Cross country is certainly not a spectator sport as its competitors run under a variety of conditions, terrains, and surfaces. Extreme weather, steep climbs, and jostling among participants is commonplace, so it takes a dedicated athlete to participate. The 1967 Gateway High School team personified the qualities needed to succeed at this difficult and challenging[…] [more…]
I am grateful for the opportunity to honor our 1976 Track and Field W.P.I.A.L Champions. I have vivid memories of my experience with them and what a positive group of young men they were. In the pre-season booklet given to each team member, we, the coaching staff comprised of myself, Tom La Buff and the[…] [more…]
The success of the 1976 Gateway Gator Hockey Club, and journey to the State Championship game, began with a group of boys four years earlier who witnessed the 1967 birth of hockey in Pittsburgh and shortly thereafter thought “we could do that” – or at least thought “wouldn’t it be fun to try to do[…] [more…]
The Gateway Wrestling program had it’s infancy in 1963 – 64 beginning with nothing except an enthusiastic inexperienced coach and a group of young participants willing to work hard and learn a new sport. How do you begin to build a program and achieve success in a sport that requires individual skills, dedication, experience, facilities,[…] [more…]
It is with great pride and humility that the Gateway High School 1983 Varsity Baseball Team becomes the first Baseball Team to be inducted into the Gateway Sports Hall Of Fame. Needless to say there have been a number of great Baseball Players and teams that have represented the Gators on the Baseball Diamond. One[…] [more…]
The 1984-85 Wrestling Team was part of the Golden Age of Gateway Athletics, a period where seemingly every sport fielded a championship caliber team. The Gator Wrestlers were undefeated in their section posting an 8 win 0 loss record winning their first ever section championship. The Gator Wrestling Team accumulated 14 wins as opposed to[…] [more…]
Gateway Tradition!! It all began in 1958. The creation of a new school district and the opening of Gateway High School brought together students who had previously attended several neighboring schools as well as two entire communities. The adjustment to this new setting was aided greatly through athletics. The first edition of Gateway football went[…] [more…]
The 1982 team had speed, skill and size. What set them apart was a certain maturity and toughness that got the team through many difficult games. These qualities made them easily coachable and enabled them to handle game pressure without losing their poise. This team was successful because they were truly a TEAM. Each and[…] [more…]
PIAA STATE CHAMPION WPIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS…SECOND PLACE SECTION V CHAMPIONS WESTMINSTER RELAY CHAMPIONS The 1988 Girls’ Swim Team had much to prove after the previous year’s team missed winning the State Championship by tenths of second. The graduation of Michelle Chow and Celeste Makiel left a void in leadership and many events. But the girls responded[…] [more…]
“Togetherness” The mid-1980s were a great time to be a Gateway Gator. The accomplishments of so many teams and individual athletes defined an era that many would consider the “Golden Age” of Gateway Athletics. From football, to basketball, to wrestling, to swimming, the Gators of the 1980s competed at the highest level of WPIAL and[…] [more…]
