Frazier set to honor DiVirgilio
Cleaning out the notebook:
* It's been more than 20 years since Henry DiVirgilio stepped down as one of the WPIAL's more successful boys' basketball coaches at Frazier, but he hasn't been forgotten.
Prior to the Jan. 21 home game with Class A Section 3 opponent Clairton, the Frazier gym will be named after DiVirgilio.
"I'm really overwhelmed by the honor," said the 84-year-old DiVirgilio, who doubled as the school's basketball coach for 30 years and principal or superintendent.
DiVirgilio was one of the WPIAL's all-time winnngest coaches with 457 victories. He also had the only WPIAL title-winning team in the school's history in 1969.
The Commodores, whose tallest starter was 5-11 Jim Davis, knocked off unbeaten Knoch in the championship game at the Civic Arena and went onto play in the PIAA title contest at Harrisburg, where they lost 65-43 to Mansfield and 6-10 Tom McMillen.
McMillen went on to star at the University of Maryland where he became the college's first Rhodes scholar. He also played 11 years in the NBA with Buffalo, Atlanta, New York and Washington and served three terms as a congressman in Maryland's 4th District.
Joining Davis in DiVirgilio's starting five on the WPIAL champs were the Ramsey brothers, Chuck and Wes, Jerry Boyle and Rod King. Tom Galla was the first player of the bench.
Five years later, the Commodores lost to Midland in the WPIAL final at the Arena.
"We probably would have won that game if our center, Greg Smith, hadn't hurt his ankle late in the second quarter," recalled DiVirgilio.
* Elizabeth Forward's senior forward Jeremy Delmaster finished as the school's No. 2 all-time goal scorer with 62, and he has the distinction of being the Warriors' first all-state booter.
Delmaster, who set a school mark with 56 career assists, and senior defender Matt Jesionowski both made the all-WPIAL team and will be honored at the annual WPIAL soccer banquet Jan. 23 at the Warrendale Four Points Sheraton.
It will be the second straight year for Delmaster at the affair and fourth straight for Elizabeth coach Dave King, who had J.J. Pazehoski the previous two seasons.
The Warriors enjoyed the best season in the school's history going 17-7-1 and making the PIAA playoffs for the first time. Three of the Warriors' losses were to eventual WPIAL champion Thomas Jefferson including a 3-0 setback in the WPIAL semifinals at Ringgold.
* After two seasons with the powerhouse California University women's basketball team, Andi Gross' first year as assistant head women's basketball coach at Division I Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, better known as IUPUI, hasn't been much of a success.
The Jaguars are 2-10 with the only wins coming over Loyola-Chicago and Charleston Southern.
* And thanks to John Mor-gan, of Rostraver Township, who says to many, the ideal occupation is the one that doesn't keep them occupied!
