December 23, 2021 |
By Jason A. Mignanelli | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Sports
Bill Cleary, retired athletic director and teacher at Serra Catholic High School, poses with a new sign at the gymnasium. Cleary’s 41-year career at the school in Haler Heights includes coaching the girls’ basketball team to a state championship and 18 section titles. (Photo courtesy Serra Catholic High School via Facebook)
For the first time in the school’s 60-year history, Serra Catholic High School has named an area of its campus after a former teacher.
On Dec. 11, at a ceremony attended by past and current teachers and faculty, the school in McKeesport’s Haler Heights neighborhood dedicated the William J. Cleary Gymnasium.
Cleary not only taught at Serra Catholic for 41 years, but he also held the Athletic Director position for 38 of those years.
“The thought of having the gymnasium named after me is just overwhelming and it’s incredibly humbling,” Cleary said recently. “I find myself paying closer attention to places that are named after people now. Someday someone will ask, ‘Who was that Coach Cleary guy anyway?””
Read More
September 07, 2021 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Sports
Swin Cash, McKeesport native, Olympic gold medalist and hall-of-fame basketball player, greets New Orleans Pelicans fans in 2019. Cash, who played 15 seasons in the WNBA, has been named one of the 25 greatest and most influential players in the league’s history. (New Orleans Pelicans photo)
City native and Olympic champion Swin Cash has been named one of the top 25 players in the history of the WNBA — and is eligible to be named the league’s “greatest of all time” during the upcoming finals.
On Sunday, the league commemorated its 25th season by naming “The W25,” a list of the “25 greatest and most influential players” in WNBA history, and announced a contest where fans can “Vote for the GOAT,” the greatest WNBA player of all time.
A McKeesport Area High School and University of Connecticut graduate, Cash, 41, played for the Detroit Shock, Seattle Storm, Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty during her 15-year professional basketball career.
Read More
June 22, 2021 |
By Jason A. Mignanelli | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Sports
Additional reporting by Kristen Keleschenyi
When the McKeesport Dek Hockey Association announced in March that they would have adult leagues in the spring, interest was high after a year of COVID-19 restrictions. Although youth leagues were postponed, enrollment in the adult leagues flourished.
The rink offered a dose of normalcy for adults during the pandemic. Not only was the rink a location for adults to gather safely to get some much-needed exercise, but it also gave players an opportunity for fellowship.
“It’s been an amazing experience,” said Andy Miller, a Glassport resident who plays in the adult leagues. “I started playing here about two years ago. Now, I’m usually here three or four nights per week playing games.”
Read More
February 20, 2021 |
By Sarah Turnbull | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News, Sports
When Autumn Christner was trying out different sports growing up, she wasn’t expecting to fall in love with swimming. Thirteen years on, she’s setting new records.
“I did all types of different sports growing up, and I didn’t really like any of it. My sister did swimming — that’s what got me into it,” Christner said.
The East Allegheny senior broke a 39-year-old record for the 100-meter breaststroke in a swim meet against North Catholic on Feb. 9.
Read More
February 10, 2021 |
By Jason A. Mignanelli | Posted in: History, Sports
The 1930-31 Homestead Grays, considered by baseball experts the best Negro Leagues team of all time. Five of the people in this photo — owner Cumberland Posey, pitcher “Smokey” Joe Williams, catcher Josh Gibson, center fielder Oscar Charleston and infielder Jud Wilson — are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
Hank Aaron’s death on Feb. 5, during Black History Month, resonated with many baseball fans — especially those who remember the Negro major leagues, where Aaron began his professional career in 1951.
Other than Kansas City, perhaps no city has a stronger connection than Pittsburgh to baseball’s Negro major leagues, where Black athletes competed in the days before Major League Baseball was integrated.
The Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords — named after the Crawford Bath House in Pittsburgh’s Hill District — were cornerstones of the Negro National League, which was created in 1933 and lasted until 1948.
“Some of the greatest players to ever play in the Negro Leagues and the Major Leagues once played right here in Pittsburgh,” said Dave Moore, museum director at the McKeesport Regional History and Heritage Center.
Read More
February 11, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Sports
During a 2012 event at the McKeesport Palisades, basketball star Swin Cash posed with McKeesport area students who were helped by her charity, Cash for Kids. (Tube City Almanac file photo by John Barna)
McKeesport native and two-time Olympic gold medalist Swin Cash has been named to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
Cash will be inducted June 13 in Knoxville, Tenn., along with her Seattle Sonics teammate Lauren Jackson; players Debbie Brock and Tamika Catchings; Carol Callan, director of the U.S. women’s national team; former NCAA vice president Sue Donohoe; and ESPN vice president Carol Stiff.
In a statement released Monday via Facebook, Cash said she was “humbled and honored” and congratulated the other new hall of famers.
“Thank you to the committee, my family, coaches, teammates, my hometown of McKeesport ... and every single fan that loves our game and supports it!” Cash said. “To all of the young ladies like me that were growing up ... as my mom always told me, ‘don’t quit!’ Do what you love and love what you do young queens!”
Read More
January 14, 2020 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Sports
CORRECTION: Darius Prince was unable to attend Saturday's game. He was replaced by Chris Edmonds.
Bryan Akinkugbe currently plays for the Steel City Yellow Jackets. He also played professionally in Canada and Mexico. He was among the competitors during a charity basketball game at Penn State Greater Allegheny in McKeesport on Saturday. (Richard Finch Jr. photo/special to Tube City Almanac)
Jesús Torres is already working on plans for the third-annual Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Celebrity basketball game, securing commitments from fellow “celebrity” players to return to McKeesport next January.
“I was joking with the players after Saturday's game that we need to sign five-year contracts,” he said. “They all promised to come back here next year to keep this event going.”
Three hundred fans showed up on Saturday for the second-annual game, which raised more than $9,000 for scholarships to support the region’s Hispanic community.
Celebrity players were divided into home and away squads. The unofficial score was 96-90 in favor of the “home” team, but the “official” score was changed to a 96-96 tie, a Penn State spokesman said.
Read More
January 09, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements, Sports
(Photo courtesy Penn State Greater Allegheny)
Pittsburgh Pirates’ third-base coach Joey Cora, Arena Football champion and former West Mifflin Area standout Darius Prince, former WNBA point guard Carla Cortijo and others will take the court Saturday in a charity basketball game to raise money for college scholarships.
The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will host its second-annual Celebrity Basketball Game at Penn State Greater Allegheny’s Wunderley Gymnasium in McKeesport, a spokesman said.
The family friendly event begins at 2:30 p.m. and will include activities, giveaways and a visit by the Penn State Nittany Lion and other costumed mascots and characters from local teams and businesses.
Read More
January 09, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements, Sports
A charity basketball game on Saturday at Penn State's Wunderley Gymnasium in McKeesport will raise money to support scholarships for Hispanic students in the Pittsburgh area.
The game is being co-hosted by Penn State Greater Allegheny Campus and the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. It tips off at 2:30 p.m.
“We are so pleased to be teaming up with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for this event,” said Jacqueline Edmondson, chancellor and chief academic officer at Greater Allegheny. “The chamber has been a wonderful community partner and incredibly supportive of our students through their scholarship programs.”
Read More
August 22, 2018 |
By Josh Rizzo | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News, Sports
Easing into the 2018 football season won’t be an option for East Allegheny.
In what promises to be a schedule with plenty of obstacles, the Wildcats may face their two toughest tests before Labor Day.
East Allegheny opens the season at 7 p.m. Friday by taking on defending Class 1A PIAA champion Jeannette. The following week the Wildcats will go on the road to Steel Valley -- which is ranked in the top five in the PIAA in Class 2A -- for their Allegheny Conference opener.
“You’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone in the state that has a tougher first two games of the season than us,” East Allegheny coach Dom Pecora said. “But we’ll show up every Friday ready to play.”
Read More
