Really good story. Pistol was my hero growing up and I continue to give kids copies of and links to his "homework basketball" when they ask what they can do to get better.

Tragic life but he leaves his legacy. Good story, thanks for posting

Pete Jr is a great guy loves Ohio

I cannot get enough Western PA sports stories that have the old steel towns like Aliquippa, Beaver Falls etc. as the backdrop. The hard nosed, blue collar culture contributed to much to creating many famous athletes.

It's such a fascinating and depressing tale to see how those communities contributed so much to America's industrial backbone for so long-only for the bottom to fall out as manufacturing has dwindled over the decades. How it gave so much to immigrant families only to be taken away for their children and future generations.

Those who know me well know I often say "If I had a time machine..." Well I would love to have seen some of these towns humming in their heyday. The work ethic put in at the steel mills probably 6 days a week showed up in incredible spirit and support in the grandstands and bleachers on Friday nights. I've been able to travel through Beaver and other counties to see the remaining infrastructure and you can tell how much more they once were. Those who still remain definitely have lots of pride even if the best of times are likely never coming back.

Definitely learned a few new things about Pistol Pete and his legacy in this article. Also had never heard the origins of how Press got his name. I assumed it was based on his basketball coaching style or something along those lines. Glad people never started calling me Northwest (Press) as I too was a paper boy for several years.

And the two posts above remind me of:

"Youngstown"

Here in northeast Ohio
Back in eighteen-o-three
James and Dan Heaton
Found the ore that was linin' Yellow Creek
They built a blast furnace
Here along the shore
And they made the cannonballs
That helped the Union win the war

Here in Youngstown
Here in Youngstown
My sweet Jenny I'm sinkin' down
Here darlin' in Youngstown

Well my daddy worked the furnaces
Kept 'em hotter than hell
I come home from 'Nam worked my way to scarfer
A job that'd suit the devil as well
Taconite coke and limestone
Fed my children and make my pay
Them smokestacks reachin' like the arms of God
Into a beautiful sky of soot and clay

Here in Youngstown
Here in Youngstown
Sweet Jenny I'm sinkin' down
Here darlin' in Youngstown

Well my daddy come on the Ohio works
When he come home from World War Two
Now the yard's just scrap and rubble
He said "Them big boys did what Hitler couldn't do."
These mills they built the tanks and bombs
That won this country's wars
We sent our sons to Korea and Vietnam
Now we're wondering what they were dyin' for

Here in Youngstown
Here in Youngstown
My sweet Jenny I'm sinkin' down
Here darlin' in Youngstown

From the Monongahela valley
To the Mesabi iron range
To the coal mines of Appalachia
The story's always the same
Seven hundred tons of metal a day
Now sir you tell me the world's changed
Once I made you rich enough
Rich enough to forget my name

And Youngstown
And Youngstown
My sweet Jenny I'm sinkin' down
Here darlin' in Youngstown

When I die I don't want no part of heaven
I would not do heaven's work well
I pray the devil comes and takes me
To stand in the fiery furnaces of hell