It was the first day of school in the fall of 1993, and Bradford High business teacher and boys basketball coach Dave Fuhrman was checking his homeroom attendance list when he noticed a usual name was missing.
Nate Willson, a sophomore that year, wasn’t on Fuhrman’s list after having him for homeroom the year before. Since Willson had played for the Owls during a summer league and homeroom assignments were for all four years at BAHS, something was amiss. Fuhrman decided to check with the guidance office.
As it turned out, Willson had moved with his mother to Alabama, where his grandparents lived.
“I didn’t know anything about it,” Fuhrman said of Willson’s move.
But, knowing Willson was developing as a player and could contribute for the Owls in the seasons to come, Fuhrman decided to pen the center a letter. Eventually, Fuhrman received a call from Willson’s mother, who said the letter came at a good time, because they weren’t enjoying their time in Alabama and were planning to move home.
Willson, who had moved around quite a bit in his childhood, noted that he had no say in the matter, and jokingly added, “ If it were my choice, we maybe would’ve moved to Southern California because the weather’s great there. As a kid, I was just at the whims of others.”
A few weeks later, though, he returned to McKean County, as Willson and his mother moved back to the area in October and Willson was able to rejoin the team.
Fuhrman was thrilled, noting the player’s excellent work ethic.
“He was the most improved kid that we had on the team, and I don’t know if I ever had a kid work as hard as Nate did in the weightroom,” Fuhrman said. “He made himself a player. We worked a lot on post moves and he developed. He was an integral piece on the team.”
ROUGHLY A YEAR LATER, just before that magical 27-1 season, the Owls found themselves in a similar situation, as guard Jerry Burgos was potentially headed to Savannah, Ga. with his parents.
An incoming senior at the time, Burgos didn’t want to start his life over in another state just before graduation, and so a mutual decision was made for Burgos to live with the Fuhrman family. Fuhrman and his wife, Nancy, became Burgos’ legal guardians.
“It just kind of worked out,” Burgos said of the situation. “I could’ve gone with my parents to Georgia but I think it just kind of happened because of the relationship we had. I wanted to stay home to finish my year in Bradford and not have to start over again at a different school, and it worked out.”
That relationship, Burgos said, was the key to it all.
“More than anything, it was the relationship we had. Not only me with my family, but with the town and Coach Fuhrman. It wasn’t just the one year. Being basketball teammates, we were really good friends outside school, so it became like family, and that was one of the primary reasons why.”
THE OWLS certainly benefited, as Burgos and Wilson were each instrumental in the 1994-1995 team’s spectacular run.
Burgos ended up leading the team in scoring average (13.8 ppg) and assists (4.2 apg) during the regular season, and was Bradford’s leading scorer in 14 of 28 games that season, including all four playoffs matchups.
Willson, meanwhile, scored 9.5 points per game that season, the fourth-most on the team, and added a team-high 190 rebounds during the regular season — roughly 23% of Bradford’s 827 total rebounds as a team.
He really began to hit his stride during the second half of the regular season, when he paced Bradford in scoring in four of the Owls’ final eight games before the District 9 postseason. His best performance, though, came in what is considered the biggest win in Owl basketball history, as the center posted 18 points in a 71-69 Bradford state playoff victory over McKeesport, who was widely considered the state’s top team coming into the game.
“Nobody is irreplaceable, but those two guys, I don’t know that we would’ve had the success we did if we didn’t have them,” Fuhrman said of the duo.
OFF THE COURT, things turned out really well, too.
Burgos was able to finish out his senior year and, according to Fuhrman, saw his performance in the classroom improve during that year, as well.
In addition, he was able to make a “second family” during that time, and gained a new perspective of Fuhrman.
“It’s completely different, obviously, when you live with a coach than it is from the outside looking in,” Burgos said, adding that the transition into living with his coach was “seamless.”
“Seeing the discipline and the amount of time (Fuhrman) put in, and the dedication he had for the sports of basketball and town, he lived it. It was non-stop… The dedication and the passion he had, from the outside looking in, you don’t realize how much he cared for his players and the people (of Bradford).”
Fuhrman, meanwhile, felt Burgos fit right in.
“He was a great kid. You couldn’t have asked for a better person,” the coach said, and added, “My wife, Nancy, and I will be forever grateful to Jerry’s parents for entrusting us to become his legal guardians for his senior year. One of the greatest things about coaching is the relationships that you build with you players. Having Jerry become part of our family his senior year only strengthened that relationship and assured it would last a lifetime.
“On the court, I was his coach; at home, I was a father figure and to be able to experience a season like the ‘94-’95 season serving in both roles was truly special for me and my family. The memories that we created and experienced together is a bond that will last forever. My kids, Shelly and Pug, think of Jerry as a big brother and Nancy and I think of him as a son.”
Willson, meanwhile, was also able to finish his high school years at Bradford. With the help of Fuhrman, the center was able to continue his academic and basketball careers at Penn State Behrend in Erie, where he worked his way into a starting role for a couple of seasons.
“Everything worked out great for me, and I enjoyed playing for Coach Fuhrman. He did a lot for me,” Willson said. “He helped me get to college and reach out to the Behrend coach and got me a chance to go play basketball.
“At that point, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so he helped me get into college, and I got to play four years of basketball. For me, it was a great situation, and I don’t know that I would’ve had the same opportunities had we stayed in Alabama or gone somewhere else.”
(Joel Whetzel, a Bradford Era sportswriter, can be reached at jwhetzel@bradfordera.com.)
