Every school takes pride in its traditions. Whether it’s academics, music, theater, or athletics, history matters because it helps connect the past to the present. It gives current students a sense of pride and teaches them about the people who came before them.
Unfortunately, when it comes to athletics, Penn Hills has fallen behind many other schools in how it preserves and showcases its rich history.
One of the things I enjoy most about visiting other high schools is walking through their halls and looking at their trophy cases, displays, and athletic exhibits. You learn a lot about a school’s tradition simply by seeing how it honors its past.
Take New Castle, for example. Their basketball history is proudly displayed. Current players can walk through the school and immediately understand the greatness that came before them. They see the championship teams, the legendary players, and the accomplishments that helped build the program.
Woodland Hills does a tremendous job as well. They have plaques recognizing every boys’ and girls’ basketball player who scored 1,000 career points. They also honor every athlete who represented the school in the prestigious Big 33 Football Classic. The history is visible. The accomplishments are celebrated. The next generation can see exactly what is possible when they walk those halls.
Penn Hills, unfortunately, does not do the same. This isn’t about one athlete. It’s about preserving the legacy of an entire community.
For example, Akida McClain remains the only Penn Hills basketball player to ever be named Pennsylvania State Player of the Year. That is an extraordinary accomplishment that deserves permanent recognition within the school. Yet many current students likely have no idea who he is or what he achieved.
The same can be said for numerous Penn Hills athletes who earned Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fab 5 honors, one of the most prestigious recognitions in Western Pennsylvania high school basketball. Those accomplishments helped put Penn Hills on the map and should be showcased for future generations.
I can only speak personally about my own career because I lived it, but my experience highlights the larger issue. When I graduated from Penn Hills, I had scored 2,318 career points, which at the time ranked sixth all-time in WPIAL history. Twenty-five years later, I still hold the WPIAL playoff scoring record with 147 points in four playoff games.
Those achievements are not just personal accomplishments. They are Penn Hills accomplishments. They represent moments in school history that deserve to be preserved.
Imagine a display recognizing major athletic milestones. A basketball commemorating career scoring records. Plaques recognizing WPIAL records. Displays honoring Fab 5 selections, state champions, Big 33 participants, collegiate All-Americans, professional athletes, and championship teams.
Those displays would not exist to celebrate individuals.
They would exist to educate students.
History inspires.
When a young athlete sees what former students accomplished, it gives them something to strive toward. It teaches them that greatness has already walked the same hallways they walk every day. Penn Hills has produced countless successful athletes, coaches, and community leaders. Yet many of those stories are not visible within the school itself.
Another area where Penn Hills can improve is recognizing championship teams. WPIAL championships are not easy to win. They represent years of sacrifice, hard work, and dedication. Yet many former championship teams receive little recognition as time passes.
Eventually, trophies collect dust, newspaper clippings disappear, and memories begin to fade. That is why preserving history matters.
Athletic traditions do not maintain themselves. Schools must actively invest in telling their stories. Trophy cases should not simply hold awards. They should tell a story. Hallways should serve as a living museum that reminds students, families, and visitors of the greatness that has been achieved.
Penn Hills possesses one of the richest athletic traditions in Western Pennsylvania. From football to basketball, track and field to wrestling, generations of athletes have represented the community with pride. The problem is not a lack of history. The problem is that much of that history is not being showcased.
Twenty-five years from now, today’s athletes will become yesterday’s legends. Their memories and accomplishments deserve to be preserved just as much as those who came before them.
Because at the end of the day, wins and losses eventually fade. What remains are the memories, the records, the championships, and the legacies left behind. Penn Hills has an incredible story to tell. It’s time the school starts telling it.