Pitt continues to ignore Hyatt’s legacy
On this Memorial Day holiday weekend I thought I would clean out some items from my Memory Lane notebook:
1. Pitt continues to ignore Hyatt legacy
It is a mystery why The University of Pittsburgh continues to turn a blind eye to the greatest basketball player in the history of the school. That player is former Uniontown High School star Charley Hyatt.
On May 3, 2018, Pitt announced the inaugural 16-member class of the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame.
The group is composed of Olympians, national champions, Super Bowl winners, world-record setters and legendary figures whose names and achievements resonate well beyond Pitt. There are 12 living honorees and four posthumous inductees.
鈥淚t is with tremendous pride that we present the inaugural class of the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame,鈥� Pitt Athletic Director Heather Lyke said. 鈥淭hese individuals represent Pitt鈥檚 Gold Standard and we are greatly looking forward to honoring them at our official induction ceremony in September.
鈥淚 love to remind people that Pitt could have its own wing in so many different halls of fame. Our athletic history is that rich and accomplished. I certainly tasked the selection committee with a huge challenge in trying to pare down 150 years of history for this inaugural class.
鈥淚n looking at our many deserving candidates, it is obvious that this 2018 group will be the first of many legendary Hall of Fame classes at Pitt. We鈥檙e thrilled to celebrate their achievements with a fitting showcase.鈥�
The opening statement is where the rub lies. 鈥淭hese individuals represent Pitt鈥檚 Gold Standard,鈥� the first class in any Hall of Fame is the cr猫me de la cr猫me. So it begs the question: Why is the most celebrated basketball player in the history of the school not included in the inaugural class?
How can I say Hyatt is the most celebrated player in Pitt basketball history? I will let his bio speak for me.
This is a portion of his bio from The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame website:
One of basketball鈥檚 original sharpshooters, Chuck Hyatt earned All-America honors throughout his college and AAU career. Under Hall of Fame coach Henry Clifford Carlson, Hyatt scored an exceptional 880 points in three years playing at the University of Pittsburgh.
The three-time All-American led the Panthers to the 1928 and 1930 national championships. In the 1930 championship game, Hyatt scored 27 points against fellow Hall of Famer John 鈥淐at鈥� Thompson and Montana State, including a last second basket in a 37-36 Pittsburgh victory.
In 1930, he led the nation in scoring with a 12.6 points per game average. He was named the Helms Foundation Player of the Year in 1930. Hyatt enjoyed a productive Amateur Athletic Union career with the Diamond Oilers, Universal Pictures, and the Phillips 66ers, earning seven more All-America honors. Hyatt won three AAU national championships as well.
That is a pretty impressive resume. Let me add some more perspective. Hyatt was the first All-American basketball player from the University of Pittsburgh. He earned the honor a total of three times. Hyatt was part of the 1927-1928 undefeated season of 21-0 coached by Doc Carlson. Hyatt was inducted into the Helms Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in its inaugural class in 1959, and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in its inaugural class of 2006.
So once again, not to diminish the folks in Pitt鈥檚 inaugural 16-member class, they are all very deserving, but Hyatt鈥檚 omission from the inaugural class is glaring error, and there is no glossing that over!
2. Why isn鈥檛 Hyatt鈥檚 number retired?
It also brings into question why Hyatt鈥檚 number hasn鈥檛 been retired by Pitt? Let me add some clarity to this. All of the Hyatt Pitt photos that I have seen showed the front of Hyatt鈥檚 jersey which did not have a number. For many years, Hyatt鈥檚 number was a mystery. A few years ago, I found a story in an old Syracuse newspaper about Hyatt and Pitt鈥檚 All-American halfback Gibby Welch.
Here is an excerpt from that article dated Feb. 29, 1928. in the Syracuse Journal:
鈥淭he University of Pittsburgh鈥檚 athletic lucky number is 10, it would seem, for Gibby Welch, All American back carried that numeral on his jersey and now Charley Hyatt, about as great a sensation in basketball, sports a big number 鈥�10鈥� on his shirt.鈥�
So Hyatt wore number 鈥�10鈥�. That number, which was worn later by Don Hennon is already retired, but that should not stop Pitt from hoisting a banner in honor of Hyatt鈥檚 No. 10, after all he wore the number long before Hennon. Just give Hyatt his well deserved honor and retire the number again.
3. Former Red Raider killed
I received this information from WMBS Radio General Manager Brian Mroziak.
A former Uniontown High School basketball standout was shot and killed in New York earlier this month.
According to SILive.com, 25-year-old Semori 鈥淪keeter鈥� Wilson, who grew up in McClellandtown, was found mortally wounded in front of a Stapleton, New York, bar on May 10.
Wilson died of gunshot wounds to the torso according to a Staten Island medical examiner. A NYPD spokesman says no arrests have been made in the case.
Wilson played basketball for head coach Rob Kezmarsky at Uniontown High School, and averaged 15.6 points per game during his final season in the 2010-11 school year.
Sadly another victim of gun violence.
George Von Benko鈥檚 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Monday editions of the 缅北禁地. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.