One More Thing Re: All the Right Moves

[Mr. Monaca]

The movie was based off of a story featured in GEO magazine (October 1980). The magazine followed the Duquesne High School football team for the entire 1979 season. I was a senior and starting right cornerback on that team. Of course the movie is a dramatization, but it captures the mood of Duquesne in 1979 really well.

The jist of the article was about how high school boys play football in order to escape having to work in the steel mills. That was still an option in 1979, although it was an option that would soon no longer be available.

I still have my copy of the magazine.

We were a very good team. 9-1 in the regular season and we only gave up about 2 touchdowns until the final game of the year. We won the WPIAL my sophomore year and would have won it my freshman year if it weren't for the stupid Gardner point system that was in place that prevented our undefeated team to get into the playoffs.

 

[TempleBAPittMPA]

The movie was based off of a story featured in GEO magazine (October 1980). The magazine followed the Duquesne High School football team for the entire 1979 season. I was a senior and starting right cornerback on that team. Of course the movie is a dramatization, but it captures the mood of Duquesne in 1979 really well.

The jist of the article was about how high school boys play football in order to escape having to work in the steel mills. That was still an option in 1979, although it was an option that would soon no longer be available.

I still have my copy of the magazine.

We were a very good team. 9-1 in the regular season and we only gave up about 2 touchdowns until the final game of the year. We won the WPIAL my sophomore year and would have won it my freshman year if it weren't for the stupid Gardner point system that was in place that prevented our undefeated team to get into the playoffs.

You can find the article (written by Pat Jordan) on the "Duquesne Hunky" website (you'll have to ask the blogger why he uses that term, I surmise that he can use it to describe his own ethnicity without being offensive).

You played for the Dukes? Why would you choose "Mr. Monaca" for a user name? So, you would have had the privilege of playing for "Kope". He coached my two older brothers, but . . . as you probably know, Kope had two stints as head coach. Alas, small-town school board politics forced him out (yeah, he had a heart attack, but that came AFTER they forced him out). The two coaches who followed him ran the program into the ground (the dark ages of Duquesne football), after which the school board begged Kope to come back and save the program, which he did . . . just in time for you. I had the misfortune of playing during those dark ages for those other two guys, and thus missed out on playing for Kope. Sad thing is, we had the same kind of talent Duquesne seemingly always did, but that lack of coaching rendered us somewhat undisciplined . . . and some guys who could have really helped on the field figured why bother playing.

 

[Mr. Monaca]

You can find the article (written by Pat Jordan) on the "Duquesne Hunky" website (you'll have to ask the blogger why he uses that term, I surmise that he can use it to describe his own ethnicity without being offensive).

You played for the Dukes? Why would you choose "Mr. Monaca" for a user name? So, you would have had the privilege of playing for "Kope". He coached my two older brothers, but . . . as you probably know, Kope had two stints as head coach. Alas, small-town school board politics forced him out (yeah, he had a heart attack, but that came AFTER they forced him out). The two coaches who followed him ran the program into the ground (the dark ages of Duquesne football), after which the school board begged Kope to come back and save the program, which he did . . . just in time for you. I had the misfortune of playing during those dark ages for those other two guys, and thus missed out on playing for Kope. Sad thing is, we had the same kind of talent Duquesne seemingly always did, but that lack of coaching rendered us somewhat undisciplined . . . and some guys who could have really helped on the field figured why bother playing.

Coaching makes all the difference. It surely did at DHS. Kope was one tough SOB. I laugh when I hear players and parents complain about how harshly the kids are treated. If they only knew what we went through. We would run through walls for our coaching staff. The practices were so hard that the games seemed like play time. Summer camp up at Aleo Lake was like a death camp. No one worked harder than we did.

I use Mr. Monaca b/c that's where I was living when I created my handle.

 

[TempleBAPittMPA]

My brothers said that the guys hated Kope during the week . . . but they loved him on Friday night when it all paid off.

Even though I never played for Kope (well, in my senior year they started a track program, and Kope volunteered to coach us . . . and I don't even think he got paid), he was always concerned about my well being, even after I went away to school. (Maybe because of my brothers, who knows?) I would run into him when I was home on break, and he would ask how I was doing, always encouraging. My dad sure respected him.

 

[upj87]

The movie was based off of a story featured in GEO magazine (October 1980). The magazine followed the Duquesne High School football team for the entire 1979 season. I was a senior and starting right cornerback on that team. Of course the movie is a dramatization, but it captures the mood of Duquesne in 1979 really well.

The jist of the article was about how high school boys play football in order to escape having to work in the steel mills. That was still an option in 1979, although it was an option that would soon no longer be available.

I still have my copy of the magazine.

We were a very good team. 9-1 in the regular season and we only gave up about 2 touchdowns until the final game of the year. We won the WPIAL my sophomore year and would have won it my freshman year if it weren't for the stupid Gardner point system that was in place that prevented our undefeated team to get into the playoffs.

in order to escape having to work in the steel mills.... in times of booming, I'm not sure why. Millrats who came of age in my father's time (retired in '79 after 42 years) led pretty good lives and enjoyed going to work and did well for their families...

 

[Fk_Pitt]

You can find the article (written by Pat Jordan) on the "Duquesne Hunky" website (you'll have to ask the blogger why he uses that term, I surmise that he can use it to describe his own ethnicity without being offensive).

Sigh.

Anyone offended by that is just looking for confrontation.

Reminds me of “Likes to fight guy”.
Anyone ever hear this take? Hilarious.

 

[pittdan77]

in order to escape having to work in the steel mills.... in times of booming, I'm not sure why. Millrats who came of age in my father's time (retired in '79 after 42 years) led pretty good lives and enjoyed going to work and did well for their families...

When the movie came out in the 80's, the mills were well into decline. My old man did great until he got bumped onto unemployment. He used to tell me all the time to "get the hell out of the (mon) valley".

 

[Mikefln]

in order to escape having to work in the steel mills.... in times of booming, I'm not sure why. Millrats who came of age in my father's time (retired in '79 after 42 years) led pretty good lives and enjoyed going to work and did well for their families...

Agree. 1st there are many towns in WPA, E Ohio, and Panhandle of WV that wish those mills were around.

2nd there were 2 types of steel workers. The first type ( like a few great uncles and uncles of mine) are what everyone generalize steel workers to be. A bunch of drunks who made a dollar and spent a dollar at the bar. The 2nd type (and there were plenty of them, like my grandfather and a few great uncles and uncles of mine) who saved their money. They lived good middle class lives and had a pension that allowed them to reach a point that they were close to millionaires if not an actual millionaires.

People still have no clue how much silent money there is in all those old dying steel towns. Homestead, New Castle, Monessen, Aliquppia, Clairton, Beaver Falls, etc. There are still many older people there with more money in their bank accounts then most people living in Upper St Clair, South Fayette, Mt Lebo, Pine Richland, etc. You would think they were normal people as that is how they purposely live. Like the mid 90's book they are the Millionaire Next Door.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

in order to escape having to work in the steel mills.... in times of booming, I'm not sure why. Millrats who came of age in my father's time (retired in '79 after 42 years) led pretty good lives and enjoyed going to work and did well for their families...

Hell yeah. Many of them retired in their 50's. Pension, lot's of cash, I mean they didn't buy a mansion on Fox Chapel Rd, but they had decent houses, many had camps that were defacto summer homes, put kids through college, always has a new decked out pickup or SUV.

Get into the mill at 18 or 19, You needed what something like 85 points, Which was age plus service. So....even if you went into the mill at age 20, you work 33 years, you are 53 years old, you can retire.

 

[BuffetParrothead]

Agree. 1st there are many towns in WPA, E Ohio, and Panhandle of WV that wish those mills were around.

2nd there were 2 types of steel workers. The first type ( like a few great uncles and uncles of mine) are what everyone generalize steel workers to be. A bunch of drunks who made a dollar and spent a dollar at the bar. The 2nd type (and there were plenty of them, like my grandfather and a few great uncles and uncles of mine) who saved their money. They lived good middle class lives and had a pension that allowed them to reach a point that they were close to millionaires if not an actual millionaires.

People still have no clue how much silent money there is in all those old dying steel towns. Homestead, New Castle, Monessen, Aliquppia, Clairton, Beaver Falls, etc. There are still many older people there with more money in their bank accounts then most people living in Upper St Clair, South Fayette, Mt Lebo, Pine Richland, etc. You would think they were normal people as that is how they purposely live. Like the mid 90's book they are the Millionaire Next Door.

If any of those retirees put their retirement proceeds,plus saving in a simple index fund, didn't touch any of it, they have lots of money today. Millions!

Do not invest retirement money in get rich quick schemes, start-ups, new issue stocks, or other high risk financial instrument or you'll end up like 75% of NFL players broke.


That's the secret. Get a good job, with a 401k, and a retirement plan, max out your contributions which are matched .the employer, contribute to an IRA, and you will be very wealthy when you retire regardless of your compensation. Of course the more you make the better the end result will be.

The key is to get this rolling when you're in your 20's, pick a safe fund tied to your retirement horizon and do not touch the money, except to rebalance the investment.

When you retire and a lump sum option is available take the lump sum so you can control your retirement fund not your companies pension fund administrator.
By taking a lump sum you avoid take away the risk of the company underfunding their pension liability because it the pension funding drops below 80% for --- yrs the pension fund will default and end up in the government program where you might get 50% of what you would have received.

Also if you retire early take your social security at 62.5. Between 62.5 and 70 where SS maxes out you will accumulate over $225k. To recoup that $225+ k you have to live to around 81. What if you wait until 70 to take SS and you die at 80 you just broke even and didn't get to use the $225k when you were younger and healthy.

Don't invest in risky get rich quick schemes, start-up, risky new issue stocks, or other risky ventures unless it's with "excess" money or you'll end up like 75% of NFL players broke.

Stay single or only get married one time.

 

[TempleBAPittMPA]

in order to escape having to work in the steel mills.... in times of booming, I'm not sure why. Millrats who came of age in my father's time (retired in '79 after 42 years) led pretty good lives and enjoyed going to work and did well for their families...

That worked for that generation. Guys I grew up with who opted for the mill unfortunately had the mill pulled out from under them.

 

[mike412]

It might have been a good living, but I assume none of you actually worked in a mill. I got a summer job when I was at Pitt in the 1960s and I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have lasted the summer if I hadn’t lucked out and gotten offered another job by Crown Aluminum after I had been there 8 days (I had applied for a summer job there at the same time as the mill but didn’t hear back from them until that day.). It paid a lot less, but it was the right decision for me. Shoveling slag and loading it into mini-railroad cars to be loaded into barges was the most physically demanding, oppressive and draining work I ever did.

Mike Ditka has said many times that when he was a kid in Aliquippa, he always assumed he would go to work in the mills. Then, his father took him to work one day in the Summer and at the end of that day he vowed never to work in a mill. That was the day he decided to go to college and then become a dentist.

 

[Mikefln]

It might have been a good living, but I assume none of you actually worked in a mill. I got a summer job when I was at Pitt in the 1960s and I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have lasted the summer if I hadn’t lucked out and gotten offered another job by Crown Aluminum after I had been there 8 days (I had applied for a summer job there at the same time as the mill but didn’t hear back from them until that day.). It paid a lot less, but it was the right decision for me. Shoveling slag and loading it into mini-railroad cars to be loaded into barges was the most physically demanding, oppressive and draining work I ever did.

Mike Ditka has said many times that when he was a kid in Aliquippa, he always assumed he would go to work in the mills. Then, his father took him to work one day in the Summer and at the end of that day he vowed never to work in a mill. That was the day he decided to go to college and then become a dentist.

Not saying it should have been anyone's dream job. Can't take away the fact that those mills provided a better town and life for people. There is a reason why towns died when they left. The option of having them far outweighs not having them.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

It might have been a good living, but I assume none of you actually worked in a mill. I got a summer job when I was at Pitt in the 1960s and I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have lasted the summer if I hadn’t lucked out and gotten offered another job by Crown Aluminum after I had been there 8 days (I had applied for a summer job there at the same time as the mill but didn’t hear back from them until that day.). It paid a lot less, but it was the right decision for me. Shoveling slag and loading it into mini-railroad cars to be loaded into barges was the most physically demanding, oppressive and draining work I ever did.

Mike Ditka has said many times that when he was a kid in Aliquippa, he always assumed he would go to work in the mills. Then, his father took him to work one day in the Summer and at the end of that day he vowed never to work in a mill. That was the day he decided to go to college and then become a dentist.

My Dad grew up in Midland, and was drafted into WWll before he finished High School (he moved from Iowa in third grade, and the school systems were vastly different, so he was held back a year, meaning he had already turned 18 before his senior year).

When he returned from the war in Europe, he finished High School, then went to Geneva for his undergrad work. He worked in the steel mill in the summers. He said on more than one occasion that the work in the mills gave him all the incentive he needed to finish undergrad and graduate school.