I just read the touching news article detailing Barry Crawford and his courageous fight with ALS in today’s Altoona Mirror (March 12).

Well done.

Barry has been a huge influence on me not only on the basketball court but through education and career exploration and just plain life.

In fact, Barry is my second cousin. When I was 14 years old, he persuaded me to give basketball a try after I had wrestled in elementary school and experienced some success.

But I was approaching 5-foot-10, and Barry saw my coordination and competitiveness and thought basketball was a better path — for all the Muthlers who went on to play at Northern Bedford High School, like he did.

(Barry graduated from Northern as its leading scorer in 1980).

We would jump on our bikes after school and ride over to the Crawford home where Barry and his dad, Harold, would give us simple instructions on basic basketball skills and work with us on their concrete court in their backyard.

Barry coached and grew up with each of the Muthler boys — Mark, Christian and me.

Coach Lew Ewart was also a key factor in the basketball program and was taken too soon from us with cancer.

Coaches Ewart and Crawford would encourage each of us to go to summer basketball camps and go and see as many basketball games outside of the area that we could.

We took team trips to West Virginia University to watch games and camps included Susquehanna, Cal PA and Frostburg.

Now those lessons are being passed on to younger Muthlers and other developing players in the Cove.

Barry was talented in three sports. He scored 1,000 points in high school and skillfully defended 6-foot-10 Dick Mumma from Bedford, who went on to play at Penn State.

Barry is a Hall of Fame inductee at PSU Altoona, a beloved husband, father and grandfather. He always had a smile on his face, and those who knew him best referred to him as “Cap” (short for Captain).

Scott Franco’s article stirred my memories of Barry Crawford and hopefully did so with many others in the coaching community and local sports community.

Scott Muthler

Roaring Spring

Awaiting next step from Penn State

Now that the Penn State trustees have taken the step to sell off the Beaver Stadium name to a company most of us have never heard of, they could at least throw a bone to the Nittany Nation and return Joe Paterno’s statue.

Dave Semler, Reedsville