Guido: Finalists announced for first Willie Thrower Award

By: George Guido
Saturday, February 6, 2021 | 5:31 PM

It is a privilege to announce the five finalists of the first Willie Thrower Award, created to recognize the top quarterback in the WPIAL/City League.

The finalists in the voting were determined by a panel of 68 coaches and media members who covered high school football this past season.

The finalists are (listed alphabetically): Brad Birch, Jeannette; Ethan Dahlem, Upper St. Clair; Ameer Dudley, Central Valley; Jake Pugh, Thomas Jefferson; and Cole Spencer, Pine-Richland

The five, their coaches and parents will attend a luncheon at the Northern Westmoreland Career & Technology Center on April 10 in New Kensington. The winner will receive a hand-held replica of the Willie Thrower statue, located at the adjacent Valley High Memorial Stadium.

The main speaker will be Major Harris, 1985 Brashear all-state quarterback who helped lead West Virginia to the 1988 national title game against Notre Dame.

The event will be closed to the general public because of the pandemic. The Willie Thrower Memorial Foundation, sponsor of the award, hopes to welcome the public in subsequent years.

A New Kensington native, Willie Thrower was the first Black quarterback in NFL history while playing for the Chicago Bears in 1953.

Earlier, Thrower broke the color barrier for Big Ten quarterbacks at Michigan State. Before that, Thrower helped lead New Kensington High School to WPIAL football titles in 1946 and ’47, along with a runner-up to Donora in 1945.

After his stint with the Bears, Thrower played several seasons in the Canadian Football League before retiring because of a shoulder injury.

Thrower died Feb. 20, 2002, in New Kensingto. His statue was dedicated at the stadium on Sept. 28, 2006.

A historical marker also was placed by the state historical society at the Valley High School entrance.

Big 33 streak lives on

The amazing streak of Super Bowl performers who played in the annual Big 33 game will be continued Sunday when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the Kansas City Chiefs.

All 55 Super Bowls will have a former Big 33 player. This year’s rosters will include Chiefs backup quarterback Chad Henne of West Lawn Wilson, who played in the 2004 classic. His teammate, rookie lineman Yasir Durant of Imhotep Charter, played in 2016.

Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark played for Ohio in the 2011 game after graduating from Glenville High School.

From the Bucs roster, Moon graduate A.Q. Shipley, from the 2004 game, played for Tampa Bay earlier this year before landing on the injured list. In that game, Shipley centered the ball to Henne.

Off the field, another connection is Chiefs general manager Brett Veach, who played in the 1997 game representing Mount Carmel High School.

The current Big 33 game format annually pits a team of Pennsylvania all-stars against a team from Maryland. The 2020 classic was not played because of the pandemic.

Alle-Kiski Valley players who have been part of the Super Bowl streak include the late Mitch Frerotte from Kittanning, who played in three Super Bowls with the Bills. Freeport’s Eric Ravotti and Jeff Christy also contributed to the streak.

Fitzroy tops 1K

Apollo-Ridge senior Klay Fitzroy recently became the sixth player in the school’s 52-season history to eclipse the 1,000-point career mark in a Vikings victory over St. Joseph.

The five who preceded Fitzroy were Mike Kolessar, Mark Timko, Eric Jackson, Alex Smith and his coach, Greg Fox.

Fitzroy was a Valley News Dispatch football first team all-star selection in December and was named to the all-state team.

On the basketball floor, Apollo-Ridge is in third place in Section 3-3A with a 2-2 mark (4-2 overall). Fitzroy and the Vikings continue section play Tuesday at East Allegheny.

As of now, Fitzroy is undecided on a college choice.