and he was a tremendous athlete who played football, basketball, baseball and also ran track. He made all-city in every sport he played in,” said Coach Chuck Franklin. “He played at Pitt and had a short stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was on the taxi-squad and broke his ankle and they had to put a pin in his ankle. He is now coaching football at IUP.”
The athletic public conference made up of Pittsburgh’s public schools inducted Carmen Bruce and 22 other former stars who have added to the organization’s storied 103-year history.
Bruce helped Schenley win three City League girls’ basketball titles and scored 2,175 career points. She also was a star in track and field, winning three more City League titles in the shot put and discus throw each, as well as a PIAA state championship in the shot put. She now serves as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Pitt.
“It was such a pleasure to be at this event. To see all 23 standout athletes receive the recognition they deserve was a great feeling,” said Liz Costa Abbondanza, star of TV’s Championship Chase. “So many amazing athletes have come out of the City League and went on to have equally amazing professional careers. It was a special night for the inductees, Pittsburgh Public Schools and the city.”
Most of these Hall of Fame athletes were born and raised in a tough area of Pittsburgh. Their athleticism also helped to protect them because it was respected on the streets. They were looked after.
“It’s a way to establish a bond between young and old,” said Bill Neal, the CEO of Achieving Greatness, Inc., and founder of the Hall of Fame program in 2014.
“This is the first time in the city’s history of a hall of fame strictly for student-athletes who participated in City League schools,” Neal said.
Achieving Greatness, Inc., is a for-profit corporation providing services in community development, consulting, advertising, marketing, promotions, and special events. It is headquartered near Monroeville.
Congratulations to the 2015 Pittsburgh City League Hall of Fame Class of: Larry Anderson, South Hills; Larry Brown, Schenley; Edna Campbell, Allderdice; Henri Chatman, Perry; Bill Clarke, Fifth Avenue; Keith Shon Crosby, Carrick; Herb Douglas, Jr., Allderdice; John Giordano, Westinghouse; Wesley Garnett, Westinghouse;
Brashear; Clarence Hopson, Schenley; Tony Liscio, Westinghouse; Lynn Harris, South Hills; Renee Henderson, Peabody; Hosea Holder, Fifth Avenue; Carlita Jones-Evans, Peabody.
Curtis Hefflin, Westinghouse; Marc Hogan, Rod Rutherford, Perry; Ahmad Shareef, Westinghouse; Arnold “Arnie” Sowell, Schenley;
City League Hall of Fame inducted posthumously are: Joseph Atkins, John Brewer Sr., Sige Burden, Cornell Cooper, Clarence Doak, Alvin Floyd, Pomeroyal Fountain, Edward Geasa, Charles Hefflin, Otis Johnson, Calvin Jones, Ronnie Latronica, George S. McDougal, Ellsworth Morgan, Fred Myers, Billy Peatross, Robert “Bob” Purkey, Darryl Robinson, James S. Robinson Jr., Pete Sheffield, William Tibbs, Joseph Ware, Joseph L. Woods, Henry Yandell Sr., James Brewer, Elliot Brodie, Courtlandt Burrell, Dennis Cuff, Keith Edmunds, Morris Fountain Sr., Norman Frey, Frank Graves, Gary Henderson, Allen Hyatt, Ernie Jones, Milton Lederstein, Joseph Moore, Robert Mungin, Al Patrick, Francis Peay, Hy Richman, Emory Robinson, William H. Robinson, Henry Thompson, Kenneth Wade, Thomas Williams, and Teddy Woods.
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