Merrill Reese has been the play-by-play “Voice of the Philadelphia Eagles” for over twenty-five years and can be heard on 94/WYSP (CBS) and a tri-state network. He began his career at WPAZ in Pottstown, PA, and continued on to WBCB in Levittown, PA. Reese is now part-owner and General Manager of WBCB. He also spent… 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 »
Over a half century ago, South Philadelphia gymnast Pearl Perkins was recognized as the Mary Lou Retton of her time. She has been called perhaps the most talented South Philadelphia athlete of all, and probably the least well known. By the age of 12 she had become a Delaware Valley track and field star and… Read more »
Sylvia Wene Martin is known as one of the greatest women ten pin bowlers in history. A winner of numerous bowling crowns, she was the first woman ever to rack up three perfect or 300 games in sanctioned competition. She rolled her first perfect game in March 1951. Almost nine years later, in December 1959,… 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 »
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 »
In July of 2009, Frank Levine established a world track record in the 5,000 meter race at the USA National Track & Field Championships held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He was 95 years old. Five years earlier, at age 90, he set a world record for the 3,000 meters in Landover, MD. Both records still stand…. Read more »
Born and raised in South Philadelphia, Eddie Gottlieb was known as the “Mogul” of basketball. He was one of the pioneers of the sport, helping to develop it to national prominence. A founder of the National Basketball Association, he was the first promoter to use the doubleheader as part of the program in basketball. He… 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 »
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 »
