Coal Miners' Grandson

TigerBlog has known Frank Sowinski for a long time.

He knew he was from East Hanover, N.J. He knew he was the Ivy League men's basketball Player of the Year in 1977.

For that matter, he knew that he was Princeton's second Ivy Player of the Year and second straight, after Armond Hill won it in 19767.

He even knew that Sowinski scored 1,133 points in his Princeton career.

He had no idea until he read yesterday's "Journey To Jadwin" entry about Sowinski, however, that both of his grandparents were coal miners in Northeast Pennsylvania. Or that he was moved to becoe the basketball player he became by Bill Bradley, and more specifically by reading John McPhee's book "A Sense Of Where You Are" on Bradley and specifically his senior year of 1964-65.

What really stands out in the book is Bradley's work ethic, in particular his routine of practicing thousands of shots from specific points on the court until he could make them from the feel of where he was, with, essentially, a sense of where he was.

McPhee, by the way, started his writing career with Time magazine and submitted several stories to the New Yorker in hopes of gaining a position there. He was finally accepted with "A Sense Of Where You Are," which started as a magazine piece and then grew into McPhee's first book.

For a young Frank Sowinski, that book resonated deeply, and it made him want to be the best player he could be. His climb wasn't an easy one, since he didn't make the varsity in high school until his junior year and that he was once told by a coach that baseball was his only chance of being a serious athlete.

The "Journey To Jadwin" series is five entries in so far, with stories about Spencer Weisz, Doug Davis, T.J. Bray and John Rogers prior to the one about Sowinski. You can read about Sowinski HERE and find links to the others on the bottom of the story.

The stories have all been good, and the pictures that accompany them have made them even better. There's even a picture of Sowinski in a Little League baseball uniform with the team name "TIGERS" across the front.

There's also a really good story about Sowinski's recruitment to Princeton and how Pete Carril came to see him play in high school after he caught the eye of then-assistant coach Gary Walters after he had a huge game one night. When Carril came to see him, Sowinski got in early foul trouble, but the way he encouraged his teammates while he was on the bench impressed Carril.

From the story:
“I played well for the time I was on the floor but got in foul trouble and had to sit down,” said Sowinski. “I remember my mom went up to Coach Carril and said ‘I guess you’re not interested in him anymore’ and I guess it was my behavior on the bench he liked. I was cheering my teammates on, I was trying to give advice to other people and he said ‘When I saw him on the bench, I wanted him more.’ That’s how it all started.”

That is completely something Carril would have said.

The story about the coal mining grandfathers is also very touching. Sowinski talks about how his two grandfathers grew up not far from each other and how their houses were right on the railroad tracks that took the coal out of Northeastern Pennsylvania, making the houses literally shake.

Sowinski's father went to college on the GI Bill after World War II, the story says. Then Sowinski attended Princeton.

He's had a long and successful business career. He's also one of the great champions of Princeton athletes, with a long tenure of service to the Princeton Varsity Club and the Friends of Princeton Basketball and a valued role as a supporter of Walters and now Mollie Marcoux Samaan as Ford Family Director of Athletics. The list of Princetonians he has helped is way too long to count.

He's a tall man, and a welcoming, friendly man. He always has a smile and a positive attitude, and he's one of the greatest success stories Princeton Athletics has ever produced. He is in many ways the embodiment of what Princeton is trying to produce - an Ivy League Player of the Year, an Ivy League champion and a man whose commitment to guiding the future generations of Princeton athletes and the loyalty he's shown the University are unwavering.

It was a really good story to read.

And it was written about a very deserving subject.