A-K Valley greats Thrower, Meisner among next class for Western Chapter of Pa. Sports Hall of Fame

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, April 18, 2023 | 7:06 PM

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Alle-Kiski Valley athletic greats Greg Meisner and the late Willie Thrower are among a group of 10 who will be enshrined in the Robert “Tick” Cloherty Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday at the Pittsburgh Sheraton Station Square.

“This is very exciting,” said Thrower’s son, Melvin. “We have friends and family coming into town to celebrate him. I think my dad wouldn’t be able to believe all that has been going on the past several years with more and more people getting to know all that he accomplished and the legacy that he left.”

The New Kensington (now Valley) football standout earned distinction as the first Black quarterback to play in the modern NFL (1953) as a member of the Chicago Bears.

“The notoriety and recognition he is getting now is truly special,” Melvin Thrower said. “He is a great example for all the kids in New Kensington and all over who know they can succeed and make something of themselves if they work hard and believe in themselves.”

Also to be inducted Saturday along with Thrower and Meisner are Dorin Dickerson (West Allegheny/Pitt football, NFL), Tanisha Wright (West Mifflin/Penn State basketball, WNBA player/coach), Lousaka Polite (Woodland Hills/Pitt football, NFL), Rose Semplice (scholastic/amateur hockey), Paul Seneca (AAU, high school basketball coach), David Fink (championship handball player), Bill McGregor (longtime DeMatha, Md., football coach), and Jerry Schmitt (WPIAL/Westminster College/Duquesne football coach).

Thrower played halfback in the single wing formation his freshman year at New Kensington.

He then led the Red Raiders to a 24-game winning streak over the next three years and to WPIAL titles in 1946 and 1947. For his high school exploits, he was named first-team All-WPIAL and first-team all-state.

Thrower, who finished with a 35-3-1 high school record, attended Michigan State and was the first Black quarterback to play in the Big Ten.

He played only two games in the NFL in 1953 before being released following the season. He then played three years with the Winnepeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League.

Thrower died from a heart attack in February 2002 at 71.

His legacy has been remembered and celebrated the past three years with the Willie Thrower Award, presented to the top quarterback in the WPIAL based on a committee vote with other input and votes from coaches, media members and others close to area high school football.

Meisner is pulling double duty this spring, so to speak, as he also will be inducted into the WPIAL Sports Hall of Fame on June 2 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Green Tree.

“It is such an honor, and I am humbled to be recognized by both groups with so many great athletes who have come through in the area over the years,” Meisner said. “I actually played with (Willie Thrower’s) nephew, Kevin (Thrower), who went to Penn State. He was a senior when I was a sophomore. When I was younger, I actually met Willie. He probably had the biggest hands I’ve ever seen, and I have some big hands.”

Kevin Thrower was selected the 1973 Valley News Dispatch Player of the Year.

“Growing up in the area, it was special to hearing about all of the great Valley and New Kensington players and teams who set examples for everyone to follow.”

Meisner, 63, made a name for himself at Valley, where he earned all-conference, All-WPIAL and All-State laurels in football. He was selected to play in the 1977 Big 33 all-star game before joining the Pitt football team.

Meisner also was a four-year letterman in track and field, setting Valley and Westmoreland County records in the javelin.

He also represented Valley on the wrestling and basketball teams.

Mesiner excelled collegiately on an off the field at Pitt.

A three-year starter, he was witness to the Panthers making four bowl games, including a win over Clemson in the 1977 Gator Bowl and victories over Arizona and South Carolina in the Fiesta Bowl and Gator Bowl, respectively, his junior and senior seasons.

Off the field, Mesiner twice earned Academic All-American recognition.

He was the 63rd overall pick in the 1981 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams. The defensive tackle played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Rams (1981-88), Kansas City Chiefs (1989-90) and New York Giants (1991). The 1985 Rams won the NFC Western Division title.

He returned to the WPIAL in 2005 as football coach and athletic director at Hempfield High School. He stepped away as football coach after the 2011 season but remained as athletic director through the 2019-20 academic year.

Mesiner was selected a Pitt alumnus of distinction in 2020.

Tickets still are available for Saturday’s banquet and can be obtained at Westernpasportshof.org.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Valley