Staley a Philly legend
I don’t pretend to be a Philly guy. I grew up in Williamsport, Pa. – birthplace of Little League Baseball and about three hours northwest of Philly.
But my family closely followed Philadelphia’s sports teams and the Person men still get together each year for midsummer trips to see the Phillies and take in the sights, sounds and smells of South Philly.
And while I’m no authority on the infamous Philly sports culture, this much I know: The city likes to hold on to its local sports heroes, especially those who aren’t afraid to get a little dirt under their fingernails.
Phillies’ fans line up every home game to get autographs and buy sandwiches from former slugger Greg “The Bull” Luzinski, who operates a barbecue stand at Citizens Bank Park.
The city’s most famous piece of art is a bronzed statue of a fictional character. There was a story in the Philly papers this week about a supposed plan by Pittsburgh fans to drape a Penguins jersey on the Rocky statue before the Stanley Cup playoff series between the Pens and Flyers.
The jersey caper appears to be a copycat crime: Some devious Canadians threw a Montreal jersey on the Italian Stallion last week during the Flyers’ second-round series.
“Yo, Adrian, get this thing off of me.”
All of this is to say that it was a big deal to many Philadelphians when their own Dawn Staley decided to leave Temple to become South Carolina’s new women’s basketball coach.
Staley is as popular in Philly as Balboa – and she’s not a screenwriter’s creation.
The 38-year-old Staley grew up in Philly, starred at a local high school then made a triumphant return in 2000 following a wildly successful playing career that included three trips to the Final Four with Virginia, three Olympic gold medals with Team USA and five WNBA all-star selections.
Staley didn’t take the Owls to any Final Fours. But she won – something Temple had not done in the 10 seasons before her arrival.
And she took them to the NCAA tournament – something USC did not do during Susan Walvius’ final five seasons. Staley’s Temple tenure included six trips to the NCAAs in eight years.
Beyond basketball, Staley became an icon in her hometown with her charitable work and community involvement. Philly commuters would see Staley smiling at them from billboards along the Schuylkill Expressway.
A story on her departure was slated to run on the front page of The Philadelphia Inquirer this morning.
Although it ultimately ran on the sports page, the fact that it was even considered for the front page is newsworthy. Usually, The Inquirer only puts sports out front if one of the Philly pro teams wins a championship – in other words, once every 30 years or so.
Columbia has not exactly been a big women’s basketball town in the past. So it will be interesting to see if Staley is embraced by the football populace.
From everything I’ve heard about Staley, her energy and enthusiasm will help sell tickets. And winning will pull some of the fence-sitters into the Colonial Center.
As for finding some Philly staples in Columbia, Staley might have trouble getting a hold of any peanut butter Tandycakes. But there are a couple of places that make good cheesesteaks, and you can catch the Phils on satellite.
But my family closely followed Philadelphia’s sports teams and the Person men still get together each year for midsummer trips to see the Phillies and take in the sights, sounds and smells of South Philly.
And while I’m no authority on the infamous Philly sports culture, this much I know: The city likes to hold on to its local sports heroes, especially those who aren’t afraid to get a little dirt under their fingernails.
Phillies’ fans line up every home game to get autographs and buy sandwiches from former slugger Greg “The Bull” Luzinski, who operates a barbecue stand at Citizens Bank Park.
The city’s most famous piece of art is a bronzed statue of a fictional character. There was a story in the Philly papers this week about a supposed plan by Pittsburgh fans to drape a Penguins jersey on the Rocky statue before the Stanley Cup playoff series between the Pens and Flyers.
The jersey caper appears to be a copycat crime: Some devious Canadians threw a Montreal jersey on the Italian Stallion last week during the Flyers’ second-round series.“Yo, Adrian, get this thing off of me.”
All of this is to say that it was a big deal to many Philadelphians when their own Dawn Staley decided to leave Temple to become South Carolina’s new women’s basketball coach.
Staley is as popular in Philly as Balboa – and she’s not a screenwriter’s creation.
The 38-year-old Staley grew up in Philly, starred at a local high school then made a triumphant return in 2000 following a wildly successful playing career that included three trips to the Final Four with Virginia, three Olympic gold medals with Team USA and five WNBA all-star selections.
Staley didn’t take the Owls to any Final Fours. But she won – something Temple had not done in the 10 seasons before her arrival.
And she took them to the NCAA tournament – something USC did not do during Susan Walvius’ final five seasons. Staley’s Temple tenure included six trips to the NCAAs in eight years.
Beyond basketball, Staley became an icon in her hometown with her charitable work and community involvement. Philly commuters would see Staley smiling at them from billboards along the Schuylkill Expressway.
A story on her departure was slated to run on the front page of The Philadelphia Inquirer this morning.
Although it ultimately ran on the sports page, the fact that it was even considered for the front page is newsworthy. Usually, The Inquirer only puts sports out front if one of the Philly pro teams wins a championship – in other words, once every 30 years or so.
Columbia has not exactly been a big women’s basketball town in the past. So it will be interesting to see if Staley is embraced by the football populace.
From everything I’ve heard about Staley, her energy and enthusiasm will help sell tickets. And winning will pull some of the fence-sitters into the Colonial Center.
As for finding some Philly staples in Columbia, Staley might have trouble getting a hold of any peanut butter Tandycakes. But there are a couple of places that make good cheesesteaks, and you can catch the Phils on satellite.