Renaissance News Inc. Regional Division: Memory Lane (Softcover), Sports

George Von Benko has been a first hand observer for close to 50 years and his Memory Lane recounts the accomplishments and honors they have earned. It includes baseball Major Leaguers, collegiate football and basketball All Americans, NFL and NBA stars, olympians, legendary coaches on both the scholastic and collegiate scene and national figures like Sandy Stephens, Ernie Davis, Johnny Lujack and Vivian Stringer.

His stories reveal a time when every school, city, borough and township turned out Division One athletes as regularly as clockwork.

This is George Von Benko's first book and is a collection of his popular Memory Lane Columns, which appear weekly in the Uniontown Herald Standard.

George has been a fixture on the western Pennsylvania sports scene since he started his broadcasting career at the age of 15 at WPQR in Uniontown, PA.

In his 43 year journey through the sports world he has broadcast college football and basketball for California University of Pennsylvania, West Virginia University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Cincinnati and Duquesne University.

A longtime voice of sports talk radio - he has done shows on WAJR Morgantown, WV, WTAE Pittsburgh, PA, Fox Sports Radio in Pittsburgh and WMBS in Uniontown, PA.

He has done free lance writing for The Louisville Sports Report, Pittsburgh Sports Report, Uniontown Herald Standard, Pirates.scout.com and MLB.com.

George was instrumental in the formation of the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame.

ISBN: 0615494765
EAN: 9780615494760
Published: 2011
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 154
Photographs: 36 B&W
Author: George Von Benko
Case Qty: 68

Baseball

Pat Mullin

Basketball

Chuck Davis
Gus Gerard
Charley Hyatt
Wil Robinson
Sam Sims
Don Yates

Coaches

Henry DiVirgilio
Abe Everhart
Gene Franks
Lash Nesser
Bill Power
Vivian Stringer

Football

Jim Braxton
Ernie Davis
Jim Ford
Ben Gregory
Don Law
Johnny Lujack
Moose Machinsky
Fred Mazurek
Bill Munsey
Sandy Stephens
Robert "Buddy" Ward
Dick Washington
Frank Wydo

Photos

Track

Joe Thomas
John Woodruff

Wrestling

George Dugan

Tuesday, July 12 2011 - ESPN Pittsburgh Hour 1 Seg 4
Stan Savran talks with George Von Benko about his new book

3 Product Reviews - Average rating 5 / 5 (Show All Reviews)

Click to review this product

Great Book

ELO - July 27th 2012

Memory Lane truly does take you down memory lane. The stories cover a wide variety of sports and eras. George Von Benko does a great job of making you feel like you sitting there listening the former athlete tell you a story.

Review of "Memory Lane" by George Von Benko

Dan Dvorchak - November 14th 2011

The small town in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, where I grew up in the fifties was not considered wealthy. However we were extremely rich in our share of highly talented athletes. The book, "Memory Lane" by George Von Benko, brings us the stories of thirty of these athletes.

The accomplishments Mr. Von Benko writes about include Heisman Trophy candidates and winners, Olympic stars, NFL All-Pros, Collegiate All-Americans, NBA Players, Major League Baseball Players, Coaching legends, and other memorable figures. It is hard to imagine any other county in the United States having a more impressive bounty of extraordinary athletes.

The author certainly did his research well, but he must have struggled to limit his book to the thirty best of the very accomplished men and women who excelled on the fields and courts throughout this small Western Pennsylvania community.

As I read this book, I came to appreciate a common thread shared by all these athletes-—a set of values, work ethic and teamwork they had l...

Terrific book that just scratches the surface.

Miles J. Cohen - November 14th 2011

I've been reading George's columns for years; this book was but a sample of his accumulated sports history and knowledge of Fayette County and begs a follow-on issue as he has many other great "untold" stories to tell yet! In my opinion, what George has done over the years both with his column, his book and his support for numerous organizations such as FCSHOF is immeasurable to our Western Pa. Community in terms of preserving our cultural heritage, educating our populace and capturing the history and times of our athletes. He diligently follows the life of each biographical personality and links their upbringing and athletic accomplishments to their later successes in life. He writes with great sensitivity about those he has known as well as those he interviews [living] and researches ]deceased]. He's one of Pennsylvania's great Sports Historians and should be recognized as such. Like I say, his book begs for many more. Sincerely, Miles J. Cohen

Click to review this product

	Hometown Heroes: Profiles in Sports and Spirit (Hardcover) $26.95
	They came from Connellsville, Chicora and Cabin Creek. Their names were Johnny Lujack, John Gaisford and Jerry West. They excelled in football, golf and medicine, and basketball, respectively, and they were hailed as hometown heroes.
	Glory Years: A Century of Excellence in Sports (Hardcover) $26.95
	These are the stories of some of those special people and places, some more familiar then others. They all have something in common, a bond that ties them to the area and a sense of commitment, dedication and persistence that shows the way.
	Memory Lane Vol 2 (Softcover) $15.00
	If you enjoyed George Von Benko Memory Lane you are sure to enjoy Memory Lane Volume 2. George has been a first hand observer for close to 50 years and his Memory Lane Volume 2 recounts the accomplishments and honors they have earned. It includes baseball Major Leaguers, collegiate football and basketball standouts, NFL and NBA stars and legendary coaches on both the scholastic and collegiate scene. Many Western Pennsylvania legends are profiled. His stories reveal a time when every school, city, borough and township turned out Division One athletes as regularly as clockwork.