Part one of this story concluded with Tom Parks’ college basketball coach, Matt Furjanic Jr., explaining how crucial it was for Robert Morris to sign him. Furjanic recalled plenty of reasons why Parks...

With as many as six, maybe seven quarterbacks expected to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh next year, there will be tons of eyes on the nation’s top signal callers this sea...

Another week of prime non-conference games is upon us for Week 1 of the high school football season here in the Mon Valley. North, south, east and west, there are big games all around. As always, don’...

Getting ready for a week of no NFL football regular season games for no good reason, here’s a little food for thought: • If his impressive opener is a sign of things to come, McKeesport’s Kemon Spell ...

So here we go with another high school football season around the Mon Valley. The only of our local teams not in action is Belle Vernon, which still uses Week 0 for a second scrimmage instead of a non...

After an offseason that produced more change and questions for the Steelers than any other offseason in recent history, the team had a chance to unveil its new look in the preseason opener at Jacksonv...

In our region, Pittsburgh Pirates fans once had the legendary Bob Prince as their “Voice of the Pirates” and we had John Barbero — the unmistakable “Voice of the Penguins.” Eric James, a member of Rin...

With the start of Steelers camp officially kicking off the return to real pro sports in the tri-state area, here’s a little food for thought: • I read a story that quoted Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur ...

As we tediously prepare for the upcoming fall sports season, typing schedules, sending emails, contacting coaches, planning media day, etc., here’s a mixed bag of things I just wanna speak my piece on...

Iwrote in a column earlier this year about the curse that is being a Pittsburgh Pirates fan. For some, I’d even say most, of us we are just dying for a winner. Personally, I’ll take one game over .500...

He was a member of the 1982-83 Robert Morris team that won the first tournament game in school history. Part one of this story ended with a partial look at Skip Koskoski’s season when his Robert Morri...

He had a tryout with the Dodgers and drew interest from other MLB teams. Boston had its Larry Legend in Larry Bird, and now Pittsburgh has added a name to a long list of local legends. Ringgold’s Skip...

There are so many reasons out there that prove that the Pirates, as a franchise, are badly in need of an enema. Here’s a couple more that have come to light recently to throw on the pile: • There was ...

The last couple weeks have really had me scratching my head when it comes to what Pirates fans are thinking these days. To me, the biggest issues with this franchise continue to and always will be the...

Several months ago, Notre Dame fell to Ohio State in their first trip to the National Championship since 2012. Despite the loss, the season was widely regarded as a success. Much of the credit for the...

Iput together a social media post following the Steelers’ big trade yesterday, but I’m just going to expand on it again here in print. I have absolutely no issues with the deal. The fifth-round pick f...

It is often said the more things change, the more they stay the same. I was reminded of this school of thought last week when the news broke that the Belle Vernon Area school board was planning to ope...

For the Mon Valley Independent Before the bright lights of Seattle’s Kingdome or the crack of the bat in the Pioneer League, Dennis Stitch’s athletic journey began on the streets of Lock View. Raised ...

The following story originally appeared in Monday’s electronic edition. We’re reprinting it here for those without access to the E-edition. For the MVI For Nicole Sleith Schaffer, greatness began on a...

He spent time as a professional in football and golf as well as soccer. By the Mon Valley Independent Few athletes can say they competed professionally in not one, but three different sports. Tom DeRo...