Witness some of the names that came forth from this patch of the Earth: Mike Ditka, Arnold Palmer, Jim Kelly, Franco Harris, Joe Montana, Dan Marino.
And such is the story of this man, an ordinary kid who went on to become a part of NFL history.
His first day on the planet came when his mother, Rose, delivered a son to her husband, John, on May 31, 1943. It was a war year, a time when steel was being cranked out in epic proportions to keep America's fighting men well-equipped.
He was one of five children growing up in a humble house some 30 miles north of Pittsburgh, the grandson of a Hungarian immigrant. Family was always first in this clan.
"EVEN WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GUY all the way to now, they (my family) have been on my side -- close to me, giving me courage, helping me," he would later say in his induction speech to the NFL Hall of Fame. "My brothers Bob, Frank and John taught me how to throw the rock, taught me pretty good. My sister, she was probably the best athlete of the group, helped out a heck of a lot, too. My mother and father, of course, the love that they gave me as a child and now as an adult is deeply cherished."
Back in those days, football was king in these parts. Still is, in many ways. It's a one-way ticket out of factory hell for the lucky, and a three-hour diversion for those who are not.
Like most boys in this area, he was taught to play the game at a young age. But he was never very good. Sure, he made the Pee Wee and junior high school teams. But even when he made it to the varsity squad on his high school team in his junior year, he still spent more time on the bench than he did as a quarterback. He was only about 5-foot-10, you see, and that was just a tad too short to look over those monsters playing the game in this rugged country.
BUT TOWARD THE END OF THAT SEASON his coach, a fellow named Larry Bruno, saw a rather unique quality in this young signal-caller: He had a passion to win and an ego to match. He would throw the ball when it looked like there was no one to throw it to. And he would make completions that absolutely would stun the folks sitting in the stands.
He knew how to play and how to win.
"Coming back from a bad season takes part of what got you in that position to begin with," he said in a chat session once on SportsLine once. "You have to be strong, resilient, put behind you what is not going to be constructive for the future. Learn from mistakes of course. Then don't worry about it."
In his senior year in 1960, he was Da Man for Bruno and what a man he had become. Thanks to a year's worth of growth, the kid was now a strapping 6-foot-2, 175-pounder. He had become a dangerous starting quarterback and an excellent punter as well.
"When (he) played ... the entire football team believed whatever play (he) called it would work. They would make it work because they knew (he) had confidence in them," Bruno said years later.
THERE'S A STORY THEY TELL about how he had come into a game that season with a leg injury. The coach asked him if his leg was strong enough to make a punt as well as play quarterback. He told the coach not to worry about punting because that would not be necessary. He was right. They rolled that day.
His team was perfect that year -- not one single loss on its record. And his stats were just as impressive: 85 completions out of 146 tries for a total of 1,564 yards, including 12 TDs.
"You know that when a boy is in school -- 16, 17, 15 -- there are a lot of directions he may go in," he said. "I was headed in some directions that could have been the wrong directions. Well, Coach Bruno helped me a heck of a lot, steered me right. Told me one day in a meeting, told our whole team, he said, 'Fellows, if you don't dream about it, it will never happen, but you can't just dream about it, you have to go out and make it happen, you have to work hard.' With that in mind, I dreamt of a high school championship and we won it. We went out and worked for it and got it."
He had become one of the lucky ones who could escape the steel mills and coal mines. More than 50 colleges and universities came calling on him in 1960 with scholarship offers. His athleticism even produced an offer to play baseball for Kansas City.
But it was Alabama that won him over, however. Mainly because of one of the game's greatest coaches, Bear Bryant. He joined the Tide and soon his career was on its way.
"Playing at Alabama under Coach Bryant was a thrill to begin with which grew into an honor and has left several wonderful memories. Coach Bryant was one of a kind just as Vince Lombardi or George Halas. or Don Shula. All great coaches," he has said.
But there were snags along the road. The town in Pennsylvania that he grew up in was integrated. And life in the Deep South was something completely different for him. He also found Bear to be a real bear during practice, in the games and even when he was off the field.
HE CONSIDERED LEAVING 'BAMA to play baseball for Baltimore at the end of his freshman year, but Bryant talked him out of it. And the following season, the decision paid off. He led the Tide to 10-1 record that year, including an Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma in 1962.
The following two years were just as glorious in many ways for this kid. And sure, there was some controversy as well. He liked to wear his hair long and sometimes, he felt rules were made to be broken.
He paid dearly for it at times -- Bryant suspended him for the team for breaking a training rule that cost him an appearance in another Orange Bowl.
But when he was on the field, he would win. And brag about it -- sometimes even before the games.
Who was this kid from that small town called Beaver Falls? If you don't know, then click here for the rest of this story.
Hey Irishman, the Pirates didn't trade away Barry Bonds to put themselves in this position. The way that they did get in position to win those division titles in the early '90s was by trading away older, more expensive players for young, inexpensive players and developing talent in the minors. When they got Andy Van Slyke, Mike Lavalliere and Mike Dunne for Tony Pena nobody could figure out why they traded away Pena but they knew what they were doing then. Besides, its not like last year's team was going to win any titles for us. Now they have a lot lower payroll and a team that will be a title contender in a few years.
-- From an Eric Da Fan at a Pitt kind of edu.
Well, I beg to differ, Eric, because Bonds was with those Pirate teams in 1991 and 1992 when they won the East but lost the N.L. Championships. Sure, the Pirates returned to the championship game in 1993, but how has it gone for the Bucs since? The Pirates are ditching players, young and old, to save money because they can't fill the stands like the "Family" days of glory. And my point is this: You can have the greatest farm system and the greatest rising stars. Without a few franchise players, however, you are not going to win. Which is why even Atlanta -- the team with probably the best farm system -- goes out and gets players like Kenny Lofton and Fred McGriff from time to time. The Pirates are hot right now. Will they be in August? I seriously don't think so.
Hey, Mike, your answer to who has the most no-hitters was not completely right. It is Nolan Ryan, but he had seven (not six) no-no's.
-- From a Tory fella living at a koyote.com.
Yo, thanks Mr. Humphries. The poor ol' Irishman has to write and edit this column by his Irish self and sometimes the slips slip by. Appreciate the correction. I fixed the pages.
OK, here is one for you: Sure, you know who made the longest shot in NBA history. But who did it in college?
-- From a West Virginia madman at an Ohio edu (of all places).
Glad you asked, Mr. Mad. I know this because it was made by a player at my alma-doesn't-matter, Marshall University. It was Bruce Morris who nailed one from 92 feet, 5 inches in 1985 in a game against the Appy State Mountaineers.
I am amazed at all this trivia stuff of yours. Do you really know this junk or do you look it up?
-- From a Da Ditka man at Da Saints land.
Hiya, Iron Michael. Only you would ask such a thing. Naturally, I try to think of them on my own, but I got a couple of sports books, too, that I have collected over the years. Including a few on the days of the Ain'ts. Good luck winning down there.
1) What was the final score of that Super Bowl victory he guaranteed? Give up?
2) How many career yards did he end up with (you can round off to the nearest thousand)? Give up?
3) How many career touchdowns did he notch (sorry, gotta get this one on the nose)? Give up?
4) How many AFL all-star games did he play in? Give up?
5) What was so special about that 1965 Orange Bowl loss in terms of his trophy case? Give up?
Mike Emmett has been kicking around sports departments in newspapers and online operations around the U.S. for years. Got something to say to the Irishman? Email him with a click here.
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