Jan 28, 2021 5 min read

ON THIS DATE

Jan. 30

1957 – Waynesburg College’s wrestling team defeats Purdue 24-5 at College Gym. It’s the fifth time Waynesburg has wrestled a Big Ten Conference opponent and the Yellow Jackets improved their record in those matches to 5-0. Waynesburg’s Gene Terembes (167 pounds) wins an 8-3 decision to improve his record to 19-0.

1959 – The Pittsburgh Pirates trade Frank Thomas, Whammy Douglas, Jim Pendleton and Johnny Powers to Cincinnati for Don Hoak, Smoky Burgess and Harvey Haddix.

1968 – The Kansas City Chiefs select Avella native George Daney, a guard from Texas-El Paso, with the 22nd pick in the NFL-AFL draft.

1973 – The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Greg Polis wins MVP honors at the NHL All-Star Game in New York after scoring two goals.

1976 – Baskets by Bill Hairston and Tom Wise in the final 18 seconds cap Washington High School’s comeback as the Prexies edge Trinity 62-61. It’s Wash High’s 12th consecutive victory. Trinity led by as many as 14 points in the second and third quarters and by four with 1:18 remaining.

1980 – The Pittsburgh Penguins debut black-and-gold uniforms against the St. Louis Blues.

1980 – Rod Wheeler leads six Waynesburg College players in double figures with 24 points as the Yellow Jackets improve their record to 15-2 with a 106-87 victory over visiting California State. Don Slappy scores a game-high 42 points for the Vulcans.

1982 – Less than 24 hours after having an allergic reaction to seafood, California State’s Michael Wilson scores a career-high 23 points to lead the Vulcans to a 78-48 basketball victory over Waynesburg at Hamer Hall.

1985 – Saint Vincent upsets Waynesburg, 57-54, ending the Yellow Jackets’ 21-game home-court winning streak that spanned two years and two gymnasiums. The contest is marred by a postgame fight.

1987 – Kerry Marisa and Steve Fowler each make four free throws in the fifth overtime to help Waynesburg to an 86-83 victory over visiting Peters Township in a Section 10-AAA basketball game.

1991 – Trinity heavyweight Charlie Brooks wins a 5-4 decision in the match’s final bout to give the undefeated Hillers a 24-21 victory over McGuffey in a Section 4-AAA match.

1995 – Kelly Bedillion scores 10 of her 17 points in the first half as Fort Cherry ends the longest girls basketball losing streak in the WPIAL at 48 games with a 55-46 victory over visiting South Fayette.

Jan. 31

1950 – High school pitcher Paul Pettit signs with the Pittsburgh Pirates for a record $100,000. To do so, Pittsburgh has to purchase his contract from a film producer who had signed Pettit to an exclusive contract as an athlete/actor.

1954 – Frank Leahy resigns as football coach at Notre Dame. Leahy has an 87-11-9 record. He is replaced by 25-year-old Terry Brennan.

1956 – Dormont ends Washington’s 74-game section basketball winning streak by defeating the Little Prexies 50-44. It’s Washington’s first loss in a section game since Feb. 4, 1949.

1974 – Bernie O’Keefe makes an 18-foot jump shot at the buzzer in overtime as Duquesne shocks seventh-ranked Providence, 88-87.

1981 – All five Canon-McMillan wrestlers who make the finals – Tim Grego (112), Harry Hritsko (119), Craig Dellorso (126), Mario Marinelli (145) and Dominick Broglia (185) – win titles at the Burgettstown Tournament and help the Big Macs win the team title.

1981 – The District of Columbia, led by future NBA first-round draft pick Earl Jones, defeats Cal State 89-58 at Hamer Hall. Jones scores 19 points and blocks five shots.

1985 – Waynesburg High School’s Tammy McIntire scores 21 points, including the 1,000th of her career, in the Raiders’ 51-27 victory over Mon Valley Catholic.

1986 – Two-time defending WPIAL champion Eric Smith pins Freedom’s Eugene McCune at 1:22 of the heavyweight bout to give Avella a 39-30 victory and clinch a berth in the WPIAL Team Tournament for the Eagles.

1995 – The Roundball Classic, the longest-running national all-star high school basketball game, is cancelled after a 30-year run in Pittsburgh.

1998 – The Pittsburgh Penguins top the Detroit Red Wings, 4-2. Pens goalie Tom Barrasso makes 51 saves, the most by any Pittsburgh goalie in Mellon Arena history.

1998 – Mark Keener makes a game-winning shot from 10 feet with one second remaining as Waynesburg College overcomes a 13-point first-half deficit and defeats host Grove City, 67-65. It is the 14th consecutive win for the Yellow Jackets (15-1).

2003 – LeBron James is declared ineligible for the remainder of the basketball season because he accepted free sports jerseys, the Ohio High School Athletic Association rules. A senior at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary, James was given two retro sports jerseys – valued at $845 – for free from a clothing store.

2005 – Rachel Phillips scores 41 points, including all 18 of West Greene’s points in the fourth quarter, as the Pioneers defeat Mapletown 56-49.

2006 – West Greene’s Rachel Phillips scores 22 points in the Pioneers’ 47-43 win over Riverview to become the school’s all-time basketball – boys or girls – scoring leader with 1,759 points.

2007 – Jon Koch scores 12 points in Washington & Jefferson’s 85-63 basketball victory at Waynesburg to become the Presidents’ all-time scoring leader with 1,660 points. He breaks the record held by Nolan Larry.

2011 – Travis Taylor scores 15 points and makes two free throws with four seconds remaining, giving Jefferson-Morgan a 50-48 win over Bentworth. It is the Bearcats’ first loss in Section 3-AA.