Ladies
and Gentlemen, we have an anomaly here: Robert “Rocky” Washington
did not play high school athletics. But Rocky Washington is going
into the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame because of his playing
abilities in football, basketball and baseball! What are the chances
of someone not playing sports at all in high school going on to play
major college football
compete in collegiate basketball, and signing a professional
baseball contract? You might find better odds in picking a Powerball
lottery winner. A growth spurt (from 5'-4" to 6'-0") in his late
teens had much to do with his later accomplishments, but speed,
desire, speed, determination and speed had much to do with his
post-scholastic achievements as well. Did we mention that he was
also fast? When Rocky graduated from Beaver Falls High School in
1978, off he went to Penn State-Beaver. There his athleticism got
him a spot on the basketball team where he played well enough that
he was invited to play in a summer camp by West Virginia University.
In baseball, he played for
Jim
Karwoski at Penn State-Beaver and promptly led the team in home
runs, runs batted in, and stolen bases. His 4.3 forty yard speed got
him signed by Cincinnati where he played in Class A ball the rest of
the 1981 season. But Rocky also had a desire to play college
football. He walked on to Penn State in 1982 to play for Joe Paterno,
and he went on to letter all three years as a wide receiver and
special teams player. The 1982 team won the National Championship.
In the 1983 season, Rocky suffered a severe knee injury, but came
back strong to start off all 11 games in 1984. Rocky was a
territorial pick of Baltimore in the United States Football League (USFL), but his desire was to
play in the NFL. He had several teams interested in him, but the
devastating knee injury he suffered in 1983 did not allow for him to
pass the various team physicals. Today, his athletic accomplishments
go on, as he is a single digit handicap golfer, and he helps coach
youth sports. Rocky resides in Beaver Falls with his wife Sheree and
their boys, Rocky, Blake, and Brandon. He truly has a unique story,
overcoming tremendous odds in becoming a Hall of Famer.
Ladies
and Gentlemen, we have an anomaly here: Robert “Rocky” Washington
did not play high school athletics. But Rocky Washington is going
into the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame because of his playing
abilities in football, basketball and baseball! What are the chances
of someone not playing sports at all in high school going on to play
major college football
compete in collegiate basketball, and signing a professional
baseball contract? You might find better odds in picking a Powerball
lottery winner. A growth spurt (from 5'-4" to 6'-0") in his late
teens had much to do with his later accomplishments, but speed,
desire, speed, determination and speed had much to do with his
post-scholastic achievements as well. Did we mention that he was
also fast? When Rocky graduated from Beaver Falls High School in
1978, off he went to Penn State-Beaver. There his athleticism got
him a spot on the basketball team where he played well enough that
he was invited to play in a summer camp by West Virginia University.
In baseball, he played for