Home |
John Samuel Fridley attempts his trademark hook shot as a forward on the University of Pittsburgh Panthers basketball team. Standing more than 6 feet, 6 inches tall, and weighing 185 lbs., he played center on Sharon (PA) High School's 1957 state championship team. He went on to become first string center for Pitt from 1957 to 1961, and was a teammate of all-time Pitt standout Don Hennon. In one notable game for Pitt in 1960, John scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in an upset of Purdue. During his career at Pitt, he scored 850 points and averaged double figures in both scoring and rebounds, and led the team in rebounds for three straight years. Today, he remains second in Pitt's all time history for rebounds in a game (24, set against Carnegie Tech in 1961), fourth in career rebounds per game average (12.5) and ninth overall in career rebounds (800). After graduation from Pitt's Schools of Dentistry and Medicine, John became a periodontist, working in Sharon and New Castle. He passed away in 1997, at the age of 57. He was the grandson of Claude C. and Avis (Halsey) Overholt, of Youngwood, Westmoreland County, PA. Copyright © 2006 Mark A. Miner |