Piatt Johnston was multi-sport champion
Gina Piatt Johnston was a standout athlete in track and field, tennis, golf and basketball. It’s safe to say she was a pioneer in local women’s sports.
She loved to play golf and was very good at it. At Trinity, Piatt competed on the boys team. Participating in the WPIAL tournament, she won a championship as a junior and placed fifth in the state as a senior.
Piatt was super in track and field. As a member of the Hillers’ talented track team, Piatt was the first female athlete from the WPIAL to win a gold medal at the PIAA Track & Field Championships, finishing first in the shot put and discus in 1976. She was a WPIAL champ and four-time state champion.
Jack Piatt would coach his sister in the shot put in the family’s backyard.
“We started to work out together when she was 12. For the shot, we used cement,” Jack Piatt recalled.
“Oh, he really got into it,” laughed Gina. “He was more like a dad than a coach. We spent a lot of time in the backyard.”
Soon, Gina and her coach/brother would compete in small events in the area.
“We did a lot of traveling, going to places like Mt. Lebanon and South Park. All that experience and competition paid off,” Gina said.
“Everything she attempted … she succeeded in,” Jack added. “She was a hard worker, and let’s not forget, she was very young.”
As a member of the West Penn Track Club, Gina Piatt won a national championship in the shot put in the 12-13 age group. In 1975, she placed second in the nation in the shot put and discus.
As a 15-year-old, Piatt qualified for the U.S. junior track and field team sponsored by the AAU. That team competed in West Germany and Russia. She set the record for 15-year-olds in the discus.
“I guess all that practice in the backyard really paid off,” Jack Piatt said.
After a successful high school career, Gina Piatt was off to college. Auburn was home for four years.
“I had a track and golf scholarship. I just paid the room and board.” Piatt explained.
In 1982, Piatt received a degree in business. She now works with her brother, Rod, at Horizon Hospitality in Meadow Lands. The company manages and develops hotels in Western Pennsylvania.
Before settling back in Western Pennsylvania, Piatt played professional golf.
“That was a lot of fun,” she said.
Despite her success in track and field and on the golf course, Piatt loved to play basketball.
“I enjoyed the game. I played four years at Trinity under Coach (Dave) Johns. It wasn’t my best sport, but I had a lot of fun,” she said.
How did Gina, a professional golfer, stack up against brother Rod, another pro, on the greens?
“He and I had some great matches,” Gina recalls. “In his lifetime, he’s had nine holes-in-one. I’ve had five. I would always say he cheats because he plays a lot of golf.”
“We did have some good matches, but she couldn’t beat me,” Rod said with a smile. “I will say this about Gina. She was one of the great female athletes of our time.”
“I think the family competition made me a better athlete,” added Gina.
And it all started in the family’s backyard.
Bill DiFabio writes a bi-weekly column about local sports history for the Observer-Reporter.