Jonathan Bombulie stories, Page 7

Jerome Bettis was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame five years ago, memorably leading the cheers of the Steelers fans in attendance and thanking his father for helping him to great heights. “I thought The Bus’ last stop was in Detroit. But now I know The Bus will...

Moon’s Khama Worthy didn’t just choke out his opponent at UFC on ESPN 12 Saturday night in Las Vegas. He also gave his finishing move a name. “That’s a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania guillotine,” Worthy declared. Worthy defeated Luis Pena by submission with 2 minutes, 7 seconds left in their lightweight bout...

A 74-year-old Trafford native who has been in the casino business since 1975, Jimmy Vaccaro has seen pretty much everything the gambling industry has to offer. Then the casino floor fell silent in March. And people started online wagering on Russian pingpong matches because all North American sports went dark....

Graduating from high school during a pandemic has eliminated many of the traditional trappings associated with the annual ceremony, but there is a bright side. When schools turn graduation into a virtual occasion, they are sometimes able to secure commencement speakers who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to attend in...

A potential move out of the Northeast Conference for Robert Morris — a possibility that has been whispered about more than once in recent years — is once again a topic of conversation. On Wednesday night, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported the Colonials have emerged as a potential candidate...

Following the lead of more than two-thirds of NHL teams, the Penguins released a statement Monday night condemning racism, social injustice and senseless violence. “This has been a horrible time for our country and our city,” the statement read. “We are all appalled by senseless violence and share the outrage...

Longtime major league manager Art Howe, a Shaler native, has tested positive for the coronavirus and was being treated in an intensive care unit as of Thursday night, according to television reports out of Houston. Howe, 73, told KPRC-TV he began having chills two Sundays ago, then lost his sense...

Penn State’s latest football recruit switched not only his choice of schools but also his choice of sports to join the Nittany Lions. Malvern Prep athlete Lonnie White Jr. made a verbal commitment to Penn State on Thursday, becoming the school’s 12th recruit from the class of 2021. White, 6-foot-2,...

Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight a WPIAL spring athlete whose senior year has been cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Seton LaSalle’s Michael Bigley is a basketball guy at heart. He averaged 18.2 points per game this season, going over the 1,000-point mark for his career, and...

Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight a WPIAL spring athlete whose senior year has been cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Even under stay-at-home restrictions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, it’s not hard for softball players to get a few swings in. Between setting up a tee...

Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight a WPIAL spring athlete whose senior year has been cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. The cancellation of the spring sports season has Burrell senior Liv Kelly rethinking some things about her college career. Not where she’s going to school. West Virginia-bound...

Six former WPIAL wrestlers earned first-team All-American honors Friday, including a trio of Franklin Regional graduates. Iowa junior Spencer Lee, Arizona State senior Josh Shields and Iowa senior Michael Kemerer are the former FR wrestlers honored. Pitt sophomore Micky Phillippi, Ohio State senior Luke Pletcher and Penn State senior Vincenzo...

Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight a WPIAL spring athlete whose senior year has been cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Burrell pitcher Jack Henderson wants to keep his arm loose even as the coronavirus restrictions that canceled the high school baseball season keep him at home, but...

Before it’s done, the recruitment of Laurel Highlands freshman sensation Rodney Gallagher might wake up the echoes of the mad 2008 pursuit of Jeannette star Terrelle Pryor. It’s become clear Gallagher is going to receive dozens of scholarship offers from the top programs in the country in both basketball and...

After the disappointment of having her senior season canceled began to subside, a thought occurred to Knoch pitcher Amanda Fischer. She couldn’t have asked for a whole lot more from what turned out to be her final season of high school softball. In the circle, Fischer went 13-3 with a...

It’s not surprising that Rodney Gallagher received a scholarship offer from Penn State on Wednesday. Colleges from all over the country are sure to be lining up to secure the services of the Laurel Highlands freshman in the coming months. What might be a little surprising is the Nittany Lions...

In these trying times, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang delivered a message of hope this week. If he harbors no ill will toward Scott Hartnell, we all can show more charity toward our fellow man, right? In the waning seconds of an Oct. 8, 2009, game between intrastate rivals, Letang flew...

Coach Keith Gavin, now wrapping up his third season at the helm, has made solid progress in improving the standing of the Pitt wrestling program on the national scene. Over the past two seasons, the Panthers have gone 23-7 in dual meets, crowned five ACC champs and qualified 11 wrestlers...

Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight a WPIAL spring athlete whose senior year has been cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Playing in as many postseason tennis matches as John Watters did during his time at Quaker Valley is a good way to build up rivalries. But the...

Pine-Richland junior Harrison Hayes, one of the top linemen in the WPIAL, announced his commitment to Liberty University on Tuesday night. A 6-foot-4, 270-pound offensive tackle, Hayes had nearly two dozen scholarship offers, including a variety of schools from the MAC (Toledo, Akron, Buffalo, Kent State and Bowling Green) and...

South Fayette wrestler Eli Brinsky has committed to Clarion. Brinsky, who had a 125-49 career record in high school, had a big senior season. He went 38-7, won a section title, finished third at WPIALs and took sixth in the state in Class AAA at 170 pounds. Brinsky recorded his...

The Roundball Classic, an annual high school basketball all-star game scheduled for the end of April, was canceled Tuesday, the latest domino to fall after the PIAA called off its winter sports championships and spring sports last week. A series of seven games featuring seniors from the WPIAL, City League...

While he wraps up his senior year at Derry, Gavin Adams still is working his after-school job at Lowe’s. Hardware stores remain open, so Adams is considered essential personnel. The University of Miami thinks so, too. Adams, a 6-foot-3, 275-pound offensive lineman, committed to joining the Hurricanes as a preferred...

Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight a WPIAL spring athlete whose senior year has been cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Over the last two seasons, few hitters in WPIAL softball have been a tougher out than Seneca Valley outfielder Kearson Wagner. Last season, for instance, she hit...