September reports/Tedbits (and earlier)
October reports/Tedbits

MAY 28 (Afternoon)
TEDBIT
  If you're a fan of pass plays, the City All-Star Game has been your dream event over the last 13 years. Reason: The Dandy Dozen performances, in terms of yardage, have all occurred since 2004. In Thursday's track meet, Del-Val's Shayne Smith and Wood's Anthony Russo claimed the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. Thanks to Huck for the 2016 numbers. As oldheads realize, back in the day both teams had two QBs and sometimes three.

MAY 28
TEDBIT
  Thursday's 58-34 victory by Public over Non-Public claimed the No. 6 spot on the the list of all-time blowouts in City All-Star Game history. The record was set in 2008, when Non-Pub dominated, 48-7. 

MAY 16
LUKEBIT
  The following was provided by Luke Dougherty, a 2011 graduate of the The Haverford School and now a football assistant there . . . Thanks for this, Luke!
  I was at the Inter-Ac Challenge Lacrosse Championship game last night and started thinking of how amazing the Fords' senior class of Football/Lax guys were and when I did research this morning I was blown away! I am a math teacher so numbers get me fired up!
  Here are some stats for the senior lax/football guys during their two "upperclassmen" years at Haverford School:
  Overall Record in Football and Lacrosse for 2014-2015/2015-2016: 65-6
  Inter-Ac Championships in that stretch: Four (2 in each sport)
  Record vs. Inter-Ac teams from football 2014 through Lax 2016: 34-0 (30 straight regular season league wins and 4 wins in the Inter-Ac Challenge over IA teams)
  National Championship in Lacrosse (2015) and Best Record in school history in football (2015)
  This senior class of guys that play these two sports last lost a league game on May 19th, 2014 in the Inter-Ac Challenge Final to Malvern before reeling off 34-straight!
Just thought you might enjoy that since you're a big stats guy.
  The seniors are as follows:
  Tommy McNamara
  Forry Smith
  Keyveat Postell
  Dox Aitken
  Andrew Fine
  Also, Brendan O'Neill was a major contributor on the football field as a junior before an injury sidelined him from football as a senior.

MAY 15
TEDBIT
  For the 16th time in this century, the winner of the 100-meter dash in the Catholic League track championships was a guy who also played football in the fall of that same school year. The only non-football player was McDevitt's Julian Edwards, the '04 winner. O'Hara product Corey Brown, one of the two double winners (and the record holder at 10.65), is now in the NFL. Judge product Matt Smalley, also a double winner, recently received an invite to the New York Giants' mini-camp. Below are offensive stats for the 100 winners from the previous fall in that school year. Neumann-Goretti's Dane Davis, the 2006 winner, had no rushes/catches in the 2005 season. He did post an interception. In the spring of '99, O'Hara soph Kevin Jones won the 100. He did not repeat in '00 or '01. He was an all-time rusher for the Lions (5,728 career yards, now No. 4 in city leagues history) and played in the NFL. Yesterday's winner, La Salle's Charles Headen, also triumphed in 2014. He's bound for Shippensburg. Many football guys have also won the 200 and/or 400 in this century. Carroll's Maurice Stovall, who won the 400 in 2002, also advanced to the NFL.

MAY 12
TEDBIT
  As you may have noticed on the homepage yesterday, former La Salle football star Paul Colistra will soon become West Catholic's president. His dad, Joe, was his coach and that circumstance got me to thinking . . . How many sons of Catholic League football coaches have earned All-Catholic honors in that sport? I've gone back to the mid-'50s for coaches. Those coaches with asterisks also earned A-C honors during their careers. Some of these men fathered sons who earned A-C honors in other sports. There's a three-generations line on the list (the Gordons). The hope is that no one was missed for this list and that the assorted details are spotless. The reality? Probably not (smile). So, please speak up with additions and/or corrections. Thank you! tedtee307@yahoo.com 
  UPDATE at 10:15 a.m.: Had to remove one combo. I jumped to a wrong conclusion. Thanks to La Salle coach John Steinmetz for speaking up. 

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A pic of Cliff Roberts from a Wikipedia page

MAY 2 TEDBIT   In 2001, with help from many, I published a record book on Philadelphia's scholastic football history. Since then, the assorted files in that book have been updated on this website. One of the original/updated files includes info for "all" Philly guys who've played in the NFL or the old AFL. All is in quotes because, all these years later, word occasionally comes about someone who was missed. One day last week, I stumbled upon an online list of Pennsylvania’s pro football guys that included Cliff Roberts. Who? How had I never heard of him? Why had no one ever spoken up? Was this legit? The search was on! (smile) . . . And here's what it found: Clifford Ubert Roberts Jr. (some sources list his middle name as Hubert) graduated in 1952 from Dobbins. Tom Taylor, who has long been a major help with basketball scoring, is a member of one of those yearbook websites. He found Dobbins' 1952 yearbook online and sent along some info. Roberts lived at 1833 W. Fontain Street (not far from 19th and Diamond), majored in auto maintenance, played cadet (10th grade team) and JV football (there was no mention of varsity football; Dobbins was 1-7-1 in the '51 season) and listed "to succeed" as his ambition. In the 1961 season, as a rookie, Roberts played 10 games as a rookie tackle for the Oakland Raiders. Hmm. What happened in all those years in between? Here's what a search revealed: After graduating from Dobbins, Roberts spent five years in the Marines and rose to the rank of sergeant. According to an article, he also made his way onto an All-Sea Service football team comprised of Naval/Marine "gridders from all over the world." Some were former All-Americans. That article also noted, "Following his discharge, Cliff was persuaded by a native Illini, present teammate Darrell DeDecker, to come north to visit the Champaign-Urbana campus. He's been here ever since." That's right. Roberts played major college football for the University of Illinois. (That story appeared in Illinois' student newspaper.) Roberts, listed at 6-3, 256 pounds, played three seasons of varsity ball. He was a starting tackle in the final two, 1959 and 1960, then was drafted by the AFL's San Diego Chargers in the 1961 draft (which was actually held in November 1960). In late August of 1961, a blurb I found claimed Roberts was performing so well in training camp, he'd moved all-NFL selection Ron Mix out of a starting job. Not sure what happened thereafter, but Roberts did not remain with the Chargers and played instead for the Raiders. Also, his pro career was limited to just that one season. Remember, he was almost a decade out of high school by then. According to Illinois archives, Roberts earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communications, so maybe he pursued a job in TV/radio after football came to an end? Now for something very cool: In his Illinois career, Roberts kicked at least one field goal. It was a 30-yarder and was hammered against Penn State on Oct. 24, 1959. In that era of straight-on kicking, it was not uncommon for big guys (even in the pros) to handle PAT and field goal duties. But I have to wonder, how many black guys were given a chance to kick at the pro or college level back then? Though I've found some offensive stats for Illinois' football teams during Roberts' time there, full scoring breakdowns were not included. On Friday I contacted a member of the school's sports information department and he said he would plunge into some archives and try to nail down scoring stats and perhaps some background info from old media guides. Now for the big question. Is Cliff Roberts still alive? I found a listing for someone in California that I thought might be him, but the man who answered the phone said he was not Cliff Roberts and was unaware of him. No profile pages for Roberts list a date of death, so here's hoping he's still with us. (Those pages are not specific for a DOB, either. But since he graduated in 1952, it's likely he was born in 1933 or 1934.) Along the way through this short journey, I've been in email contact with Carolyn Monson, who does a great job handling alumni matters for Dobbins. She wasn't aware that Dobbins had produced another pro football player (aside from Kevin Ingram and Raheem Brock). She did reach out to some 1952 grads and found one who remembered Cliff as being a nice young man. Anyway, that's where things stand for now. Cliff Roberts' name has been added to the list of Philly's pro football guys and I'm so glad I found out about him. If other info is discovered, this story will be updated.   UPDATE, May 6: I received an email this afternoon from Carolyn Monson. It's posted here with necessary notes to explain certain entires . . . I have a clearer picture of Cliff's Dobbins life. He entered 10th grade 2/3/49. (**Back then, junior highs went through ninth grade and high schools started with 10th.**) He was dismissed 3/10/52 on a D3 (**Carolyn thinks that designation was used for students who withdrew to enter the Armed Forces**). He was readmitted 5/17/54 to complete the second half of his 12th year (12b) in those days. (**Also back then, there were TWO graduating classes each school year -- A in the winter and B in the spring.**) He got his diploma in 1954. His picture is in the 1951-52 yearbook. That is the yearbook that includes his picture on page 71. On page 84 under athletics he is on the JV football team #35 (standing near Coach Warren Conrad, who is now 93 years young). His parents were William and Jesse. DOB 10/2/34. School records also listed him as being in the armed services in '61 (interesting that they would still have contact 6 years later). Maybe he re-enlisted. I saw two individuals in his yearbook who are still with us. I am checking to see if either remember him. Donald McMichael, who played varsity, JV and cadet football, and a cheerleader, Joan Brownlee." . . . Thank you again, Carolyn! Perhaps Cliff played that one AFL season, then immediately went back into the service? Or was briefly in the service again BEFORE the training camp preceding the 1961 AFL season? Truly amazing, either way. As mentioned above, his varsity seasons at Illinois were '58, '59 and '60. And we'll assume he played freshman football in '57.    UPDATE, May 5 (evening): I spoke early this afternoon, via telephone, with Darrel De Decker and his wife, Henrietta "Hank" De Decker. They live in Atkinson, Illinois, and could not have been nicer. (I asked Mr. De Decker about his name because I'd seen different versions. He said there's only one "l" AND that there's a space between De and Decker.) Mr. De Decker, a center who was drafted by the AFL's Boston Patriots in 1961, is battling health problems and it wasn't easy for him to speak. He fought hard, however, and his wife provided great support. I asked Mr. De Decker about Cliff Roberts' field goal and he said the kicking duties were a one-time thing due to the regular kicker's injury. He also said he and Mr. Roberts served together for three years in the Marines and that he indeed suggested to Mr. Roberts that Illinois would be a great place to play college football. When I asked whether those guys were roommates, I could hear laughter from both. Mrs. De Decker then repeated her husband's answer. "No, we were both married by then." Later, the De Deckers said they'd remained friends with Mr. Roberts and his family for many years, but had not been in touch since both families experienced assorted changes. Mr. De Decker said he still had old phone numbers, though, and he then provided them with help from his wife. I called both numbers early this evening. The home number was out of service. The work number was answered and the man said he knew Mr. Roberts. Alas . . . "He passed away," the man said. "At least 10 years ago, I'm thinking." The man said Mr. Roberts, at least later in life, when they were co-workers, had worked as an advertising agent in California. The man declined to be recognized for his help. Like the De Deckers, the man described Mr. Roberts as being "a great man." Thank you to all three for their help.         UPDATE, May 5 (morning): Derek Neal, of the University of Illinois' sports information department, checked old boxscores/stats and found that Cliff kicked no other field goals during his college career. Thank you, Derek.      UPDATED, May 4: According to school records found by Carolyn at Dobbins, Cliff was born 10/2/34 and lived for a while at 2020 N. 18th Street. That's around the corner from his eventual home on Fontain Street. Thank you, Carolyn.

MAY 1
TEDBIT
  Here's a different look at "Our Guys" drafted by NFL teams over the last 43 years. YAG to the right stands for Years After Graduation. In this year's draft, Roman's Will Fuller and Penn Charter's Daryl Worley became the fourth and fifth guys to get picked just three years out of high school. Of course, there have been many fours (straight through) and fives (redshirted just because / suffered an injury / perhaps attended a prep school first). There have also been two sixes. Egan's Len Lynch suffered a severe knee injury in the spring of his senior year while playing in the Bucks County All-Star Game. He did not immediately enter college. His active seasons were 1981-82 and '84-'85. He missed '83 due to another injury. Joe Klecko played semi-pro football right out of St. James ('71). His active Temple seasons were '73 through '76, according to the school's media guide.

APRIL 30 (Evening)
TEDBIT
  Four of the five "Our Guys" selected in this year's NFL draft were productive receivers during their high school careers. Roman's Will Fuller will still be a wideout in the pros, but Bok's Jihad Ward (DE), Penn Charter's Daryl Worley (CB) and Germantown's Will Parks (S) will spend their time on defense. (The fifth OG, Malvern's Carl Nassib, was a lineman in high school.) Check out the receiving stats in high school . . .

APRIL 30
TEDBIT
  Quite the two nights! Since 1974, 19 "Our Guys" have been selected in the first three rounds of the NFL draft. Four enjoyed going through that experience in the last two nights . . . 21 percent! Below are the details for the first-three-rounds guys. The Catholic League leads the way with 10 players, followed by the Public (six) and Inter-Ac (three). Four schools have produced two apiece -- Bonner, Carroll, Penn Charter and Roman. How cool is this? Roman wideout sensations Marvin Harrison (19) and Will Fuller (21) were picked two spots apart.

APRIL 29
TEDBIT
  How cool would this be? Next fall, you're watching a Houston Texans' game on TV and the offense is moving down the field thanks to THREE members of the "Our Guys" posse!! Roman's Will Fuller at one WR spot. West Catholic's Jaelen Strong (Jaelen Strong-Rankin during his high school days) at another. With O'Hara's Tom Savage doing the throwing. Since 1974, Strong, Fuller and Savage are the first OG trio to be selected by the same team in consecutive years. In that time frame, there have been three duos in back-to-back years and three in same years. The most productive guys were James Brown (Mastbaum) and Erik Williams (Bartram). Alas, they were not teammates during their NFL careers. Though Brown was selected by the Cowboys, he did not make the roster. Thankfully, he found another opportunity and spent the '92 season on the Jets' practice squad. He then made his official debut in '93 and wound up playing 114 career games (86 starts) for assorted teams, mostly as a right tackle. Guess who blocked his path in Dallas? Williams. Erik was tabbed in the previous draft and he also was a right tackle. He had a great career -- 133 starts in 146 games -- and for a time was considered the NFL's very best lineman. Click here for a story about the day Erik returned to Bartram to be honored. And, yes, the Mike Mayock selected in 1981 is THE Mike Mayock (smile).      

APRIL 28
TEDBIT
  Will two "Our Guys" -- Notre Dame WR Will Fuller (Roman) and Illinois DE Jihad Ward (Bok) -- be selected in the first round of the NFL draft?
  Your predictions, as of 7:30 p.m. . .
  Paul Valcukas won the Fuller contest. Will was picked at No. 21 by Houston. Paul had him going 22nd.
  Jihad was not picked in the first round.

APRIL 19
TEDBIT
  Yesterday's nugget highlighted the fact that five "Our Guys" are projected by cbssports.com to be picked in the upcoming NFL draft. Now for Part II: All five played sports aside from football in high school and you should, too. Jihad Ward (Bok), Carl Nassib (Malvern) and Will Parks (Germantown) all made contributions in basketball while Will Fuller (Roman) and Daryl Worley (Penn Charter) did so in track. Some of those contributions were significant. Have you limited yourself to one sport? Not good. Roman product Marvin Harrison will soon be officially inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In high school, he was the basketball MVP of the Southern Division in 1991 and I remember that college football coaches routinely came to watch his hoops contests to get an appreciation for his overall athletic skills. And then there's Matt Ryan, the Atlanta Falcons' quarterback. While at Penn Charter, he was a third team All-City baseball honoree (infielder) and a starting forward for the Inter-Ac's 2003 championship basketball squad. By the way, that team included four future pros: Sean Singletary and Rob Kurz advanced to the NBA. The sixth man was Tony McDevitt and his sport for pay was lacrosse. Click here for a story that details the benefits of playing multiple sports. . . . UPDATE: As pointed out by Gerry Sasse, an assistant to PC's athletic directors, Tony played four varsity sports at Penn Charter. He was a wrestler and basketball player in the same season. Also, he never played lacrosse before entering PC. Beforehand, his spring sport was baseball. Sean was a great football player as a junior, but opted not to play as a senior. Rob dabbled as a shot-putter . . . As pointed out by website legend Jon "Duck" Gray, Will Parks was also a track mainstay at Germantown.

APRIL 18
TEDBIT
  On cbssports.com, there are mock predictions for all seven rounds of the upcoming NFL draft. The list includes five "Our Guys" (two from schools that, sadly, no longer exist) and that many Pub/Cath/Int products have not been tabbed since 1974. The five current guys are listed right below. Below them you can see details on the years, from 1974-2015, in which at least three were picked. That has happened in seven years. In five years, at least one of the draftees was from a now-closed school.

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APRIL 16
TEDBIT
  The release that accompanied this list . . .
    April 16, 2016 --- The Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association (PSFCA) in conjunction with the Big 33 Classic, has released its annual listing of top high school football prospects for the class of 2017. This list of 105 student athletes who are rising seniors from across the state, compiled for the sixth straight year, represents a cooperative effort on the part of representatives from PSFCA — district directors, coaches and other functions of the association. It is the only list of its kind to be compiled exclusively by high school coaches.
    “This year’s list reflects balance in every position, reinforcing that Pennsylvania consistently turns out quality student athletes who are solid college prospects," said PSFCA member and Philadelphia area coach Mark Schmidt. "We look forward to seeing them excel both on and off the field in the coming year."

APRIL 15
TEDBIT
  In the April 18-25 issue, Sports Illustrated published its predictions for the first two rounds of the upcoming NFL draft. SI feels Notre Dame WR Will Fuller (Roman) will go to the Vikings at No. 54 in the second round and that Illinois DE Jihad Ward (Bok) will go to the Packers just three picks later, at No. 57. In drafts from 1974-2015, only two "Our Guys" were tabbed in the second round. Eight, meanwhile, were first-rounders. Here's hoping Will and Jihad wind up on this list!

FEB. 8
TEDBIT
  O'Hara product Corey Brown now owns the record for most receiving yards by an "Our Guy" (Public/Catholic/Inter-Ac) in a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, the play that gave him the mark also ended his night. With 8:18 left in the third quarter, Brown zipped downfield and made a leaping/backward catch for a 42-yard gain. But the back of Corey's helmet crashed hard against the ground as the play wrapped up and, soon, he was heading to the locker room and being diagnosed with a concussion. His Carolina Panthers wound up losing to the Denver Broncos, 24-10. Only three "Our Guys" have made catches in Super Bowls. Roman's Marvin Harrison, who was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday night, and Ryan's Frank Wycheck made five snags apiece, but their yardage totals were not as high as Brown's. Great performance, Corey. Hope you feel better soon.

JAN. 26 (Late Morning)
TOMBIT
  This tribute to the late Vince McAneney was written by Tommy DeFelice, who starred at quarterback for Vince at West Catholic and later enjoyed much coaching success at Bok Tech. It was posted on the Facebook page of Tommy's daughter, Natalie DeFelice Maher, and offered to us by website legend Mark "Frog" Carfagno, Tommy's long-time friend.