Still crazy after all these years

Franco Harris in the Super Bowl … and he was revered in the ‘burgh, has statue of him at airport As the Pittsburgh Steeler faithful prepare to part ways with their long-time quarterback, and since the parting may not be amicable, I have some advice for Ben Roethlisberger and his $41 million contract.  Ben, you should read about the final days of one of the most revered Steeler players in history and how the Steelers dumped him just as he was on the verge of becoming the leading rusher in NFL history.  Yes, that was Franco Harris, the running back who exploded onto the Steeler scene and became the NFL Rookie of the Year and a Pro-Bowl player in 1972, which was the first year that the Steelers ever played in the NFL playoffs.  He also became part of Steelers’ and NFL lore because of the Immaculate Reception that gave the team its first playoff win of all time. For that reason, a statue of him is present for every visitor to Pittsburgh International Airport to see....

Roetlisberger, Steelers struggle late in the season … Colbert acknowledges that #7 will not return Pittsburgh Steeler fans agree that it is time that the team cut Ben Roethlisberger. Now, the national media is saying the same thing. No one has perhaps been as brutal in assessing the situation in which the Steelers find themselves vis-a-vis Roethliberger, their veteran QB. The team has made a horrible bet with his contract, and now they cannot pay their top players because of his $41 million hit against the cap.  Cowherd is the host of a radio show on Fox Sports Radio, and he was blunt about the situation. Many Steelers fans probably agreed with him. Steelers have “sold their soul” The Steelers have won just three playoff games in the past ten years despite having quality players. Cowherd bluntly assessed why they have problems in December, Kevin Colbert, their GM, came out and his quote about Big Ben was, “As we sit here today, Ben is a member of the Steelers. Not...

Can SFU women return to the excellence of Jess Zinobile?/Photo Tribune-Review The NEC 20th Anniversary MVP and a member of the conference’s 25th anniversary all-time team, Zinobile was NEC Player of the Year in 1997-98 and 1999-2000. She led the Red Flash to four NEC titles and four NCAA tournament trips. Her career scoring total of 2,338 points stood for 18 years before current senior Jess Kovatch broke the mark in December. Zinobile, a NEC and SFU hall of famer, remains the only NEC player drafted into the WNBA. She was selected in 2000 by the Sacramento Monarchs. Tribune-Review, February 8, 2019 … have key series with Sacred Heart this week Starting in 1996 with Coach Jenny Przekwas, the St. Francis Red Flash women’s basketball program simply dominated the Northeast Conference for 15 years.  During that time, they won 11 Northeast Conference Conference championships will gave them trips to the NCAA Women’s National Championship.  However, over the past d...

Dave Magarity coaching at West Point: Photo Army women's basketball … “In some ways, St. Francis men’s basketball has never recovered from  that decision to part with Magarity.” A few weeks ago, Dave Magarity, who served as head coach of the St. Francis College Red Flash men’s basketball team from 1978 to 1983, announced that he was retiring from coaching after having directed the Army West Point women’s program for the past 15 years.  Magarity started his coaching career at St. Francis as an assistant to Coach Pete Lonergan in the 1970s after having been part of the Red Flash program.  When Lonergan resigned in 1978, St. Francis hired Magarity as the youngest Div. I head coach in the country. However, five years later, he was summarily dismissed without being told why.  The move angered many people, and as I pointed out 15 years ago in a column for the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat, the decision haunted the program for many years. Column I wrote the colum...