MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY, 1977 NCAA CHAMPS. ULICE PAYNE IS WEARING NO. 21.
The story begins with where Ulice Payne is from…Donora, Pa., “The Home of Champions.”
Before we move forward with the literally unbelievable story on Ulice, allow me to get some of you youngsters caught up on a little Donora Dragons history (youngsters meaning 49 years old and younger, because anybody “50” absolutely already knows!)
DONORA “THE HOME OF CHAMPIONS!” Are you ready for this…Stan “The Man” Musial, Ken Griffey Sr., Ken Griffey Jr.—yeah, we claim him, “Deacon Dan” Towler, Arnold “Pope” Galiffa, Bernie Galiffa, Lou “Bimbo” Cecconi, Angelo Dabiero, Rudy Andabaker, Bob Coulson, Joe Montana—yeah, we claim him, too (the same way Aliquippa claims Tony Dorsett, that’s how) and several more like Malcolm Lomax…quite possibly one of the greatest all-around athletes and football players from Western Pa. And Dane Tartt—as gifted a baseball player as Ken Griffey and a track star whose records still stand from the late ‘60s—who took his skill set to the military to serve our country.
And no, I am not going to spell out all of their accomplishments, use your Google! Do I have to do everything for ya?
Here’s how we got to this point. As you’ve read on several occasions, while I am from Penn Hills, the first six years of my life were spent being raised in Donora by my fabulous grandparents Al and Eleanore Neal. So, I had the pleasure of growing up with Ulice, Ken, Malcolm and Dane, just to name a few. And I have to say without question, Donora is just as much a part of me as Penn Hills is. Some of the greatest moments of my life were spent there!
ULICE PAYNE
After Ulice established himself as a nationally recognized high school basketball star, he attended Marquette University where he played for legendary coach Al McGuire and helped the team win the 1977 NCAA Championship.
After graduating with a B.S. in business administration, Payne was selected in the 1978 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. Following his pro career, he secured his Juris Doctor Degree in 1982 and established himself as a superior, well-known and accomplished attorney.
But wait, believe it or not, this story gets better…in 2002, Payne made sports history when he was appointed President and CEO of the Milwaukee Brewers. (Take that Aliquippa…you’ve got some stuff, but you don’t have one of those. Oh, I am sorry, my bad, I got a little excited there!) In any event, Ulice became the first, and to this date, the only African American to be a President and CEO of a Major League baseball team. OORAH!
So now let’s connect the final dots to this story. Remembering when Ulice played in the nationally recognized Connie Hawkins Pro/Am Summer Basketball League, I got in contact with him through my oldest and dearest friend Dwight Law—who I lived next door to in Donora…(remind me to tell you the story about how Dwight talked me into skipping first grade school one day…another story for another time!)
The rest was as expected, a slam dunk. Before I could get the words out of my mouth, “Brother Payne” was on board. Not only as a sponsor, but a lifelong friend.
Of course the sponsorship matters; he stepped up to sponsor the T-shirts for our 52nd Annual Connie Hawkins “Legends” Youth Basketball Camp for boys and girls, as well as sponsoring lunch and educational material for all the campers and coaches.
The educational material is a part of his latest venture where he has teamed up with world-renowned mental health experts including Rico L. Grier, Dr. Kweku Ramel Smith, and Sasha Palmer to form Cyber Athletix…“An omni-channel portal for sports technology used for the development of young athletes!” Identified as the smart behind the sweat, using sports technology to help develop the complete student athlete!
(Special Note: Mr. Payne and his elite mental health team will be here this fall to discuss the advanced technology and program services geared to assist and prepare our high school and college superstars. Achieving Greatness will host a joint high school seminar. Stay tuned to “Overtime” and your New Pittsburgh Courier for details on this forthcoming, innovative and life changing information for our youth.)
So, there you have it, along with some “greatness” photos from the camp. We also want to thank the New Pittsburgh Courier, Goodrich and Geist, PC, UPMC, Bowser of Monroeville, Jack Goodrich and Associates, Frank Fuhrer Wholesale Co., Diversified Municipal Services, and our Achieving Greatness board members and Get It Done team: Bobby Franklin, Ron Brown and Jeff Baldwin. And most especially, the Penn Hills School District Board of Directors, H.S. Principal, Athletic Director – James J.J. Eckels, Coach Rob Cash, and Penn Hills School District Security Director Don Johnson for all their time, support and consideration in helping to ensure that the camp be successful.
And, as always, a 360-degree thank you as always to our Greatness Team: Veteran Coach Clyde Mann—Camp Director, Assistant Coaches Shawn Hawkins, Warren Wilson, Gerald “Scoop” Warwick —member of the world famous Harlem Wizards, and our volunteer coaches and camp workers on the day. A very special thank you goes out to Shawn Hawkins—Connie’s grandson and the B-ball legends who came out to teach the game of life as well as basketball. Darin Walls, Chris Seneca, Clarence Hopson, Vince Lackner, Kenny Holmes, Joe Burt, Dale McNeill, Major Mark Whited—U.S. Marine Corps, Tim Appleton—European Pro League, Darren Morningstar—University of Pittsburgh and the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA, Hall of Famers Carlita Jones and Margo Hinton, and the voice of the Connie Hawkins League, games, Coach Mike Booker. And once again we want to thank University of Pittsburgh superstar Darrelle Porter, our guest lecturer for the camp.
PENN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL WAS THE SITE OF THE “LEGENDS” YOUTH BASKETBALL CAMP, MAY 30, 2026. (FILE PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)
