The 15 individuals and one event (Penn Relays) will be formally inducted on Nov. 11 at the Sheraton. Dan Baker, the man who does introductions as an art form, introduced them.
Moses Malone, the great Sixers center, is in his sport's Hall of Fame. Mark Howe, the wonderful Flyers defenseman, is going into his sport's Hall later this year. Legendary manager Joe McCarthy, who won seven World Series with the Yankees and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, grew up in Germantown. NFL Films' Ed Sabol will be enshrined in Canton next month. Ed will be joined on the dais with his son Steve in November.
Dawn Staley, from Dobbins Tech, has to get into the Basketball Hall of Fame someday soon. Bill Bergey and Wilbert Montgomery were in the middle of everything for the 1980 NFC champion Eagles.
Al Meltzer, who came to town in 1964 to work for WFIL radio, called all those Big 5 games on Channel 17, was the sports director at Channel 3 and Channel 10 before finishing his career at Comcast SportsNet. He worked everywhere because he was that good.
Speedy Morris has won 883 games, first at Roman Catholic, then at Penn Charter, La Salle University and now St. Joseph's Prep. Nobody won more games at La Salle. And nobody has won more in the Catholic League.
They are joined in this class by Philadelphia A's infielder Jimmy Dykes; the great Negro Leagues catcher James "Biz" Mackey; a two-time Olympic gold-medal winner (1912 Stockholm Games), middle-distance runner Ted Meredith; lefthander Curt Simmons, an anchor, along with righthander Robin Roberts, for the 1950 Whiz Kids; and tennis and basketball champion Ora Washington, who competed in the 1920s and '30s when the top echelons of her sports had no opportunities for African-Americans.
