Leopard legend: Miller was 3-sport standout at Bellmar, BVA
Submitted photo
Belle Vernon Area’s 1966-67 basketball team included (kneeling, from left) Kevin Cotter, Terry Cotter, Ed Miller, Hayward Wilson, coach Don Asmonga, (standing, from left) Jack Hazelbaker, Mike Bennett, Role McIntyre, Rich Planey and Bob Basile.
Submitted photo
Ed Miller is shown during his playing days at Belle Vernon Area.
Ed “Mickey” Miller was a three-sport standout at Bellmar High School and Belle Vernon High School during the 1960s.
Miller excelled at baseball, football and basketball and even dabbled in volleyball.
On the gridiron Miller played on the final Bellmar team under Bap Manzini that posted a sparkling 8-1 record in 1964. The lone blemish was a 13-7 loss to North Union.
“We had had an outstanding team at Bellmar my sophomore year,” Miller said. “We had Curt McCarthy, he was one of the ends, and Harry Muckle was the quarterback and Frank Mascara was a running back. Also Gary Cramer at running back. That was a tough team.”
In 1965, the first year of the Rostaver-Bellmar merger, the Belle Vernon Leopards posted a record of 5-4.
“That was a growing year in the first year of the merger,” Miller recalled. “Our coach was Jimmy Russell and their weren’t any major problems. We got along pretty well. I remember I didn’t go out for football as a junior and coach Russell came to gym class and took me aside and I was a quarterback when I was in 10th and 11th grade. I was a left-handed quarterback. He wanted me to play. I went out and played a little bit as a junior.
“When I was a senior I went out for quarterback and they told me I threw the ball too hard and the receivers couldn’t catch it. Assistant coach Dick Fields asked me to switch to end and Rich Planey played quarterback. So they made me an offensive and defensive end.”
In Miller’s senior year playing football, Belle Vernon went 4-4-1 in 1966. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Miller played tight end and defensive end that year and scored two touchdowns. He garnered All-Conference honors.
“That was a great honor being named All-Conference,” Miller said. “The tie that year was against Elizabeth, 7-7, and they were Big Nine Conference champions. There were some really good football players in the Big Nine.”
On the hardwood, Miller played on a Bellmar squad that went 14-7 and 10-4 in Section 5 in 1964-65. As a junior Miller was on a Belle Vernon team that was 3-9 in Section 5 and 5-16 overall. His senior season in 1966-67 the Leopards went 9-3 in Section 4 and 15-7 overall.
Miller scored seven points for coach Ken Clark at Bellmar as a sophomore. Then under the guidance of Don Asmonga at Belle Vernon he tallied 71 points as a junior and 370 points as a senior, including a 28-point effort in a 77-71 win over Charleroi. Miller was named to the Section 4 All-Star team as a senior.
“I was the only 10th grade on the Bellmar team in 1964-65,” Miller said. “We played against those great Uniontown teams. At Belle Vernon under Asmonga I was a starter as a junior and a senior. We had a great point guard, Hayward Wilson. We finished second behind Donora in the section my senior year. I got a chance to play against Laurel Highlands and Wil Robinson and we lost 76-45. Being a Section 4 All-Star was a special honor.”
On the baseball diamond was where Miller really shined.
“I enjoyed playing all sports,” Miller said. “That’s all I had. I came from the Arnold City projects and that’s all I had to do was play sports. Baseball was really fun for me, especially when you win the section.”
As a sophomore first baseman at Bellmar, he was on a Hurricane squad that had star pitcher Vic Worry. Bellmar won the section and was eliminated in the playoffs 1-0 by Beaver Falls despite a four-hit, 16-strikeout performance by Worry.
“When I was a sophomore I played first base exclusively and Worry did most of the pitching,” Miller said. “The junior year at Belle Vernon was kind of a messed up year all around in everything. Then we won Section 15 when I was a senior.”
Belle Vernon beat Jefferson in the WPIAL playoffs 4-3 with Miller notching 12 strikeouts. They were ousted in the semifinals 3-1 by Kittanning despite a two-hitter by Miller who pitched 12 of 14 games for the Leopards that year.
When the high school season ended Miller pitched American Legion baseball for Perryopolis and was outstanding. His first outing for Perryopolis, Miller tossed a one-hitter in a 4-1 win over Mariana. He had a magnificent game against Connellsville in a 10-inning, 1-1 tie called because of darkness. Miller allowed four hits and recorded 23 strikeouts against a lineup that featured Jim Braxton and Bob Bailor.
“When legion play was over you went to three stages of All-Star games,” Miller said. “I pitched three innings in all three All-Star games. I also started the East-West All-Star game in Erie.”
In the three All-Star appearances Miller pitched nine innings and did not allow a hit and had 18 strikeouts. Miller was MVP of American Legion Baseball in Western Pennsylvania.
When Miller graduated from Belle Vernon in 1967 he sifted through a lot of college scholarship offers.
“I had a letter of intent signed to go to the University of Dayton,” Miller explained. “I signed to go play football. A week before I was to go to Dayton coach Asmonga stopped by with George Milby who was coaching John F. Kennedy College in Nebraska. They told me about playing baseball and also playing basketball. I decided to go. I never had a father so I made these decisions on my own.”
At John F. Kennedy, Miller’s baseball coach was former New York Yankee Bob Cerv.
“Cerv passed away last year at the age of 92,” Miller said. “He was a good baseball coach and he told us about rooming with Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.”
At JFK, Miller posted a career mark of 40-10 in his four years including a five-inning, no-hitter against Midwestern University. Miller struck out 14 in that game.
“My fastball was about 95 and I had a good curve,” Miller said.
He averaged 6.4 ppg in basketball as a freshman and was one of the top players in 1968-70, averaging 17 ppg and 10.5 rebounds.
Miller played for one of the best semi-pro baseball teams in the country, the Liberal KS Bee Jays.
“I broke my ankle playing basketball,” Miller recalled. “I was really never the same after that. I developed bursitis in my left shoulder and that really hampered me.
“As far as professional baseball, the Pirates showed the most interest along with the San Francisco Giants. They all watched until I got bursitis in my left shoulder. That actually developed the end of my sophomore year in college.”
Miller graduated from JFK in 1971. He returned to the Valley to teach and coach at at his alma mater, Belle Vernon Area. After undergraduate school Ed pursued his master of education degree from the University of Pittsburgh with Dr. Orman. Miller acquired his master’s degree in 1976 and continued to coach and teach at BVA.
While coaching with mentor Don Asmonga, they won titles in baseball together while coaching players such as Keith Schillings, Dave Bashada, Tom Parks, and John Russell, to name a few. While coaching basketball, coaches Asmonga, Miller, and George Estok took BVA to the WPIAL title with players like Tom Parks, Randy Giannini, John Russell, and Bill Contz. They also had Ron Haten, Jeff Burkley, John Baron, and John Dudzinski.
Miller also had success with the ninth-grade program in basketball at Bellmar Junior High School (two championship teams). Miller coached football at Bellmar Middle School with Jesse Cramer for six years and also coached wrestling at the junior high level. Miller coached over 30 years, taught 35 years and retired in 2006.
Miller played for numerous softball teams in the Mon Valley. He began with Metrosky, went to Belle Vernon and finished his softball career after 15 years with Andy’s Exxon of Fayette City. In one season with Belle Vernon, Ed had a record-setting 50 home runs.
Now 72, Miller resides in Belle Vernon with his wife of 50 years Sandra. They have two daughters, Michele and Emily, and they are blessed with five grandchildren.
Miller looked back on what he accomplished.
“I was was pleased,” Miller said. “I made the most out of what I had.”
George Von Benko’s “Memory Lane” column appears in the Sunday editions of the Ăĺ±±˝űµŘ. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.