Published Saturday, Jan. 18, 1997
Mercer County
Hall of Fame
Former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Chuck Tanner signs a baseball for Matthew Brennan, 9, of Hermitage. Dr. James Kollar of the Mercer County Hall of Fame watches Friday nights activities at a memorabilia auction benefiting the Shenango Valley Children's Organ Transplant Fund. (Jean Angelo/Herald)
Sports memorabilia sale hits paydirt for sick kids
By Jennifer HallHerald Staff Writer
SOME AKSED business associates. Others contacted old friends while others called on former teammates and college friends.
It really was people who knew people _ that was the thing,'' Lou Fortuna, president of the Mercer County Hall of Fame,
said of efforts to gather sports memorabilia sold Friday at an auction to benefit the Shenango Valley Children's Organ Transplant Fund.
``It was a chain reaction, really,'' Fortuna said.
The Sharpsville man was able to get about four items signed by Monongahela, Pa., native Joe Montana, former quarterback for
the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.
``A friend of mine is good friends with Joe's family and he gave them a call and they said they would talk to Joe,'' he said. ``Joe said to send him whatever and he would sign it, and he did.''
Steve Garay, former basketball coach at Hickory High School, knew University of North Carolina Coach Roy Williams
from a basketball camp. Williams sent basketballs and one unexpected item.
``I asked if he might have any (autographed) Michael Jordan stuff left over,'' Garay said. ``And sure enough, he had one picture left. He sent it to us and he said he hoped it would do us some good.''
The photograph sold for $425.
For other Hall of Fame supporters, the story was similar. Muhammad Ali autographed the boxing gloves obtained by Ron DiNicola, former Democrat candidate for Congress, while a variety of Joe Paterno collectibles went on the block at The Radisson, Shenango Township. Ali's gloves brought $3,000.
``The Penn State stuff was relatively easy,'' said Ed Pryts, a
linebacker for the Nittany Lions from 1978 to 1982.
Pryts said some of his friends and former teammates are now strength coaches for various teams in professional sports such as the Pittsburgh Penguins. This contact garnered the auction a hockey stick signed by Mario Lemieux, which sold for $750.
And through a business contact, the Hermitage man was able to obtain a jacket signed by Ron Hemelgarn, owner of the 1996 championship driving team that won the Indianapolis 500.
When sports stars learned that donated items would be sold to fund organ transplants for chil dren, they signed their names willingly. Many signed letters or certificates of authenticity that accompanied the items.
``Jim Leyland signed up quickly once he found out what we were doing,'' said Bob Davis, director of the Hall of Fame. Leyland was the honorary chair of the event.
``When you are doing it for children people are very willing to give to the cause,'' the South Pymatuning Township man said.
Leyland contributed numerous items not only from baseball players but also football and basketball stars, including Steve Young and Shaquille O'Neal.
``(Leyland) would go from ballpark to ballpark and he would get players from opposing teams to sign the ball,'' Davis said.
Some items came from someone being in the right place at the
right time. Davis was able to get former Notre Dame Head Coach Lou Holtz to sign a football when he visited Youngstown last year.
``We knew where the stage was and figured that he would be using that back door and sure enough we were right,'' he said.
In a matter of hours, the 64 auction items and numerous Chinese auction items collected over two years were sold.
We are going to let them all know how it went,'' Davis said. ``We may need them again some day.''
Hall of Fame officials expected to tally sale proceeds by Saturday.