”Remembering Julius McCoy: A Retrospective and Tribute” was submitted by Paul Frankovich of Hermitage, a childhood friend of Julius McCoy in Farrell. The two remained friends for nearly 60 years.

On Friday, April 4th, I received the sad news that Julius McCoy had passed away in Harrisburg. The shock has still not worn off because we, somehow, come to think that great athletes like Julius, John Fridley and Dave Johnson are somehow supposed to stay with us forever.

I first met Julius more than 50 years ago. I was in the 7th grade at Farrell Junior High School when the McCoy family migrated from South Carolina to Farrell. The McCoys lived 1118 1/2 Market Ave. I was born in my grandparents’ house at 1114 Market Ave. By the time I was in Junior High my parents and I lived in the 900 block of Lee Ave. All of my playtime, however, was spent with the Market, French and Maryland Ave. guys.

This is where I met Julius. As kids, we all played the usual street, sandlot and alley games that kids played. Julius did not possess the great skills he later developed in football and basketball. However, I found out that Julius could run like the proverbial deer. In 4-on-4 “touch” street football, in our huddle I told Julius to “go long.” I took the direct snap, dropped back two steps and with my skinny, 8th-grade arm, threw the ball perhaps 35 yards. Trouble was, Julius was already 45 years down the street. After that, I told Julius to go long ... but not at full speed.

The previous year, when I was in 7th grade, Julius had been moved up a year from 5th grade to 6th grade. The South Carolina “separate but equal” system had not given Julius the best education.

In my early basketball years, I was cut every year from 6th to 9th grades. Julius, of course, made the team in the 8th grade and became high scorer in the 9th grade. In 1948, the summer after my freshman year, our basketball and social friendship really began.

For four straight summers, ‘48, ‘49, ‘50 and ‘51, we played every day at the J.A. Farrell School playground. We played from morning ‘til sundown with short breaks for dinner and supper.

Julius and I whetted our appetites for basketball and honed our skills against the great playground players like Marion Lampkins, Bobby Stewart, Bobby Rapper, Ike Mitchell, Harry “Sam” Boatner, John Duich, John Perich and a bruiser I only knew as “Mr. Dunnavant.”

Naturally, Julius honed his skills much better than I did. In my

sophomore year, I was again cut by Coach Eddie McCluskey (his first year). Many people, myself included, thought that Julius, as a freshman, could have played on “Mac’s” ‘48-‘49 team. To this day, I don’t know whether Julius did not play varsity because Farrell was on the 6-3-3 system, i.e. six elementary grades, three junior and three high school, or because of McCluskey’s decision not to play freshmen.

In my junior year (‘49-‘50) a long bout with the flu took me out of tryouts. Julius, as a sophomore scored 288 points, second to Joe DeLise as that team lost a bitterly fought game to Homestead, which went on to the state title. Diehards still moan about that loss.

In my senior year, “Wes” Hood and I walked away (I hate to say the word, quit) one week before the season started. Julius went on to score 455 points and led Farrell to the state finals where they lost to Allentown. (No sour grapes, Allentown was the better team).

I was in the crowd that greeted the Farrell team bus as it pulled into the high school driveway. When Julius got off the bus, he apologized for the team and said, “We’re going back next year, and we’re going to win the championship.” Talk about Joe Namath saying, “I guarantee it” in Superbowl III. Farrell had to win section 3, the WPIAL (District 7), the Western Regional over the great Pittsburgh Westinghouse team and the state final over Coatesville. Julius had over 700 points on the season and 29 in the final despite missing 10 foul shots. That team’s only loss was to Sharon - when Sharon’s great center, Walt Bedich, outscored Julius 23-19, and depriving “Mac” of a perfect,

undefeated season.