May 11, 2008 08:22 am
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By Lynn Saternow
Herald Sports Editor
WHILE THERE’S a lot of talk about the upcoming memorial for former Farrell High great Julius McCoy on Saturday, it was also sad to hear about the death of an ex-Sharon High hoop great — Joe “Spooky” Price.
Joe lived in Florida for several years before his death in Bradenton, April 21 at the age of 90.
While many of the players of his day have passed on as well, I remember stories of his prowess on the Sharon High teams of the late 1930s. He was all-conference and all-district for the Tigers. He was also a fixture at the F.H. Buhl Club during his youth.
I first met and talked to Joe several years ago when he was inducted into the Kent State University Hall of Fame. I was there at the same time for a wrestling reunion and we talked for quite a while.
He was a very humble man and you would never realize that he was a huge success in both sports and business.
Joe led Kent in scoring his junior and senior years and was named to the all-conference and all-Ohio teams. His coach deemed him the greatest passer in Kent history.
Upon graduating, he played for the Buhl Club team and faced foes such as the New York Celtics and House of David teams. Price was a legend for once making 99 of 100 foul shots at the club.
He later served as a fighter pilot in World War II and earned 5 battle stars. After the war he founded and ran the J. Price Co., which served as a manufacturing representative for steel, textile and rubber companies.
I last saw Joe at the Mercer County Hall of Fame banquet when he was inducted in 1988.
A small memorial in his honor is being scheduled for a future date at the Buhl Club, his home away from home. More on that later.
Our condolences go out to his family.
ä The daughter of a couple of former local athletic stars is making a name for herself on the track in Fort Wayne, Ind. Chelsea Ross, a junior, recently won her conference championship in both the 100 and 300 hurdles, as well as being a member of the winning 400 relay team.
A daughter of former Brookfield track star Pam Hubbard Ross and ex-Farrell athlete Gary Ross, Chelsea put on a tremendous show recently at the Don Mitchell Memorial meet in Dayton, Ohio, competing against some of the best talent in the country.
Chelsea won the 100 hurdles, then finished a close second to the top-ranked runner in the country Jackie Coward of Knoxville, Tenn., in the 300 hurdles. Her 400 relay team earned a medal for 6th.
Chelsea still has many relatives living in the area, including: grandfather George Hubbard, aunt Marquita Hubbard Shephard and uncle Pierre, all of Brookfield; uncle Courtney, Farrell; grandmother Mary Ross and aunt Donna Ross Jefferson, both of West Middlesex; aunt Gayle Ross Gunn and cousins Ratasha Gunn and Tamie Gunn, all of Sharon.
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Photos
Lynn Saternow The Herald