tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6207200414495313452.post5153728590242132337..comments2023-10-10T12:46:47.186-04:00Comments on The Green Weenie: Little California's Big ManUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6207200414495313452.post-75153055697143477902008-10-10T11:30:00.000-04:002008-10-10T11:30:00.000-04:00A couple of the great woman basketball coaches cam...A couple of the great woman basketball coaches came from the PSAC, too, Will - C. Vivian Stringer (Slippery Rock) head coach for Rutgers, and Geno Auriemma (West Chester) head coach for UConn.<BR/>Clarion's Kurt Angle took home a gold in wrestling, too.<BR/>If you wanna keep up, here's the PSAC web site: http://www.psacsports.org/Ron Ieracihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08784507810080514099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6207200414495313452.post-33360274880978688082008-10-10T10:13:00.000-04:002008-10-10T10:13:00.000-04:00Woops, I didn't list the NFL teams for all of the ...Woops, I didn't list the NFL teams for all of the IUP guys who made it. Guess there's just too many of us to keep it all straight, heh heh heh.WilliamJPellashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12774466220683142262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6207200414495313452.post-1407777121964058682008-10-10T10:12:00.000-04:002008-10-10T10:12:00.000-04:00Hmmm, thanks for the info, Ron! I've kept up on t...Hmmm, thanks for the info, Ron! I've kept up on the PSAC---being a loyal IUP alum---but mostly in terms of the football players who have actually made it to the NFL. There's been more than a few over the years, believe it or not, from Rob Riddick and Andre Reed (Bills) to Lee Evans (Eagles and 49ers) to Chris Villarial, Dave Smith, LeRon McCoy, Leander Jordan, Mike Jemison, Kris Griffin, and Jim Haslett (IUP). <BR/><BR/>I had no idea a northern conference like the PSAC had produced as many major leaguers as you listed. No doubt there are many others, as well. Very cool! <BR/><BR/>I love Division II, by the way. The biggest football games had about 10-12,000 people in attendance, and there wasn't a bad seat in the house. The caliber of play in a good D-2 game is comparable to a I-AA contest, and there are a few guys who will go on to the pros, whether it's arena ball or, occasionally, the NFL. <BR/><BR/>I used to do the public address announcing at IUP baseball home games. When I was there in the late 80s we had 2 players who made it as high as double-A, both outfielders and both on the football team, as well. Kevin McMullen, later the baseball coach at his alma mater, was one of them. The other guy's name escapes me at the moment, but he was the punter on the football team and an outfielder on the baseball team.WilliamJPellashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12774466220683142262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6207200414495313452.post-71524712152055118842008-10-10T00:15:00.000-04:002008-10-10T00:15:00.000-04:00It is a heckuva small college conference, Will. Y...It is a heckuva small college conference, Will. You might remember Buc flop Ryan Vogelsong - he came out of Kutztown. Another ex-Pirate that's still floating around AAA and had a couple of cups of coffee in the MLB as a reliever was Edinboro's Mark Corey.<BR/>Tom Brookens from Mansfield played 3B in the AL for 12 years, and won a World Series ring with the Tigers in '84.<BR/>And yah, Dal Canton was from another era. The Bucs picked him up, I'd wager, because he caught the eye of some local birddog back before scouting became such a big business.Ron Ieracihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08784507810080514099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6207200414495313452.post-91568549083106740352008-10-09T23:03:00.000-04:002008-10-09T23:03:00.000-04:00This is very sad news. I well remember my junior ...This is very sad news. I well remember my junior high school phys ed teacher talking about Bruce Dal Canton. I didn't realize he had come from the small college ranks. Very interesting path he took to the bigs, too. Back in his day, there were still plenty of adult amateur leagues around (many of them sanctioned by the NABF), far more than there are currently. There must have been some serious scouting going on for the Pirates to have kept tabs on two guys like Dal Canton and Woody Fryman. Fryman was a heckuva pitcher; I remember watching him as a lefthanded specialist for the Expos at the end of his career, and he was STILL good in his mid 40s! <BR/><BR/>Today, Dal Canton's alma mater plays on the NCAA Division II level as part of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). While there have been some notable football players who have been successful pros from that league, I don't know of any other baseball players who made it, at least not off the top of my head. We had some guys at IUP who got as far as double A after they graduated, but that's about it. Anyway, back when Dal Canton was in college, California (PA) was more like a Division III school would be today. So it's all the more impressive that he made it to the bigs and pitched as long and as well as he did. <BR/><BR/>His post-playing career as a teacher of the game is very noteworthy, too. <BR/><BR/>God rest your soul, Bruce. You will be missed.WilliamJPellashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12774466220683142262noreply@blogger.com