1946 New Ken football, 1979 Valley basketball teams headed for Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame
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Saturday, April 27, 2024 | 5:36 pm
Allie Kiski the valley The Sports Hall of Fame has been honoring the best of the best in local athletics for more than half a century. During that period, the organization welcomed nearly 400 individuals into its ranks.
For the first time, the AK Hall will accept teams:
• The 1946 WPIAL champion New Kensington Red Raiders football team.
• 1979 the valley Vikings state championship boys basketball team.
The Red Raiders and Vikings — along with eight individuals — will be honored during the 53rd induction ceremony on May 4 at the Pittsburgh Shriners Center in Harmar.
1946 New Keene Red Raiders
Led by the legendary Willie Thrower, the ’46 Red Raiders are considered by many to be the greatest high school football team in AK Valley history.
“I’ve heard stories about the 1946 team and how special it was, on and off the field,” said Willie’s son, Melvin Thror, who will accept the appointment. “The team was so great that it brought the entire New Keene community together. … The fact that it will be the first team (inducted into the AK Hall) is historic in itself.
After losing the WPIAL title game to Donora in 1945, the Red Raiders won the first of back-to-back titles in 1946, finishing with an 8-0 record.
New Ken and Vandergrift were the only undefeated teams in the WPIAL heading into the regular season finale between the two local schools. There were no WPIAL football playoffs in those days. As a result, the league decided to hold the matchup between the Red Raiders and Blue Lancers for the title.
There was so much interest in the showdown that the game was moved to Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Nearly 18,000 fans watched Kane Hay win 21-0, behind three Tony Kotowski touchdowns.
In addition to Thrower and Kotowski, the Red Raiders’ top players included linebackers George “Cubby” France, Harold Vestrand, Bill Horrell, Vince Pisano, linemen Dick, Harry Tamburo, Thomas “Sonny” Ciancutti, Flint Greene and Fred George.
“The team was more than just a team. It was a family,” Melvin Thrower said. “They stayed together, even after their playing careers. They were all close, on and off the field. I like to call them a “band of brothers,” because it was a group of men who loved and cared for each other.”
That brotherhood was tested at the end of the 1946 season. Ken High was invited to play in the Peanut Bowl in Miami, as long as Thrower and Greene stayed home because of Florida’s Jim Crow laws. In response, the Red Raiders voted not to play in the game unless all members of the team were included.
Willie Thrower went on to stardom at Michigan State, along with a number of his high school teammates. He became the first African-American quarterback in the National Football League, playing for the Chicago Bears in 1953. Dick Tamburo eventually served as athletic director at Arizona State.
Melvin Thru credited then-New Keene coach Don Fletcher with bringing together a group of young men from different ethnic backgrounds.
“I can’t imagine what my father would think right now,” Melvin said. “It wouldn’t have been possible without Coach Fletcher. He was a father to some kids who didn’t have one. My grandfather passed away when my dad was young. Coach Fletcher became a father figure to him. My dad always called him ‘Coach.’”
1979 Viking Valley
With a lineup that included future college standouts Bill Varner, Chipper Harris, Ron McNabb, and Gus Pryor, the Vikings entered the 1979 high school basketball season with high expectations.
“We thought we had the best team in the WPIAL,” said McNabb, the starting point guard.
But a competitor Burrell It eliminated Valley in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL playoffs, forcing the Vikings to win the four-team tournament play-in tournament just to qualify for the PIAA playoffs.
“when Burrell “They beat us, it was a devastating defeat,” McNabb said. “After the WPIALs, we had a team meeting and really dedicated ourselves to the state playoffs. Something made us click, and we really came together.”
Vikings defeated Tuna and South Hills in the opening rounds of the state tournament. In the quarterfinals, Valley beat defending champion Schenley, 75-45, in front of a packed house at IUP’s Memorial Fieldhouse.
“Shenley beat us by 13 points at Valley (in the regular season),” said McNabb, who starred at IUP in college. “They had a great team led by Larry Anderson. The amount of talent on the floor was amazing, and that was the biggest crowd they’d ever been there. It was a great high school atmosphere. It turned out to be the best game we’d ever played. And on the bus ride back to New Keene, we knew we really had a chance Good for winning a state title.
The Vikings won a close decision over the WPIAL champion Beaver Falls To advance to the state finals against Allentown Allen at Pittsburgh Civic Arena.
“It was a tremendous crowd, especially compared to playing somewhere out east,” McNabb said. “It’s hard to play and shoot in those big arenas. We’ve played at Civic Arena before, so that was an advantage for us.
Valley brought home the PIAA gold medal with a 72-66 win in front of more than 7,100 fans. The 6-foot-6 Varner put the finishing touches on the victory. The Vikings finished with a 29-5 record.
“Unfortunately, Chipper and Gus passed away. But I think they would be really proud to be there (to incite) with us,” McNabb said.
McNabb expects a good turnout for the May 4 banquet. Varner is scheduled to travel from his home in Las Vegas. Besides those who still live in the AK Valley, team members come from Chicago, Florida and New Jersey. Former assistant coach Jimmy Elias will also be present, McNabb said.
“We are staying in touch as much as possible, as the guys are spread out and busy,” he said. “When we get back together, it’s like we’ve been in touch all those years.”
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