Playing Through the Whistle
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424 “When the Naim case happened” . . . : Patrick, author interview.
424 “At first I tried blocking it out” . . . : Askew, David, author interview.
425 “He was different” . . . : Gilbert, Diana, author interview, June 20, 2014.
425 “Got caught in that spiderweb” . . . : McBride, author interview.
425 “The only thing I ask” . . . : Gilbert, Diana, author interview.
425 “Born with one foot to success and one in turmoil” . . . : Askew, David, Askew, Shanell, Henry, Dravon, author interviews.
426 “Franklin Avenue” . . . : Betters, author interview.
427 “I always tell people” . . . : Walker, Dwan, author interview.
428 160 boys . . . : Jeter, Rod, author interview, September 25, 2010.
428 40 percent of the boys . . . : Gipson, Alvin B., author interview, October 1, 2015.
429 “This is why I do what I do” . . . : Zmijanac, author interview.
429 Then again in 2012 . . . : “Aliquippa Routs Washington 34-7, for Class AA Crown”, Wunderley, Ken, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 24, 2012.
429 “Football caused this” . . . : “Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett Says Settlement Is a Start, but Future Health Costs Still a Concern”, Red, Christian, New York Daily News, August 31, 2013; “Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett, former NY Giants DT Leonard Marshall Diagnosed with CTE”, Red, Christian, New York Daily News, November 8, 2013.
429 A week later . . . : “Youth Football Participation Drops”, Fainaru, Steve, Fainaru-Wada, Mark, ESPN.com, November 14, 2013, http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/page/popwarner/pop-warner-youth-football-participation-drops-nfl-concussion-crisis-seen-causal-factor.
429 “I wouldn’t”, Ditka said . . . : “Monsters No More”, Real Sports with Bryan Gumbel, Kronick, Jordan, produced by, HBO, January 20, 2015.
430 People began carping again . . . : “Quips Left to Wonder What Went Wrong”, Bires, Mike, Beaver County Times, December 16, 2012.
430 Then came back-to-back defeats . . . : “South Fayette Beats Aliquippa, 34-28, in WPIAL Class AA Title Game”, Everett, Brad, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 23, 2013; “South Fayette Tops Aliquippa for WPIAL Class AA Football Title”, Everett, Brad, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 21, 2014.
430 138 boys . . . : “School Details: Aliquippa Senior High School”, Pennsylvania Interscholatic Athletic Association, last updated on October 1, 2013, http://www.piaa.org/schools/directory/details.aspx?ID=11284.
430 “I guarantee you” . . . : Walker, Dwan, author interview.
431 “They think they’re fuckin’ Vince Lombardi” . . . : Zmijanac, author interview.
431 In 2014, Henry was named a freshman all-American . . . : “Trio of Big 12 Freshmen Earn Freshman All-American Honors”, Chatmon, Brandon, ESPN.com, December 15, 2014, http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/105651/trio-of-big-12-freshmen-earn-freshman-all-american-honors.
431 Swanson rushed for 732 yards . . . : “Terry Swanson-2015 Football”, University of Toledo Athletics, http://utrockets.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4420.
431 Darrelle Revis was back in uniform . . . : “Darrelle Revis, New York Jets Agree to Terms on Deal”, Rosenthal, Greg, NFL.com, March 10, 2015, http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000477937/article/darrelle-revis-new-york-jets-agree-to-terms-on-deal.
432 “I guess I have a golden ticket” . . . : Pugh, Kaezon, author interview, October 1, 2015.
432 Pugh, a senior now, had rushed for 313 yards . . . : “Aliquippa Survives Scare from Quaker Valley, Wins 35-14”, Equels, Jim, Beaver Valley Times, September 25, 2015.
432 At 6-foot-3 . . . : “100 Players in 100 Days-Day 91-Kaezon Pugh, Aliquippa”, Splain, Billy, WesternPAFootball.net, August 26, 2015, http://www.westernpafootball.net/news/100-players-in-100-days-day-91-kaezon-pugh-aliquippa/.
432 And though Pugh would soon become the fifth back in Aliquippa history to gain more than 4,000 yards . . . : “WPIAL’s 4,000-Yard Rushing Club Grows by Three”, “from local dispatches”, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 31, 2015.
432 “To be honest, I’m only in love with football because I think that’s my only way out” . . . : Pugh, author interview.
433 Amassing 1,626 yards . . . : “Goin’ Campin’ Stops at Aliquippa and Beaver Falls”, White, Mike, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 18, 2015.
434 The Beaver County Times published a story . . . : “Parents Accuse Quips Coach of Stalling Recruitment”, Chiapazzi, Andrew, Beaver County Times, January 30, 2015.
434 “That guy don’t like me” . . . : Askew, David, author interview.
434 “Mike had been under fire” . . . : Wytiaz, author interview, December 19, 2015.
434 Four months later . . . : “Goin’ Campin’ Stops at Aliquippa and Beaver Falls”, White, Mike, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 18, 2015.
435 Then, a week before the first game . . . : “Aliquippa RB Bronaugh to Miss Season After Cancer Diagnosis”, Harlan, Chris, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, August 31, 2015.
435 Blood drives were held . . . : Gordon, Anita, author interview, December 29, 2015.
435 “The support has been overwhelming” . . . : ibid.
435 Romped for 253 yards . . . : “Pugh, Quips Steamroll Seton-La Salle”, Chiapazzi, Andrew, Beaver County Times, November 16, 2015.
435 Ran for 237 . . . : “Aliquippa Routs Freeport to Return to Heinz Field”, Beckner, Bill, Jr., Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, November 20, 2015.
436 Pugh ground out another 179 yards . . . : “Aliquippa Wins 16th WPIAL Title, Ends South Fayette’s 44-Game Winning Streak”, Price, Karen, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, November 28, 2015.
436 “Those are the kind of plays where if they don’t work you look stupid” . . . : ibid.
436 The Quips came from behind in the fourth quarter . . . : “Aliquippa Comes from Behind to Beat Karns City, Advances to PIAA Semifinals”, Price, Karen, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 4, 2015.
436 Then trailed Central Martinsburg in the fourth in the semis . . . : “Pugh’s 3 Touchdowns Carry Aliquippa Back to PIAA Final”, Harlan, Chris, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 11, 2015.
436 A bit below his playoff average of 192 yards per game . . . : “Times Football Player of the Year: Kaezon Pugh Understands Place in Quips’ History”, Bires, Mike, Beaver County Times, December 13, 2015.
436 “This is not a giving-up team” . . . : “Pugh Pushes Through, Lifts Aliquippa to Hershey for First Time Since 2012”, Chiappazzi, Andrew, Beaver County Times, December 11, 2015.
437 “My plans?” . . . : Pugh, author interview.
Index
All page numbers refer to the print edition of Playing Through the Whistle. Please use the search feature on your reader to locate the text that corresponds to the index entries below.
Abercrombie, Rapheal “Pudgy,” 283, 284, 294, 451
Accorsi, Ernie, 5
“agitating,” 36
Aliquippa. See also Quips basketball; Quips football
1960’s population decline, 192
1970 population, 225
1980 population, 272, 279
1990 population, 272, 279
2004 population, 371
arming of, 41
as blue-collar standard, 120
bond debts, 339
Bush, G. W. in, 328
cause-and-effect, 249
as company town without a company, 402
Cornelia Bryce Pinchot in, 52–55
current employment in, 412–413
as de facto capital, 124
“declared distressed,” 298
drug-related crime, 299
first utilities, 10
football stadium opening, 58
gangs, 97
Great Depression and, 39
Hopewell merger and, 339
housing segregation, 199
J&L building of, 10–12
JFK visit, 157–159, 160
Jimmy Carter visit, 251–252
KKK in, 25
late 40’s immigrants, 120
as “Little Hell,” 40
as “little Las Vegas,” 14
as “Little Siberia,” 31, 40
middle-class workers, 124–125
as most talent-rich region, 4
NFL stars, 367–368
no-interest loan to, 298
Plans, 10–11, 97
as plantation system, 314
politics, 17
prejudice in, 96
Prohibition and, 18
as racial battleground, 227
“redlining,” 199
riots, 208, 209, 217, 218–226
Samuel murders, 329–332, 337
segregation, 97
shooting deaths in, 387–390
slow death of, 5
strike ending, 41–42
town building, 10
Aliquippa Community Hospital, 123, 221, 222, 413
Aliquippa Grays, 27
Aliquippa High
alums in NFL Draft, 5
blacks in, 99
Aliquippa High (continued)
immigrant English instruction, 120
late 1920’s black population, 29
league titles, 5
reputation (mid-70s), 242
Aliquippa Indians, 27
Aliquippa Reds, 27
Aliquippa Tarzans, 27
Aliquippa Works, 17, 26. See also J&L
1979 employment, 269
abuses, 137
Army-Navy “E,” 80
beginning of bleed, 269–270
blacks in 1970, 168
coke plant layoffs, 272
as largest integrated mill, 60
late 50’s employment, 120
outside union push and, 61
stockpiles of arms, 42
war production, 80
welding tube division closure, 272
All The Right Moves, 281–283
Alston, William, 301, 319, 352, 357
Amalgamated, 62, 63
Ambridge, 29, 44, 48, 57
Beaver Lodge #200, 55, 63
Lucci as NFL star, 367
Marocco head coaching job, 193
mill organization, 41
Pinchot in, 48
as union haven, 57
American Dream, 401, 415
Ames, Knowlton “Snake,” 19
Antonini, Frank, 244
“The Armchair Athlete,” 75
Aschman, Carl
1941 season, 76
1942 season, 77
1952 season, 108–111
1955 season, 116–118
1962 strike, 154
black players under, 108
broken nose response, 105
car as gift, 118
characteristics of, 102
at Christmas, 105
debut, 76
doctor’s orders, 212
fairness, 108
football as war game, 104
“Ghost Battalion,” 107, 115
goodwill, 102
grandson Harald, 213, 220
heart attack, 165–166
Mike Ditka and, 115, 116
as new coach, 75
overview, 451
“paper heart,” 162
post-retirement, 211–213
preseason camp, 106–107
resignation, 178
style, 103–104
superstitions, 110
Times farewell, 178
total wins, 155
watching Marocco coach, 213
worried about job, 103
Yannessa injury and, 154–155
Aschman, Carl Jr., 103, 106, 108, 155, 166, 213
Askew, David, 424, 432–433, 451
Askew, Shanell, 423–426
B. F. Jones Library, 334
Babiak, Wendy, 252
Babich, Bobby, 245, 250
Baldwin, Delois, 255
Baldwin, Henry, 255, 256
Baldwin, Jeff
background, 254–255
Brown alibi, 360–361
at California University of Pennsylvania, 300
as cop, 301
diminishing reputation, 302
as early father, 255
helping son from prison, 395–396
jail term, 392, 395
Jonha Evasovich and, 262
marriage to Tez, 396
money from Yannessa, 301–302
move to offense at Pitt, 264
overview, 451
parents, 255–257
as Pitt drop-out, 264
Pitt scholarship, 261, 263
scrub and, 263, 264
second time shot, 344–345
son Jamie Brown, 264, 299, 330, 345, 424
son Jonathan, 391
Tezmalita Pharr and, 310–311
vandalization response, 262–263
weaknesses, 254
Baldwin, Jonathan, 5, 91, 451
brother Jamie arrest, 391
help from father in prison, 395–396
in NFL, 407
notoriety in football, 396
at Pitt, 397
son Jaden, 397
in sports, 396–397
Baldwin, Norman, 255–256
Baldwin, Tezmalita, 384, 391, 395, 396
Baldwin High, 308
Barnett, Anthony, 294
Barr, Linda, 357
baseball in Pittsburgh, 18
Battaglini, Joe, 218, 238
Battalini, Anthony, 219, 352, 419, 420, 451
Beaver Area, 4
Beaver County
Aliquippa as de facto capital, 124
draft, 76
jail, 50, 51
KKK in, 25
Redevelopment Authority, 198
strike losses, 139
Beaver County Slag Inc., 412
Beaver Falls, 139
Becker, Joe, 294
Bernstein, Meyer, 67, 68, 69
Bessemer converters, 13
Bethlehem Steel, 33, 60
Betters, C. J. “Chuck,” 222, 237, 405
Aliquippa Community Hospital and, 413
Dawn Walker and, 419–420
on Franklin Avenue, 426
mayoral win, 406
overview, 451
slag business, 411–413
son Charles II, 411
Tony Gaskins and, 414–415
“yellow iron,” 413
Betters, Mark, 221, 237
black cheerleaders, 146, 148, 151, 169–170, 207, 209–210, 252
black players
1962 Quips football, 150
in 1962 strike, 154
Aliquippa Indians and, 27
Ditka on, 108
fairness under Aschman, 108
numbers early on, 29
Ross relationship with, 231
Yannessa relationship with, 236
Blackhawk loss, 253–254
blacks
1966 political strength, 168
in Aliquippa High, 99
Gilded Age, 21
industrial workers, 22–24
in late 1960’s Aliquippa, 198
movement from Plan II extension, 27
Plan II extension, 23
population in 1940 Aliquippa, 96
professional, 168
worst J&L jobs, 23
Blaney
, Chuck, 173
Blawnox, 37
Boyer, Royal, 62, 63, 65
Bozich, Eli, 62
Branchetti, Joe, 85
Bronaugh, DiMantae, 433, 435, 439, 440, 441, 443, 444
Browder, Carletta, 170
Browder, Carolyn, 170
Brown, Jamie, 264, 299, 330, 345, 424
appeal, 392–395
arrest, 360
capacity to kill, 394
“hit list,” 351, 353, 356
overview, 451
Brown-Bag Brigade, 167, 169, 196
Bryant, Bear, 338
Buchanan, Tom, 33
“Bucky Boys, 256
bus accident, 78
Bush, George W., 328
Cain, Jordan “Ricky,” 387–388
Caldwell, Cindy, 324
Calipari, John, 133
Calipari, Vince, 133
Campbell, Della Rae, 320, 363, 364, 385
Campbell, Tommie, 86, 89–90, 366
after Pitt, 407–408
Dorsch and, 409
as janitor, 408
life change, 409–410
meeting with Fields, 408–409
mother Della Rae, 320
as “Next One,” 376
in NFL, 410
overview, 452
at Pitt, 406, 407
today, 410–411
track, 376–378
Cappella, Gilda, 134–135
Carl A. Aschman Stadium, 3
capacities, 279
game after airplane crash, 324
naming of, 240
“The Pit,” 4, 181, 183–184, 275–276, 374, 383, 432
visitor’s locker room, 4
Carter, Eddie, 388
Carter, Jimmy, 251–252, 254, 266
Carter, Sonya, 357–358
Casoli, Dan, 181, 332
Casp, Bill, 208
Casp, Joe, 159, 201
Casp, Mike, 45
Castagna, Bob, 308
Casterlow, Sharon, 207
Catroppa, Joe, 172
Caul, P. J., 40–41, 48
Chalfa, “Scratch,” 101
chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), 429
Ciccone, Silvio “Tony,” 72–73
Clark, Emory, 26
Clayton, Mark, 176
Colbert, Etta, 252
Colson, Chuck, 205
Cox, Demetrious, 422
crack cocaine, 296, 297, 299, 334
Crestmont Village, 133
Crow Island, 18, 157, 237
Cruise, Tom, 281, 282
D’Antonio, Jimmy, 117
Daugherty, Duffy, 126
David, George, 163, 247, 352–353, 362, 381, 382, 452
Davis, Andre, 355, 376, 452
Dawkins, Billy Love, 379