Dec 16, 2022 3 min read

ON THIS DATE

Dec. 17

1950 – Andy Mestrovic scores 23 points and Washington & Jefferson’s basketball team remains undefeated at 5-0 with a 55-52 victory over Penn State at State College.

1970 – Black members of the California State basketball team decide by a 6-1 vote to boycott an upcoming game against Point Park at the Pitt Field House. The players agreed to return after Christmas break if assured that the college will provide a black advisor and attempt to recruit black coaches.

1971 – Ruben Richards scores 30 points and visiting Bentworth High School ends Waynesburg’s five-game winning streak with an 83-76 victory over the Raiders.

1980 – Chartiers-Houston overpowers an inexperienced Trinity team, 40-5, in a wrestling match held without spectators in the gymnasium. The WPIAL Board of Control banned spectators from attending after incidents involving fans at a match between the Bucs and Hillers in the previous season.

1982 – Carmichaels defeats visiting Geibel 78-76 in a triple-overtime Section 16-A boys basketball game. The Mikes’ J.L. Lechner scores 36 points and makes 20 consecutive free throws, including two with two seconds left in the third overtime.

1999 – Peters Township’s Eric Lang scores 42 points but the Indians lose in overtime at Laurel Highlands, 86-79.

2003 – McGuffey wrestling coach Mark Caffrey gets his 300th career victory as the Highlanders defeat West Mifflin 76-6.

2003 – Carmichaels defensive back Donnie Hewitt and Mapletown offensive lineman Matt Messich are named to the Associated Press Class A all-state football first team.

Dec. 18

1966 – Bill Nelson passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the host Atlanta Falcons 57-33 in the season finale for both teams.

1970 – West Greene ends a 30-game basketball losing streak by defeating McGuffey 60-50. Five West Greene players score in doduble figures, led by Alan Riggle and Bob Shields with 12 points each.

1971 – Waynesburg High School sends eight wrestlers to the finals and comes away with five champions to win the team title at the California Invitational wrestling tournament. Winning titles for Waynesburg were defending WPIAL champion Dan Levine (138), Scott Merring (103), Dale Butcher (120), Keith McClure (133) and Alan Wise (heavyweight). Levine scores the only fall of the finals.

1974 – Keith Starr and Kirk Bruce each score 13 points and Pitt upsets seventh-ranked Marquette 65-58 at the Pitt Field House.

1976 – Bob Burns (98), Dave Baker (119), Ken Evans (126), Tom Sams (132), Bob Piatt (145) win their weight classes as Trinity wins the team title at the Western Conference wrestling tournament at Chartiers Valley.

1979 – Sam Maropis makes a 12-foot jump shot with five seconds remaining, giving Burgettstown a 52-51 victory over Washington in the Section 9-AA opener.

1979 – Charleroi erases a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter and defeats Monessen 75-71 in overtime. Robbie Hansen scores 12 points in the fourth quarter for the Cougars and finishes the game with 17.

1985 – Roy Chipman, head basketball coach at Pitt, announces that he will resign at the end of the season, his sixth with the Panthers.

1989 – Four days after a failed attempt to obtain his resignation, the University of Pittsburgh fires head football coach Mike Gottfried and replaces him on an interim basis with offensive coordinator Paul Hackett. Gottfried had a 26-17-2 record in four seasons.

1989 – Pitt makes 29 of 35 free throws to outlast Duquesne, 92-87. The Panthers win despite 23 points and 13 rebounds by Duquesne’s Brian Anselmino.

1993 – McGuffey running back Jason Barr, who rushed for 2,111 yards, is named to the Associated Press Big School All-State Football Team.

2009 – Phil Horensky makes a clutch three-pointer in the second overtime, sending Peters Township to a 75-72 victory over Baldwin.