Early agate
ON THIS DATE
Feb. 5
1954 – Cumberland Township High School’s Jack Kesock sets the Ellsworth court scoring record with 39 points in the Mikes’ 69-53 victory. Kesock’s total includes 17 field goals.
1974 – Waynesburg’s Bill George is one of four former players chosen for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The others are Tony Canadeo, Lou “The Toe” Groza and Dick “Night Train” Lane. George, the first middle linebacker in NFL history, played in the league for 14 years with the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams. He played in eight consecutive Pro Bowls.
1982 – Brothers Tony and Jeff Conn combine for 43 points and Bentworth (16-1) takes sole possession of first place in Section 9-AA-A with a 74-69 basketball win over host Washington (11-2).
1986 – Heavyweight Brian Hilk wins a 7-3 decision over Canon-McMillan’s Olen Scott to secure Trinity’s 24-20 wrestling victory over the Big Macs. The loss ends Canon-McMillan’s 28-dual-meet winning streak. Because of the interest in the match, it is held at Washington & Jefferson’s Henry Memorial Center and draws a crowd estimated at 3,000.
1988 – Thomas Jefferson outlasts host Waynesburg 90-88 in overtime in a foul-filled Section 9-AAA game. Jason Lawson, one of six TJ players to foul out, scores 28 of his 40 points in the second half. Kerry Marisa scores 35 for Waynesburg.
1990 – Notre Dame bucks the College Football Association and becomes the first college to sell its home games to a major network, agreeing to a five-year contract with NBC beginning in 1991.?
1992 – Ted Simmons, director of player development for the St. Louis Cardinals, is hired as general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1994 – Terry Wilkins scores 32 points and grabs 15 rebounds, and Matt Johnson scores his 1,000th career point as Washington & Jefferson defeats visiting Frostburg State, 75-58, to improve its basketball record to 15-2.
1999 – Ringgold defeats Albert Gallatin, 61-43, to give Rams boys basketball coach Phil Pergola his 400th career victory.
2005 – Kevin Pittsnogle scores 27 points and West Virginia overcomes a seven-point halftime deficit to upset No. 16 Pitt, 83-78, in overtime.
2006 – The Pittsburgh Steelers win a record-tying fifth Super Bowl, but their first since 1980 with a 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
2011 – Alex Hutchin’s first-period pin at 130 pounds provided the spark and Canon-McMillan followed with a firestorm of lightweights to take a 36-19 victory over Latrobe and win its second consecutive WPIAL Class AAA Team Tournament championship.
Feb. 6
1953 – John Beatty scores 27 points as coach Rab Currie’s Charleroi High School basketball team repeats as Section 5-A champion by defeating Brownsville 67-40.
1959 – Jim Gohacki scores 38 points and Doug Rose makes the game-winning steal and basket with four seconds left as Canonsburg defeats Section 4 co-leader Mt. Lebanon, 66-65.
1972 – Scott Herz becomes Washington & Jefferson’s all-time basketball scoring leader, tossing in 26 points in the Presidents’ 85-80 loss at John Carroll. Herz has 1,296 points, breaking the record held by Larry Romboski.
1973 – Washington, the only undefeated basketball team in the WPIAL, wins its 31st consecutive Section 14-B game, 77-60 over California. Tony Hull scores 22 points and Carl Grinage adds 21.
1976 – Roger Huston, former track announcer at Pompano Park in Florida, becomes voice of The Meadows.
1976 – Eric Sorenson’s three-point as time expires gives Peters Township a 49-48 victory over Chartiers Valley and moves the Indians to within one game of the Section 11-AAA-leading Colts.
1979 – Trinity’s wrestling team runs its dual meet record to 14-0 with a 49-6 victory over Washington.
1981 – Bentworth’s Sam Hollandsworth makes a 12-foot jump shot with two seconds remaining in double overtime to give Bentworth a 51-49 victory over Washington, snapping the Little Prexies’ 15-game winning streak.
1985 – Washington’s boys basketball team rolls to its 44th consecutive victory, beating previously undefeated Bentworth, 83-50, in Bentleyville.
1986 – Candy Ross scores 35 points and becomes the all-time girls basketball scoring leader at Peters Township as the Indians defeat Frazier 69-46.
1992 – The Pittsburgh Steelers hire McDonald native Marvin Lewis as their linebackers coach.
1999 – Thirteen Waynesburg College players score at least two points as the Yellow Jackets cruise to an 81-44 victory over D’Youville. The win is the 500th in the collegiate coaching career of Waynesburg’s Rudy Marisa.
2004 – Christian Goetz scores a career-high 37 points and Burgettstown clinches a WPIAL playoff berth with an 80-66 overtime win over Bentworth in Section 5-AA.
2011 – Aaron Rodgers throws three touchdown passes and Nick Collins returns an interception for another score, leading the Green Bay Packers to a 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl.