Did you know?
This is a rare occurrence. I’ve actually found some high personal praise for me in an old copy of the Uniontown Morning Herald. Well, not exactly praise just for me.
I was a member of the vaunted Uniontown Joint Senior High School, Red Raider band that had traveled to Harrisburg’s Farm Show Arena in March of 1964. On March 24, 1964 — 50 years ago today — the headline on the front page of the Morning Herald said: “Red Raiders Band Given High Praise.” The band had accompanied the Red Raider basketball team, and hundreds of Uniontown’s excited fans to Harrisburg for the Class A state championship basketball game.
Unfortunately, the Red Raider band’s legendary band director, Orville Conn, couldn’t make the trip because his father had died. Instead, Paul S. Deem, the band director at Ben Franklin Junior High School, had grabbed the reins and shepherded the band across the state.
“In days when youth are often criticized in an uncomplimentary way because of the actions of a few, it is indeed a pleasure to work with students of this caliber,” Deem said.
He added, “To the basketball champs I add my congratulations and to the Raider Band I would like to say, ‘You, too, are champions.'”
Of course, Mr. Deem’s praise wasn’t at the top of that day’s front page. There was a large picture, with a group of men seated at a long table in front of a large banner that said — “Uniontown State Champions ’64.” The event had taken place at Shady Side Inn and was sponsored by the Uniontown Exchange Club.
The Red Raiders had defeated Plymouth-Whitemarsh 62-51 thus becoming state champs for the second time in three years. Inside that edition of the Morning Herald, there were two large pictures of the parade that had taken place when the team returned from Harrisburg.
That was on Tuesday following the game. On Monday, there had been the bold banner headline — “State Champs Welcomed Here,” with a very large picture of the Red Raiders riding a fire truck surrounded by fans as they rode through downtown Uniontown. By the way, there is a video of that parade that can be viewed online here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeptKckFqMI And there are game highlights online here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94QCWkVC1Ug
It had been a month full of celebrations for Uniontown’s sports fans.
On the Thursday before the big game, it was reported that “A well-planned Homecoming Celebration will be given the Uniontown High School Red Raiders upon their return Sunday from Harrisburg — regardless of the outcome of the state basketball championship game Saturday night with Plymouth-Whitemarsh.”
The homecoming celebration was a result of the previous night’s PIAA Western Regional championship game that had taken place at the Pitt Field House. Uniontown walloped Punxsutawney by a score of 83-47. On the front page that day, there was the kind of picture that I’d like to think was suitable-for-framing.
“Tense moments for the Red Raiders,” read the caption for a picture of assistant coach John Kruper, head coach, Albert Everhart Jr. and his son, a sixth-grade student at Craig School, who would later become a Red Raider coach — Joseph Everhart.
On the sports page that day, Uniontown’s legendary sports writer — Tod Trent — wrote, “There were times when the Raider passing was the sharpest it had been all season — they out-Globetrottered the Globetrotters on occasion.”
Uniontown’s Stu Lantz led the Red Raiders that night scoring 23 points. He was pictured taking his patented jump shot over four Punxsutawney Woodchucks.
On the morning of the championship game, it was announced that Lantz had joined a growing list of Red Raiders to be named to the Associated Press All-State Basketball Team of 1964.
“Selection of Lantz on the all-star first team marks the fourth consecutive year that one of Everhart’s sterling athletes has won the coveted AP Laurels. Don Yates, now at Minnesota, won the honors two years, 1961-62, and Ron Sepic, a freshman star at Ohio State University, was placed on the team last year,” it was reported.
NOTE: The following year, Don Yates’ younger brother, Pat, would also be named first team all-state.
But basketball wasn’t the only sport on the minds of local sports fans that month 50 years ago. “Carl Carbonara Uniontown’s First State Mat Champ,” said the headline atop the sports page of the March 16, 1964.
“Rugged Carl Carbonara brought Uniontown High School its first PIAA wrestling championship Saturday by breezing past his two state tournament opponents before a two-session crowd of over 12,000 at Penn State University’s Recreation Hall,” it was reported.
In the end, Carl Carbonara who’d won WPIAL and PIAA Championships, and the Red Raider Basketball team, with its WPIAL and PIAA state championships, along with Lantz’ All-State honors, had successfully contributed to the most honored month in Uniontown High School history.
And that’s saying a lot.