TOP ATHLETES: Max Schlopy of Park City, Utah, who told us
yesterday about Jim Owens and growing up in the good old days
before organized sports for kids, writes more today about great
Bradford athletes of the past.
Commenting on a previous column about some notable athletes,
including Don Frampton (’47), Tom Keane (’50), and Jim Owens (’51),
he writes, “Frampton actually kicked off a string of five BHS
quarterbacks who went on to play college ball, including Jim
Hammond (’49), then Keane (’50), Dick Bell (’52) and Arv Hanson
(’53).”
“Both Bell and Hanson enjoyed highly-sucessful careers coaching
high school football as did Bobby Difonzo (’53), an outstanding
halfback. What a shame that Tom Keane opted to forego a football
career at Penn State.”
Keane, he adds, “may have been Bradford High School’s most
talented all-around athlete, ever.”
“Measured in terms of success at the professional level, BHS
turned out two fantastic athletes in the 1950s – Owens, followed by
Stew Barber (’57), who grew up on East Main Street.
“Stew had an amazing career – a three-sport star at BHS,
All-American tackle/linebacker at Penn State, and an All-Pro
offensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills in the old American Football
League, including starring for the 1964 championship team generally
acknowledged to be the greatest in the 49-year history of the
Buffalo Bills, from 1960 to the present.
“Then Stew capped it off by moving into the front office,
serving as General Manager of the Bills for a number of years. My
hat is off to this remarkable athlete!”
TV TIME: A local girl’s e-mail was ready by Bill O’Reilly on his
Fox TV show last Thursday.
As part of his regular program, O’Reilly reported, “… and
finally, 12-year-old Kristen Gardner of Bradford, Pa., writes:
‘Bill, I am 12 years old and recently did my book report on ‘A Bold
Fresh Piece of Humanity.’ I got a 100 percent grade.'”
He added, “Excellent, Kristen, and now you’ve also got a signed
copy of ‘Kids are Americans, Too.’ Way to go.”
“A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity” is one of many of O’Reilly’s
books, according to his website.
We’re told that as a result of that exposure Kristen received a
barrage of congratulatory phone calls from across the nation
throughout that evening.
