Early agate
ON THIS DATE
Nov. 19
1949 – Lou (Bimbo) Cecconi of Donora ends his collegiate career by intercepting three Penn State passes, running for two touchdowns and passing for a third score as Pitt defeats the Nittany Lions 19-0.
1979 – West Virginia fires head football coach Frank Cignetti after four consecutive losing seasons.
1982 – Scott Henson throws three touchdown passes, including two to Vernon Kirk, as Ringgold defeats Plum 18-13 in the WPIAL Class AAAA Division II football semifinals.
1983 – After 160 minutes and 16 overtimes, Trinity and Bethlehem-Freedom share the PIAA soccer title, the result of a 1-1 tie at Shippensburg University. It’s the longest high school soccer match in Pennsylvania history. Bethlehem-Freedom played the final 35 minutes with only 10 players, and Trinity’s Kory Sensky had a shot bounce off the goal post in the 16th overtime.
1986 – Darrin Walls scores 24 points as Waynesburg College defeats visiting West Liberty State 99-84 in the Yellow Jackets’ basketball season opener. The win is the 300th in the career of Waynesburg coach Rudy Marisa.
1988 – Kevin Shaeffer’s goal 52 seconds into the fourth quarter breaks a tie and Peters Township goes on to a 4-2 victory over Fleetwood in the PIAA Class AA boys soccer championship at Shippensburg University.
1990 – Barry Bonds of the Pittsburgh Pirates is named the National League’s Most Valuable Player. Bonds is the first major league player to finish with 30 homers, 30 stolen bases, 100 RBIs and a .300 or better batting average.
1993 – Jason Barr rushes for 225 yards and two touchdowns, and McGuffey’s defense forces three turnovers, as the Highlanders defeat Mt. Pleasant 21-0 in the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals. The win avenges a 21-14 loss to the Vikings during the regular season.
1994 – Mike Speca and J.J. Jarosinski each catch two touchdown passes from Jason Baer as Washington & Jefferson blanks Trinity (Texas) 28-0 in the NCAA Division III playoffs in San Antonio.
1997 – The Pittsburgh Penguins, during a 29-minute pregame ceremony, retire and raise Mario Lemeiux’s No. 66 to the Civic Arena rafters. The Penguins settle for a 3-3 tie with the Boston Bruins.
1999 – Waynesburg’s Lanfer Simpson rushes for 114 yards on 13 carries to become the school’s all-time rushing leader and the Raiders score on each of their first four possession en route to a 42-7 thumping of Brownsville in the WPIAL Class AA semifinals at Ringgold.
1999 – Brent Marstellar throws second-half touchdown passes of 44 and 61 yards to Michael Sutton as Washington rallies for a 14-12 victory over Aliquippa in the WPIAL Class AA semifinals at Mt. Lebanon.
2000 – Fred Taylor rushes for 234 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries and also catches a touchdown pass in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 34-24 victory over Pittsburgh.
2011 – Peters Township becomes the first girls soccer team from the WPIAL to win back-to-back state championships as it defeats Pennridge 1-0 at Hersheypark Stadium. Veronica Latsko scores the match’s lone goal, her 45th of the season, in the 26th minute.
2011 – California University blitzes Elizabeth City State 44-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Division II football playoffs.
Nov. 20
1949 – Jerry Nuzum rushes for 168 yards as the Pittsburgh Steelers win 30-7 at Green Bay. It’s the first 100-yard rushing game in Steelers history.
1970 – Bruce Potts scores on two touchdowns runs and South Side Beaver holds off a Chartiers-Houston rally to win the WPIAL Class B football championship 20-12 at Mt. Lebanon Stadium.
1979 – Maurice Allen makes two free throws with eight seconds remaining and Fort Cherry upsets Quigley 67-66 in a season-opening basketball game. It’s the first win for new Rangers coach Carl Grinage.
1981 – Packy Hull scores a game-high 18 points and Washington erases a five-point halftime defecit to defeat visiting Beth-Center 61-50 in the head coaching debut of Wash High’s Ron Faust.?
1985 – The Pittsburgh Pirates hire Chicago White Sox coach Jim Leyland to be the team’s manager.
1988 – Mapletown running back Derek Bochna, who led the WPIAL in both rushing and scoring, is named the Observer-Reporter’s Offensive Player of the Year and Elizabeth Forward linebacker Kelly Rush is the Defensive Player of the Year.
1993 – Jake Williams rushes for 132 yards and two touchdowns, and Keith Miller adds 107 yards and one score, as Washington & Jefferson defeats visiting Morvian 27-7 in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.?1993 – Jason Bainer’s 27-yard field goal on the final play of overtime gives Washington a 17-14 victory over Aliquippa in the WPIAL Class AA semifinals at Mt. Lebanon.
1993 – Marty Haldeman’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Larry Davis and Chad Hill’s extra-point kick with 1:03 remaining give West Greene (11-0-1) a 7-6 victory over Farrell in the WPIAL Class A football semifinals at Trinity High School.
1993 – Robert Walker scores on a 19-yard touchdown run with 6:08 remaining to give No. 9 West Virginia a 17-14 victory over No. 4 Miami (Fla.) before 70,222 at Mountaineer Field.
1996 – Kevin Donley, who compiled a 10-34 record in four seasons, resigns as head football coach at California University. Mike Kolakowski, the Vulcans’ defensive coordinator the last two seasons, is named Donley’s successor.
1998 – Brent Marsteller throws three touchdown passes, including two to Michael Sutton, and Washington defeats Aliquippa 30-8 in the WPIAL Class AA semifinals at Ringgold High School.
1999 – Washington & Jefferson’s Chris Locher throws for two scores and the Presidents’ defense makes two goal-line stands, blocks a field goal and doesn’t allow a touchdown in a 14-7 upset of No. 3-ranked Lycoming in the first round of the NCAA Division III football playoffs.
2004 – Washington & Jefferson rallies in the final minute of regulation to tie the score, then defeats Bridgewater (Va.) 55-48 on a two-yard TD pass from Chris Edwards to Jacob Shields in the second overtime of an NCAA Division III football playoff game at College Field.
2005 – Trinity running back Ben Jennings, who rushed for 1,928 yards and 23 touchdowns, is named the Observer-Reporter’s Football Player of the Year.