A star at tight end for Temple University’s football team in the early 1970s, Randy Grossman went unnoticed in the 1974 NFL draft. Signing as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he went on to play eight seasons of professional football. As a member of the Steelers during their reign of NFL supremacy in… Read more »
The diminutive Benny Bass was pound-for-pound one of the most bruising boxing champions of the 20th century, with more than two-thirds of his 176 victories coming by way of the knockout. Born in Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine, the 5 ft.1 in. Bass won two world titles within the span of 25 months. He… Read more »
The first Jew to be a member of the United States Olympic Team in Sailing and first one to win an Olympic medal, Don Cohan picked up sailing in 1967 at age 37. Within three years, Cohan was competing in top Soling and Dragon-class regattas from Sweden to Tasmania; within five, he was reveling in… Read more »
Max Patkin, to millions of Americans, is known simply as the “Clown Prince of Baseball”. His appearance as an underfed scarecrow, with 185 pounds spread out over a 6’3″ frame and his rubber-like face dominated by his nose, give Patkin the natural funny appearance of a true clown, which he has used to entertain millions… Read more »
Widely regarded as the first modern basketball forward, Dolph Schayes is best known in Philadelphia as the first coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, following the team’s move from Syracuse in 1964. Two years later, he coached the 76ers to the NBA Title and was named NBA Coach of the Year. A distinguished college career earned… Read more »
On November 3, 2008, three days after the Phillies World Series victory parade, Ruben Amaro, Jr. was named Senior Vice-President and General Manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. His appointment marked an extraordinary personal trajectory that began in 1980 when at the age of 15, Ruben was the Phillies batboy. Born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia,… Read more »
Judy Auritt, a graduate of West Philadelphia High School, was an AAU Junior National and Middle Atlantic States Swimming Champion and an NCAA record holder for Penn State University and the University Of Pennsylvania in the 1940s. She held Middle Atlantic Championships and resident and championship records in 50 yard freestyle, 100 yard freestyle and… Read more »
As a professional boxing referee, Steve Smoger has long ranked at the pinnacle of his profession. He has refereed 185 World Title fights all over the globe and has officiated in more states and countries than any other professional boxing referee in the history of the “sweet science”. Honored several times as “Referee of the… Read more »
“Menchy” Goldblatt, a native of South Philadelphia, will always be remembered not only for his skills as a basketball player and coach, but as a father figure and mentor to generations of basketball players in the City of Philadelphia. He was an all-city basketball player at Southern High. As a member of the University of… Read more »
Simply put, Larry Brown is one of the most successful basketball coaches, college or pro, of all-time. He is the only head coach to lead teams to an NBA title (Detroit 2004) and an NCAA Championship (Kansas 1988). He is also the only coach in history to lead eight different NBA teams to the playoffs…. Read more »
