Ten years ago while living in Northern California, I participated as a volunteer for Super Bowl 50 (Broncos vs. Panthers). The San Francisco 49ers had moved to Santa Clara a couple years earlier for their home games, but the festivities and build-up to the game all took place in San ...
Sometimes seeing is not believing. As head coach Curt Cignetti transformed Indiana football into a national champion in plain sight over the last two seasons, the program’s less-than-illustrious history still raised recurring doubts regarding whether the optics were a mirage. Obscured by ...
The Penn Cambria community was shocked and saddened to hear of Mrs. Patricia “Patsy” Felus’ death on Sunday, Jan. 11. Considering her my mentor in the athletic world, I have been shaken all week by this news. Throughout my college years, Mrs. Felus taught me how to run the clock for athletic events and recruited my assistance in scheduling and event management that sparked my desire to be an athletic director. Anyone involved in high school athletics across the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference from the 1990s through the 2010s likely knew and/or interacted with Mrs. Felus. The ...
My trip to Pittsburgh for the Steelers’ first home playoff game in eight years was quite eventful. In order to go to the game on Monday night, I flew from West Palm Beach to Washington D.C. because there are limited flights to Pittsburgh, rented a car, was almost arrested in D.C. for a ...
As a young boy, I had first met Jim Lane at a candy store called Rocky’s, one block away from our house. Local sports enthusiasts would gather there, and I would often tag along with my dad. Our fare was Royal Crown Cola, Benzel’s Pennysticks and a Fudgesicle or Creamsicle for “dessert.” As a member of the Altoona Area High School basketball team, I became better acquainted with Jim throughout the years of 1969-71. He was our regular team reporter for the Altoona Mirror, recounting home games from the storied Jaffa Mosque. He was a consummate professional. As the boys ...
It was a headline that I had to read twice: An NBA draft pick deciding to walk away and play college ball instead. Being an NBA draft pick wasn’t enough for James Nnaji. In a plot twist worthy of a Netflix sports series, Nnaji, a 7‑foot Nigerian center, was drafted 31st in 2023, traded ...
