There are a lot of talented sportswriters in Pittsburgh. There are Hall of Fame-caliber journalists. There are award winners.
But if you ask me who earned my respect more than anyone, my answer has always been Kevin Gorman. Not because he always wrote positive things about me. Because he was fair. In this business, that’s all any athlete can ask for.
Kevin never played favorites. He never got caught up in politics, personal agendas, or who was supposed to win an award. He covered what he saw. He called it like it was. That’s why so many athletes, coaches, and fans respect him.
When I was a senior at Penn Hills, I had the greatest season of my life. I led the WPIAL in scoring. I was a Top 100 recruit nationally. I earned First Team All-State honors. I helped lead Penn Hills to the WPIAL championship. I scored a WPIAL playoff-record 147 points in four games. I finished my high school career with 2,318 points, which ranked sixth all-time in WPIAL history at the time.
Yet when Player of the Year was announced by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, I didn’t win it. The award went to Brandon Cheatham of Blackhawk.
Let me be clear. I have nothing but love and respect for Brandon. He was one of the greatest players the WPIAL has ever produced. I also had a great relationship with his family, and I still remember his wonderful mother. May she rest in peace.
This isn’t about Brandon. It’s about what was fair. Based on the season I had, and especially the playoff run, I honestly believe I should have been the automatic choice.
Kevin Gorman agreed.
He named me his Player of the Year because he judged the season without an agenda. He wasn’t trying to satisfy anyone. He wasn’t protecting relationships. He simply believed the best player deserved the honor. I’ll never forget that.
Another moment that always stayed with me came when I committed to West Virginia.
At the time, I was one of the biggest basketball recruits in Pennsylvania. You would’ve thought that would have been major news everywhere. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette never mentioned anything.
Kevin made sure it was mentioned. He put my commitment on the front page and gave it the attention he believed it deserved. Those things matter to young athletes. They matter because they show someone is paying attention to the work you’ve put in.
Years later, when I became the head basketball coach at Steel Valley, Kevin was there again. He saw the obstacles I was facing. He understood the situation wasn’t as simple as people believed. Instead of piling on, he wrote a story explaining what I was dealing with and even said that if there was one person capable of handling that kind of adversity, it was me.
He didn’t have to do that.
He simply believed in telling the whole story. That’s who Kevin Gorman has always been.
I have tremendous respect for Mike White. He’s a Pittsburgh journalism legend and has covered this region for decades. But Kevin Gorman was always different to me. He earned trust because people believed he would call it exactly the way he saw it. No politics. No favorites. No hidden agenda. Just honest reporting.
In today’s world, that’s becoming harder and harder to find.
Kevin now covers the Pirates, and Pittsburgh sports fans are lucky to have someone with his integrity covering one of the city’s biggest teams.
As for me, I’ll always appreciate the respect he showed Penn Hills, the fairness he showed me, and the character he displayed throughout his career.
Some people are remembered because they’re great writers. Kevin Gorman will be remembered because he is a great writer and an even better man.
Salute to one of the classiest people I’ve ever met in Pittsburgh sports media.