43
Triplett, boxers highlight sports history exhibit
Ebony Lifeline’s historical display opens at Tyler History Center
YOUNGSTOWN
In opening its doors to about 75 people Friday evening, the Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s Tyler History Center also opened the door to a segment of Youngstown that has a story to tell through sports.
“It’s a good story to tell — how people have succeeded through hard work and discipline — and it has a positive influence in the community,” said Bill Lawson, executive director of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, prior to a public reception to showcase Ebony Lifeline Support Group contributions.
Those in attendance were treated to Ebony hall of fame members’ remarks, followed by an inspection of memorabilia from several sports.
On exhibit in the Youngstown Foundation Community History Gallery were items on loan, including boxing championship belts, bowling apparel, photos, trophies, as well as panels describing or explaining the memorabilia.
It all recognized the accomplishments in various sports disciplines, both on a local level and national stage, especially in football and boxing.
Those with most the notoriety on national and international levels were Bill Triplett (football) and Harry Arroyo, Greg “The Flea” Richardson, Jeff Lampkin and Ken “The Cobra” Sigurani (boxing).
Triplett played in the NFL for 11 years, starting as rookie of the year for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1962.
After his playing career, Triplett moved to Detroit where he worked with GM. Bill transferred here for three years after his father got sick.
“Once I came back, I decided that this area was good enough for me when I was growing up, so I moved back here and reared my kids here,” he said.
Now 75, Bill was the sixth child in a family of 12.
During his talk as a guest speaker before the Ebony group, Bill recalled his youth when, “A dad was a dad and mom was a mom,” but Triplett regrets that’s not the case today.
“My mom never worked out of the house and my dad worked in the steel mill and brought enough in to take care of the kids. We knew that they were strict disciplinarians because they came from the rural South to here. When my dad got a job in the steel mill, he thought, ‘This is a whole lot easier than working those cotton fields in Mississippi.’ ”
Triplett’s father adhered to his own philosophy that when he went to the steel mill, he went to give the best day of work that he could.
“I can appreciate that because, out of that, he was able to rear his entire family,” said Triplett, who played five years with the Cardinals, one with the N.Y. Giants, then a final five with the Detroit Lions.
Not liking the big-city life of New York City, Bill asked to be transferred back to the mdwest (Detroit).
“Of all three, I loved the Detroit Lions because it was my family away from family — those teammates I played with,” he said. “We loved and lived and breathed together. That’s the camaraderie I miss. I really don’t miss the game, but I do miss the fellowship that I had with the brothers.”
Triplett’s NFL highlight was as the Cardinals’ leading rusher in 1962.
“That was my rookie season. They were comparing me with Jim Brown (Cleveland Browns) and Jim Taylor (Green Bay Packers) and all the other noted guys from the various teams. I was that caliber. The talent was there, I was just able to exploit it with that team.”
Richardson, accompanied by his father on Friday, was a five-time champion that included the WBC bantamweight (118 pounds) title and USBA Bantam (125) and Super Bantam crowns. Now 58, Richardson still lives in town.
Sigurani, 42, won the WBF title in 1996 and IBC title in 1997. Against world-class opponents, he suffered a third-round knockout to an outstanding Julio Cesar Chavez in Connecticut and, in a rematch in 1998 with Hector “Macho” Camacho, Sigurani was forced to retire from an impressive career after suffering a detached retina.
The 54-year-old Lampkin, who still works for the Youngstown Water Department, said he tries to attend as many local boxing shows as possible. Of the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao battle, Lampkin said, “He [Mayweather] is a boxer and that’s the name of the game, but, at the same time, I’d like to see him sit down and stop running.”
To Mayweather’s credit, Lampkin finished, “Maybe ‘what you can’t see, you can’t hit’ isn’t so bad.”
The 58-year-old Arroyo was the IBF lightweight champion after beating Charlie “Choo-Choo” Brown in 1984.
“I saw his wife last year and she said that her husband isn’t doing well,” Arroyo said of Brown’s illness.
Arroyo defended his title several times, including a win over Charlie “White Lightning” Brown during a televised bout at the Struthers Fieldhouse. Arroyo then lost his title to Jimmy Paul in Las Vegas.