{"id":76294,"date":"2014-12-22T17:28:04","date_gmt":"2014-12-22T17:28:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sandbox.web.rcn.net\/rcntv\/?p=76294"},"modified":"2023-02-17T22:10:25","modified_gmt":"2023-02-17T22:10:25","slug":"behind-mic-coach-tracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/behind-mic-coach-tracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Mic: Coach Tracy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whitehall High School dedicated their court to Coach Dick Tracy this week.\u00a0 I was honored to emcee the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cPleasant\u201d, \u201ccongenial\u201d, \u201csympathetic\u201d, \u201csociable\u201d, \u201ccomplaisant\u201d are all words I would NOT use to describe Dick Tracy.\u00a0 \u201cCranky\u201d, \u201cobstinate\u201d, \u201chard-nosed\u201d, and \u201cornery\u201d seem to come to mind more easily.\u00a0 Yet, he was absolutely loved by his players, respected by his peers and loved by me.\u00a0 Dick Tracy has always been an enigma.\u00a0 I went to visit him at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Center two weeks ago and asked the receptionist to direct me to Dick Tracy\u2019s room.\u00a0 She said there was no Dick Tracy there.\u00a0 I knew there was some mistake.\u00a0 Maybe he was listed as Coach Tracy.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 But they had a Frances R. Tracy on the third floor.\u00a0 I worked with the man for forty years, thought I knew him better than anyone, and never knew his name was Frances.\u00a0 And yet, I was not surprised.\u00a0 He was always hard to figure out, but, one thing he did figure out was how to motivate people and how to coach basketball.\u00a0 Boy, could he do both!<\/p>\n

Coach Tracy was 205-51 in his nine years as a head coach at Whitehall, winning 80% of his games.\u00a0 He never came close to having a losing season.\u00a0 His worst record was 20-9 in 1979 when he came back to coach a program that was 6-17 the year before.\u00a0 His teams won five League championships, three district titles, and a PIAA state championship.\u00a0 In 1981, his team was 33-2 winning both the conference and district championships, losing in the PIAA state semifinal to Springfield-Delco.\u00a0 That loss ended Whitehall\u2019s 30-game winning streak.<\/p>\n

1981-82 was the magical year.\u00a0 Whitehall lost to Allen 46-44 in the first game of the year in a non-league contest.\u00a0 They went 18-0 in the conference, 3-0 in Districts, and 5-0 in the state playoffs, beating Shamokin, Freedom, Williamsport, Springfield-Delco, and finally New Castle at a sold-out Hershey Arena 42-38.\u00a0 New Castle had been averaging close to 75 points a game.\u00a0 Not against the Tracy \u201cmatch defense\u201d.\u00a0 The starters\u2019 names – Coval, Noack, Heydt, Bobyak, and Pizarro were etched for life in Lehigh Valley basketball history.\u00a0 And so was the name of their legendary coach \u2013 Dick Tracy.<\/p>\n

I have known Dick as a coach, a teacher, a professional colleague, and, most importantly, as a friend ever since I began my broadcasting career 44 years ago. What I most remember, however, about the man I spent so much time with the past 30 plus years is the iconic persona thrust upon him by so many people.\u00a0 Dick is a former marine and certainly knows the meaning of \u201csemper fi\u201d- \u201calways faithful.\u201d\u00a0 His former students, his former players, his former assistant coaches absolutely adored the man and I always had the sense they would do anything for him and knew him so well he did not have to solicit their help.\u00a0 They knew what he needed.\u00a0 If respect and friendship are the true measure of a man, Dick Tracy is immeasurable.\u00a0 Today they refer to these people as \u201cpeeps\u201d or the \u201cposse\u201d.\u00a0 Dick only hears the words \u201cCoach\u201d or \u201cMr. Tracy\u201d.\u00a0 These three words represent who this man was to so many people and the love and respect they have thrust upon him.\u00a0 Those he has touched have remained \u201calways faithful.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is very special for so many people, including myself, to walk into Coach Tracy Court at Whitehall High School!<\/p>\n

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)<\/strong><\/p>\n

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
\nMERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
\nHAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!<\/p>\n

\"Gary's<\/a><\/p>\n

(Last week \u2013 10-5)\u00a0 (159-78-1 overall \u2013 68%)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 GREEN BAY<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 HOUSTON<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 PITTSBURGH<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 INDIANAPOLIS<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 BALTIMORE<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 NEW ENGLAND<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 MIAMI<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ATLANTA<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 MINNESOTA<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 SAN DIEGO<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 PHILADELPHIA<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 DALLAS<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 NEW ORLEANS<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 SEATTLE<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 SAN FRANCISCO<\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 DENVER\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whitehall High School dedicated their court to Coach Dick Tracy this week.\u00a0 I was honored to emcee the event. \u201cPleasant\u201d, \u201ccongenial\u201d, \u201csympathetic\u201d, \u201csociable\u201d, \u201ccomplaisant\u201d are all words I would NOT use to describe Dick Tracy.\u00a0 \u201cCranky\u201d, \u201cobstinate\u201d, \u201chard-nosed\u201d, and \u201cornery\u201d seem to come to mind more easily.\u00a0 Yet, he was absolutely loved by his players,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"Yoast SEO Relevanssi index exclude","inline_featured_image":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,4],"tags":[569],"class_list":["post-76294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-behind-the-mic","category-featured","category-sports","tag-coach-dick-tracy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBehind the Mic: Coach Tracy - 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