The Little League Baseball league started in 1950 with six teams, but it was the Moose Lodge sponsored team that won the very first Little League Championship.
      On the 1950 team were, first row from left to right, Jim Navolio, Bob Koach, Rocco Manzo, Ron Hughes, Mike Nocera, and Mario Morini. Second row: Ron Mazzano, Ray Foley, Bob Mallory, Joe Cioffi, and Jim Tammaro. Third row; Dick Gordon (scorekeeper), Walt Feerst, Frank Rocco, “Grundy” Volpe, Dick Friedhoff (manager), and “Skippy” Friedhoff (bat boy).

In 1953, the US Steel national newsletter, US Steel News, honored the men in Ellwood City that worked long days at US Steel and still volunteered their time in the evenings and on weekends for Ellwood City youth baseball leagues. This photograph of the team managers and umpires of National Tube made the cover of the January 1953 newsletter.

    Pictured from left to right in the first row include R.P. Friedoff, N.J. Pack (president of the Little League), J.P. Smith, Charles R. Hall, Nick Perry, and Frank Volpe. Second Row: Paul Reinheimer, Walter Feerst, Robert Mohrbacher, Erwin Campbell, and Charles Maggi Third Row: Thomas Hughes, Wayne Baird (President of the Knee-Hi League), William Frazier, Carl Meise, Merle Means, Chester Shaffer, and E.J. Corrigan.
Other men associated with the various leagues but unable to attend the photograph session included John Matrongol, Wilbert Covert, George Thornhill, Louis Oliastro, George Patterson, Albert Ruhe, and Elwain Richards.
A special thank you goes to Pudue LaCava for taking the time to send us this photogaph – Thank you.

     Ellwood City has had some great fighters but only the men of the first half century of our town are recorded. The great boxers from the first 50 years of our town included Earl Woods, Jimmy Gibbons, Dinah Christie, George Milnes, Tommy Evans, Kate Houk, Red Maloney, Bill Henderson, Charlie Strouse, and  Howard McCloskey who fought all over the world as part of “barnstorming leather pushers”.
In 1929, Ring Magazine ranked Emmett Rocco of Ellwood City, PA as the number two contender to the Professional Boxing Heavyweight Title of the World and ranked him number two again in 1930.
    The only thing that stood in the way of fighting Gene Tunney for the title was the number one contender Jack Sharkey and a lingering injury to his hand. Emmett broke his right hand in an amateur rematch fight with Sandy Seifert in 1928 which Emmett won in twelve rounds despite the broken hand. The injury sustained in that Youngstown battle occurred less than one year before his professional debut. The hand did not affect him in the ring but it forced him to take more time than most others would take between fights to let the hand heal.
By 1931, Rocco was hailed as the best looking prospect in the Heavyweight Division, National newspapers fell in love with his Blue Collar, “Up form the Mills” story. Newspaper and magazines alike played up the fact that he was a mill worker that began to box to provide luxuries for his parents and younger brothers and sisters. Unfortunately later in 1931, while training for a fight with King Levinsky, Emmett suffered a leg injury that would end his career prematurely.
    Joe Cumo was Emmett’s manager for most of his career until his untimely passing. Joe helped guide Rocco’s career to the highest levels with the love of that of a brother. After Joe’s death, Emmett had various trainers including a younger brother Benny Rocco. Another younger brother (George) became a successful amateur boxer in 1934 & 35. He lost a bout to the national amateur welter weight champion Jimmy Clark right before the Olympics. When Clark returned with the Olympic title, Rocco got a re-match in Beaver Falls and won decisively.
Ellwood City Memories would like to thank Joe Rocco of San Diego, CA and Casey (Foley) Lawrence of Beaver Falls, PA for providing information for this post.
We know that Ellwood City has produced additional great boxers, but we need your help to fill us in. If you know of a great boxer from Ellwood City, please leave a comment below or EMAIL us.

      In 1952, the Ellwood City Fraternal Order or Eagles Knee-Hi League team won the championship for the second consecutive year. Those pictured were, front row left to right, Don Covert, Amy Alfonso, Tammaro, Fox, and vic D’Angelo, Second row, Bud Majors, Dick Gaskell, Joe Cioffi, Larry Carinci, Bob Timmerman, and Ray Gosciewski. Coaches standing Tom Hughes, Bud Campbell, Lou Oliastro, and John Hulick.

      1954 Knee Hi Champions- the Sons of Italy. This picture was donated to us by Pudue LaCava but unfortunately we do not have any names. If you recognize someone, please let us know below or email me at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

      I recently attended an engagement where the speaker spoke on Ellwood City Area Athletics. Most of the presentation centered on baseball and football but the topic of basketball stirred up some conversation. It was suggested that Joedy Gardner was the most valuable basketball player in Ellwood City history. The speaker conceited that he may not have been the greatest in Ellwood’s history, though he was great, but the most valuable. He credited Gardner with changing the way the other schools around the area viewed Ellwood City Basketball.
A number of people have shared with us how good Joedy was, so if he wasn’t the greatest in Ellwood City history, who was? I guess that comes down to how old the person you are asking is.
Ellwoodians that are around the century mark remember players like Dip McDaniel, Merit Book, and Sing MacDonald as phenomenal players. Dip has been credited with getting people in Ellwood interested in basketball during his games at the Shelby clubhouse as these men played before Ellwood City even had a high school team. As a matter of fact, for the first fifty years of Ellwood’s existence, Dip was widely regarded as the greatest athlete to come out of our tube making town.
      Then that was about the time Joedy Gardner hit the scene. As mentioned above Joedy turned the tide for Ellwood from consecutive losing seasons to an actual contender. He starred at Lincoln from 1951 to 54 before playing on nationally ranked teams at West Virginia University.
      Dan Aloi is probably the other great basketball player to be mentioned in this conversation. Having ended his career in Ellwood with a number of records including single game scoring record, single season scoring record, and the career scoring record. He was also named to the National High School Boys Basketball All-American team in 1987.
However, if the conversation is about the greatest basketball player in Ellwood City history, you have to include Anne Malkowiak who graduated as the all time leading scorer in Beaver County, all time leading scorer in Lawrence county, the first boy or girl to score 2,000 points for Ellwood, and the all time leading scorer for Lincoln High School.
It is a tricky conversation to have as there are a number of reasons why it is difficult to compare these great players to each other. Not to mention whenever the conversations start to get heated, someone throws in the legendary Don Hennon whose 2,376* career points at Wampum from 1951-55 stood as the WPIAL record for 38 years (I added the asterisks because Don earned his points without the benefit of a three point line). As many of you know, the Wampum school district closed and is now part of Ellwood City and Mohawk so he might deserve to be added to this conversation. How good was Don, consider this, the 1958 he was selected for the Associated Press All-American team, along with future NBA stars Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, and Guy Roger.
      By default, if you are going to include Dr. Hennon in this conversation, I guess I feel inclined to also add Sean Miller to the mix. True he played his high school ball for his dad’s teams at Blackhawk High School, but he was born and raised in Ellwood City before moving to Blackhawk for his varsity years.
Okay, there you have it, who did I forget? I am sure you will point out great players I forgot like Joe Dougherty but I assure you it was not intentional. I am just going off of previous conversations/arguments I have had or overheard. Please feel free to correct me below or email me at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

We have received a number of team photographs from people who are curious if we can identify any of the players. Unfortunately we are not able to name but a few, but hopefully you might remember one of these teams. We are going to attempt to run this post once a month or so in hope that someone, somewhere, will say something similar to the Wurtemburg United Methodist Church softball team picture we posted awhile ago… “That’s my dad. The rest of the team is…” If you have any information on any of these pictures, please leave a message below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com 

The first picture is of the 1944 Industrial League Softball Champions. It appears that the picture was taken in front of the Shelby Clubhouse on the corner of First Street and Pittsburgh Circle. We know that Charlie Zona is one of those pictured here and Marty Tomei is pictured in the second row, third from the left, but we can not positely identify anyone else. If you recognize anyone, please email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com 

The S.S.E. 1944 Softball Team. Among those pictured include coach Tom Reese and Charlie Zona. Frankie “Hooks” Lagana is the last one in the front row with the catcher’s mitt. If you recognize anyone else, please share.

This picture is of the 1945 Lawrence County Champions, the Ellwood City Boosters. It looks like this was also a softball league from the size of the balls in the mandatory pile in front of the players. JoAnn Miller Grejda contacted us and believes the gentleman on the left side in the white outfit is John Flanagan and six down from him is her father Al Miller. One of our local sports history experts, Bob Mallary, recognized the gentleman at the other end from John Flanagan as Elwin (Hink) Richards. If you know of anyone else that was on this team, please email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com 

Here is another picture from Anita Zona-Peters that includes her father Charlie Zona, the 1950 Ellwood City USA 122- C.I.O. Labor Union’ team. Jack Snare is in the back row first one on the left. If you recognize anyone else here, please let leave a comment below. 

Pictured here is the 1949 City League Softball Champions, the United Nations Veterans of America’s team. Bottom row left to right; Jack Snare, Onorato “Russia” Funari, Bob Snare, Tony Pratt, Quido Antonelli, unknown and Marty Tomei. In the back row, first is Coach Joe Haydo, the third gentleman from the left is Russ Snare, the sixth guy is Jimmy Schialdone and the last man on the right is Coach Russell Butchelle.

Perhaps the most impressive picture Maria sent us of her father Chalie Zona is this picture McGlincy Studios took of the 1947 Pennsylvania Moose Softball Champions. In the first row Jack Snare is the first person on the left and the fifth from left is Sammy “Skit” Lagana. In the second row third from the left is Frankie “Hooks” Lagana and we are told that the top row includes the fourth person, Dominick “Beanie” Lagana and Marty Tomei is the sixth from left. Unfortunately we are unable to identify any of the players or anymore of those in the back row pictured with the team. If you can identify any of them, please email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com 

Another picture of the S.S.E. softball team including Charlie Zona, except this picture is the 1943 team. We were kindly informed that the bottom row consists of left to right: unknown, Marty Tomei, unknown girl, Tony Pratt, and “Russia” Funari

We have additional unidentified team pictures that we will be posting soon including a couple High School basketball teams and a couple of teams from Wampum so please keep an eye out.

      If you stop for a second and ask yourself what was the most dominant high school sports team in Ellwood City history, what comes to mind? Perhaps it was the 1925 football team considered by many as the best football team to come from the area. Or perhaps you thought of one of the other teams from Ellwood to win the WPIAL in their sport including the 2005 Boys Cross Country team, the 1942 Football team, the 2000 Girls Track and Field team, the 2008 Girls Softball team, or a number of Baseball teams including the 1945, 1962, 1968, and the 2001 teams.
      The 2003 Baseball team won the WPIAL & the State PIAA Championship as did the 1930 Track and Field team. However, when you hear dominant, you think not just one great year, but a number of years like the Girls Cross Country teams that won the 1992 and 1993 Class AA WPIAL and PIAA Champions.
Though they never won the PIAA State Championship, one Lincoln High School sports team dominated the WPIAL year after year after year. The Boys Gymnastics team coached by the legendary Mr. Ansell produced nine consecutive W.P.I.A.L. championships, eight consecutive A.A.U. championships and despite not winning the state championship, his teams had two third place finishes at the P.I.A.A. meets and in 1951 they came in second place at the P.I.A.A. State Finals.
 
    
Having won so many WPIAL championships in a row like they did is a testimony to how good the TEAM was and their success was not the result of any one or two particular players. However, these teams did produce some phenomenal athletes. I got these pictures from various Ellwood City Yearbooks. The pictures include Joe Barbati in the middle of a flip during his thrilling floor routine, a perfect lever exhibition by F. DeNome, a giant roll on the parallel bars by F. Wallace, hand stand by Mark Jamison, a hand stand on the rings by team captain Roland Stone, and State champion rope climber Leo Minotti displaying his perfect form that he used to pull himself up the 20 foot rope in 4.0 seconds to repeat as State Champion.

    
  These men were just a small handful of the spectacular student athletes that competed for Coach Ansell. We would all enjoy hearing from any of those that competed on one of these championship teams or just remembers these teams. Please share your memories of Mr. Ansell or the Ellwood City Gymnastics Team by leaving your memories in the comments section below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

      Fifty years later, we remember the 1951 Ellwood City Moose Lodge Little League Baseball Champions. Those pictured here in their Converse All-Stars include in the front row from left. Sam Pistachio, Jim Beatrice, Terry Macioge, Skip Friedhoff, Joey Sheeler, unknown, unknown, and Tom Butler. Second row from the left, Todd Heinz, unknown, Nick Frisk, Ron Mazzano, Ron Hughes, Jim Navolio, Bob Butler, and Jim Barry. The coaches pictured in the back row include Walter Feerst, Dick Freidhoff, and Grundy Volpe.
      If you know those that we have marked as “unknown”, please let us know so we can adjust accordingly. Also, if you remember this team or the players, we would love to here your memories. Please share in the comments section below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

      I was flipping through a stack of old Ellwood City Ledgers that someone had let me borrow a couple of weeks ago and came to an article where they made a big deal about a certain Ellwood City baseball standout that was coming to the end of his career as a Wolverine and in his last days, hit a towering home run that not only cleared the fence but actually landed on the roof of the school. Of course this was in the days when the field was beside Lincoln High School, which a few of you might remember.    
      The way the article was written, it made the homerun seem to be a Babe Ruth-ian type of homerun that was typically reserved for movies like “The Natural”. Of course after reading this, I thought to myself that this would make a great History’s Mystery. The only problem I thought of at the time was that everyone would remember a spectacular homerun like this.
      I posted the question in the History’s Mystery section of Ellwood City Memories and it turns out, I had another problem. The home run was indeed a Herculean fete, but not that uncommon. I heard from a number of you including Bob Mallary who guessed Al Miller and Don Tindall who guessed Rich Potter. The article in the Ledger was about the drive off of the bat of Jesse Brown, but like I said, he was not alone. Jim Hockenberry, who grew up around the school remembers playing sandlot ball on the field a lot and also recalls that Mary Ann (Corigan) Caputo would easily hit baseballs onto the roof from home plate. Not only could she do it easily, but she did it regularly.
      If you know of anyone else that hit a drive onto the roof of the school from the old field, please share your memories below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

         Once upon a time, a good number of churches in Ellwood City had their own softball league. I was recently given an old stack of Ellwood City Ledgers by one of our followers to go through to see if anything stood out and buried in the sports section of one of the papers from the early 1990′s was a write up from all the previous days Church League Softball games. The following is a word for word reprint from the Tuesday, May 19th Ellwood City Ledger…
  The Wileys had a field night on the Lillyville Church of God field Monday night.
  Thad Wiley went 5-for-5 and Jay Wiley added a 5-for-6 game to a 25 hit attack as Assembly of God crushed Calvin UP-Bell Memorial 19-5, in Ellwood City Church Softball League action.
  In other games, Mt. Jackson stopped First Church of God, 10-3, while St. Agatha turned away First United Methodist, 16-9.
  While Thad and Jay Wiley were combining to go 10-for-11. Dave Lias doubled and singled twice, while Jeff Scott doubled and singled and Doug Peffer, Bob Tammaro and Dave Ialongo contributed two hits apiece.
  Jay Wiley cracked two doubles along the way and notched the victory on the hill with nine strong innings of work.
  For Calvin UP, Gary Jackson doubled and singled twice, while Dave Best homered and singled, Larry Turner singled three times and Dave Calve went 2-for-5. Turner lost the pitching decision to Wiley on the mound.
Score by innings:         R  H
Calvin   000 120 002 — 5  11
AOG     104 203 90x — 19 25
            ——
Mt. Jackson 10, Church of God 3
  Gerry McDowell had a perfect 3-for-3 night at the plate, while Bob Jones stroked four hits and Jeff McDowell collected three hits for the winners. Jim Book added a three bagger for Mt. Jackson, which maintained an early 4-0 edge and never looked back.
  McDowell picked up the win on the mound.
Score by innings:           R
Mt.Jack.  202 041 010 — 10
First COG 000 001 101 –  3
            ——
St. Agatha 16, First UM 9
  Chris Swick doubled and singled twice with a pair of RBI, while Don Buzard and Tom Keane cracked three hits. Mike Primerano doubled and singled twice with two RBI and Jim Buccelli smacked a pair of singles. Tom Aubel also chipped in a double for the victors.
  For First United Methodist, Steve Kingston tripled and doubled and singled twice to go 4-for-4 with three RBI, while Pat Hennon doubled and singled with three RBI, and Ed Kingston and Bill Luca each singled twice and knocked in a run.
  Joe Gillespie was the winning pitcher with three innings of relief of starter Tony Aniceti. Neil Foley mopped up for the final two innings. Mike Baker was the loser, in relief of Jack Sapp.
Score by innings:            R  H
St. Agat.  320 040 700 — 16 20
First UM   002 034 000 –  9 17

Please share your memories of the softball league below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

      I have been asking for any team pictures from the area and was recently given a picture of the 1916 Ellwood City High School football team that included; front row left to right, James Marshall, Thomas Baird, Corey Asper, Rodney Dean, Max Ewing, Dewey Cunningham, George Fike, B. Asper and Virgil Cosby.
      Back row, left to right, Allan Thomas, McElwain, Jack Harper, Dewitt Goodrich, Baker, Edwin French, Clifford Camp, Adam Dambach, Charles French, and Norman McCreary, High School Principal and coach;
      Who knew that your great-great grandfather George Fike was a football stud back in the day?

      Once upon a time Ellwood City hosted a Sunday school baseball league here in town. The 1922 league champions was the pictured Immanuel Reformed Church team. Members included seated from the left third baseman Fred Sanders, second baseman Frank “Grundy” Volpe, and batboy John Sanders. Standing from the left is local baseball legend and team manager Connie Wardman. Left fielder Mike Cirelli, Pitchers Frank Falconie and Paul McConahy, First base Erwin “Nummy” Campbell, Centerfielder Edward Krupa, Right fielder Dave Mariani, and church pastor Rev. Schaffer. Ray Daellenbach is missing from the picture to go fishing.