Dear Reader:
The 2012-2013 season marks the anniversary of many important events for sports fans in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. It marks the 120th anniversary of the founding of professional football in Pittsburgh, the 80th anniversary of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the 50th anniversary of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, and the 40th anniversary of Franco Harris’ “Immaculate Reception.” It is a great time to reflect on sports events and issues that have gained the interest of sports fans through the years. There are stories here – reflections really – on the Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, Pitt, Duquesne, Carnegie Mellon, Penn State, Pittsburgh boxing and other sports on every level of play. Pittsburgh is a great sports town and we have been blessed to have celebrated so many championships in so many different sports, and to have turned out so many great athletes. There are chapters on Troy Polamalu, Ben Roethlisberger, Sidney Crosby, Dan Marino, Bill Mazeroski, Arnold Palmer, Steve Blass, Bobby Layne, Eddie Johnston, Jack Butler and so many other sports stars. This is Book No. 21 in sports author Jim O’Brien’s Pittsburgh Proud series. So it’s in honor of The Great One, Roberto Clemente, who died 40 years ago on New Year’s Eve, 1972. It is a collection of columns and reflections on topics of interest to fans from his days as a sportswriter in Miami, New York and Pittsburgh. O’Brien has been writing about sports since he was 14 years old and began his career as the sports editor of The Hazelwood Envoy in his hometown in inner-city Pittsburgh. He took pride in having Steelers’ owner Art Rooney – the nicest man he ever met in sports – tell him, “You’re a real Pittsburgh guy.” He has covered all kinds of sports and met the most celebrated athletes in a career that spans more than 55 years. He is a graduate of Taylor Allderdice High School and the University of Pittsburgh, with a degree in English and some graduate level studies in Literature. He is presently writing a weekly column in The Valley Mirror, an occasional column and features for The Pittsburgh Business Times, and is teaching a class in Pittsburgh’s Rich Sports History in the Osher Institute Program at the University of Pittsburgh. This book demonstrates his versatility as a writer. He was the smallest kid in the neighborhood playing sports in Hazelwood and Glenwood, but found a way to make it to the major leagues in every imaginable sport. He has been married for 45 years to Kathleen Churchman O’Brien and they are the parents of Sarah and Rebecca, and the grandparents of Margaret and Susannah. Most of the book stores in shopping malls have disappeared and they were the lifeblood of the James P. O’Brien -- Publishing business. That’s where Jim did so many signings through the last 30 years. Readers are urged to order books directly from Jim so you can get them signed to your requests.
James P. O’Brien – Publishing P.O. Box 12580 Pittsburgh PA 15241 E-mail: [email protected]
“Jim O’Brien is Pittsburgh’s premier sports historian.” -- Myron Cope