Pittsburgh Youth Olympiad photographs

About the Pittsburgh Youth Olympiad.

The 1968 Pittsburgh Youth Olympiad was a city-wide sporting event hosted by Pittsburgh's Department of Parks and Recreation as part of their summer program for that year. The event took place over the entire summer, from June 24th to August 9th. It offered the opportunity for the city's youth, boys and girls ages nine to 17, to take part in a series of classes and clinics in baseball, basketball, swimming, track and field events, and bowling all around the city. The Olympiad also offered competitive events within each sport, giving kids the chance to compete with other children from all over the city. More than 90 Pittsburgh organizations had given their approval and support for the event, contributing financially and in other ways. The Olympiad was officially sponsored by the Pittsburgh Jaycees and the Quaker state Coca-Cola Bottling Company. The event also drew much attention from professional sports teams located within the city. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Steelers, Penguins, and Pipers (Pittsburgh's American Basketball Association team at the time) all offered their services and personnel for the event. Many local professional athletes hosted their own clinics within the event, taking the time to instruct these kids and help improve their game. Athletes included Maury Wills, professional baseball player and former Pirates third baseman, who acted as head instructor at 12 different clinics across the city, and Connie Hawkins, basketball legend and player for the Pipers, who headed all the basketball clinics. Ed Flemming, a professional basketball player from Pittsburgh, graduate and former player of Westinghouse High School, and the coach of the Wilkinsburg High School’s basketball team from 1972 to 1992, was also in attendance. Four-time Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens attended the Youth Olympiad track and field finals as an honored guest at the Pitt Stadium on July 27th. Pittsburgh sent 25 girls and 25 boys for track and field, 10 boys for basketball, and six boys and six girls for bowling all to St. Louis to compete and represent the city in the National Youth games from August 22nd to the 25th. Winners of the Youth Olympiad track and field competitions were also invited to compete in the Jesse Owens Olympic Development Track Meet in Baltimore, Maryland on August 2nd. Finally, Pittsburgh sent 15 boys to represent the city in the Personna Grand Slam Baseball competition at Yankee Stadium in New York City that August.