It's been a sad two days as New York City and Syracuse Orangemen Legend Dwayne "Pearl" Washington passed yesterday due to complications with Brain Cancer. The "Pearl" Impact on College Basketball was immense and his impact on the great Big East was even bigger.
When College Basketball in the 80s figured out that T.V. Revenues were the key the Big East was first in and first out as then Big East Commissioner Dave Gavitt got a deal with the then U.S.A. Network to televise Big East Games exclusively and that's when the Big East and College Basketball took off.
As for the "Pearl" he lived in a time when the Big East had powerhouses like St. John's (Johnnies) with Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson, Walter Berry, and Coach Lou Carnesseca. Then there was "Hoya Paranoia the Georgetown Hoyas with the likes of lead man big John Thompson and Patrick Ewing, Michael Graham, Reggie Williams, and a host of others. Villanova had Ed Pinckney as well as a host of others...the "Pearl" though lived up to his billing going three-time All-Big East and he never disappointed.
His #31 hangs in the rafters in the Carrier Dome and current coach now and the coach back then Jim Boeheim knows that impact the "Pearl" had not only at the 'Cuse and the Big East but back home in the Big Apple. Dwayne "Pearl" Washington was just 52 years old when he passed....
When College Basketball in the 80s figured out that T.V. Revenues were the key the Big East was first in and first out as then Big East Commissioner Dave Gavitt got a deal with the then U.S.A. Network to televise Big East Games exclusively and that's when the Big East and College Basketball took off.
As for the "Pearl" he lived in a time when the Big East had powerhouses like St. John's (Johnnies) with Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson, Walter Berry, and Coach Lou Carnesseca. Then there was "Hoya Paranoia the Georgetown Hoyas with the likes of lead man big John Thompson and Patrick Ewing, Michael Graham, Reggie Williams, and a host of others. Villanova had Ed Pinckney as well as a host of others...the "Pearl" though lived up to his billing going three-time All-Big East and he never disappointed.
His #31 hangs in the rafters in the Carrier Dome and current coach now and the coach back then Jim Boeheim knows that impact the "Pearl" had not only at the 'Cuse and the Big East but back home in the Big Apple. Dwayne "Pearl" Washington was just 52 years old when he passed....
R.I.P.
Dwayne "PEARL" Washington
0 comments:
Post a Comment