By David Feehan (MSW 1981)
It may be hard to believe, but the School of Social Work once produced a basketball dynasty. Not only that, but there have been a number of avid hoopsters who have majored in Social Work at Pitt.
But the story of the dynasty is one for the record books. In 1980-81, a team organized by Michael Whitelock, a graduate student, compiled a record of 20 wins and no losses, winning the graduate/faculty division of Pitt’s intramural league two years in a row. I know, because I played on that team; and we have a photograph to prove it.
What made this team so special is that it was not only composed of students and faculty (Dr. William Pollard, who was then a professor and later went on to serve as president of two universities, played on the team) but to my knowledge, this was the only time in Pitt intramural history when a woman (Rosalind Head-Lyons) not only played, but actually scored.
Not everyone who played on the team, affectionately dubbed “Whitelock’s Dynasty” in honor of the team captain and organizer, was a full-time social work student. Some of the players were enrolled in other schools, but all were taking at least one class in the School of Social Work. Whitelock played on Pitt’s Junior Varsity and was known for his speed and ball handling
The team had a semi-regular cheering section. Students and faculty members occasionally attended games, especially when play-off time came near. Dr. Moe Coleman was one of the more regular fans. Moe, who was somewhat of an athlete in his own right (tennis and softball) thoroughly enjoyed watching his students dispatch other teams, including the law school in the championship game both years.
But Social Work has been a welcoming home to a number of other athletes. COSA director and professor Tracy Soska frequently joined with the author and our classmate John Scotland in pick-up and recreational league games at the Centre Avenue YMCA and the Allegheny Center Presbyterian Church on the Northside.
Other Social Work students garnered much more fame. Chris Handles Franklin went on to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. Charles Small played for Pitt and once went one-on-one with LeBron James. This was especially notable because Small really was small – only 5’7”.
What are they doing now? Michael Whitelock has spent his career as a field officer with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. As mentioned earlier, Dr. Pollard headed the Social Work School at Syracuse University, then became president of the University of the District of Columbia and ended his career as the president of Medgar Evers College at the City University of New York. The author found his calling in downtown development, working in Pittsburgh, Kalamazoo, Detroit and Des Moines, before leading the International Downtown Association for a decade.
Others pursued different career paths. Some teammates the author was not able to find. Two have passed away. (Still looking and will include interviews with those I find.)
So for all current and future Social Work students and friends, remember – the School of Social Work was once the monarch of the intramural basketball world at Pitt. We made history.
David Feehan, a 1981 graduate of the Pitt Social Work MSW program, is president of Civitas Consultants in Maryland, is a recognized expert in downtown revitalization. For more than 50 years, his work has helped improve dozens of cities and neighborhoods in the United States and elsewhere, including Minneapolis, Detroit, Austin, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.