All-around great from...

My father was a football and basketball official for many years and, when I was younger, he took me to many, many games that he worked. As a result I had the privilege of seeing many of the area's greatest athletes from the City and County, and I ended up, of course, adopting many of these performers as my all-time favorites.

One of my favorite trips was the short trek Lawrence Park to see Jim "Moose" Cipalla perform on the hardwood and the gridirion for the Parkers, The big fella was also one my Dad's favorites -- on and off the field or court. "Watch how Jim Cipalla handles himself," my father used to point out, " and that's the way you should act when you play."

Needless to say, if my father respected someone that much, I was certainly going to, also.

Big Jim, who was very athletic at 6-5, 265 and a tremendous all-around standout, graduated from Lawrence Park High School in 1961, lettering four years in basketball and and three in football and track and field. The Parkers did not have a baseball team, arguably Cipalla's best sport. He was a unanimous All-County selection three years in basketball and two years in football.

In hoops, he tallied 1,615 points while earning all-state honors two seasons. His point total was the most in the history of the Erie County League at that time, standing the test of time for 11 seasons. The Parker great is still in the top 10 of all-time leading scorers in Erie County.

Cipalla played hoops at Gannon for three seasons, missing his senior year when he attempting to make the Boston Red Sox, The LP great mssing the cut on the final day of spring training.

The gentle giant was a Glenwood League legend, performing most of his career on the legendary Pete Oatess teams, Cipalla playing from the time he was just 16 years old until he was 32. He won the batting title when he was just 18, 20 and 22 years of age, inluding an unmatched record when he was 20 that included leading the GL in home runs, triples, doubles, RBIs and batting average. His home run power was legendary, Cipalla hitting tape-measure jobs that are still discussed in awe-struck tones.

He was inducted into the WILP (Wesleyville, Iroquois, Lawrence Park) Hall of Fame in 2008, the first year of its inception.

A cancer survivor who worked many years at Kaiser Aluminum, the Erie great was one of the most popular athletes to perform locally. If you don't believe me, my father would've seconded this opinion with great enthusiasm.