Local sports hero Buddy Harris leaves his legacy
When I was a young sports fanatic growing up in the 60s in Roxborough, I had my share of favorite athletes to root for: Dick Allen, Wilt Chamberlain, Tim Brown, Danny Cater (huh?), yes, Danny Cater. But the one that intrigued me the most was someone going to a school in my own backyard.
Of course, it was East Falls’ own Walter “Buddy” Harris, whose athletic exploits at Roxborough High had reached Himalayan proportions by the time his colossal feats began filtering down to me. I remember hearing tales of his astonishing accomplishments from my brother Steve, who was attending RHS at the time.
You can imagine me lapping up one enthralling story after another of this Paul Bunyan size stud, mowing batters down with his blazing fast ball and going toeto-toe in the paint with the best basketball players in the Public League.
Next thing you know, I’m reading about Buddy in the papers, starring on the basketball court at Textile for his renowned father, Bucky, and then another story about him striking out 22 batters for Textile the following Spring.
Fast forward a few more years and there he is pitching on TV for the Houston Astros against the likes of Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and other future Hall-of-Famers. Are you kidding me…someone from our neck of the woods pitching in the big leagues? Now wait a minute…did he just beat my beloved Phils in relief (oh well, I guess if it’s Buddy Harris, I can live with that)!
Leap frogging a few more years, and there he is behind the counter at Cannon’s Cold Cuts just down the street, swapping sports stories and trivia with customers, with me still in sports hero-worshiping mode. OMG, this was too good to be true!
Of course, these are all episodic memories from a child’s point of view without any context or the true story behind the day-to-day life of this remarkable, largerthan-life human being.
It wasn’t until Buddy’s recent passing at age 73, that I got a chance to piece together a clearer picture of the man, with not just his triumphs, but his struggles, and coming away with an even deeper appreciation of the full scope of his life, while still keeping my childhood fascination and admiration intact.
Time travel roughly 50 years and there I am sitting down with his widow, Cathy, a few days after his touching final services at East Falls Presbyterian Church. Sitting inside their quaint cottage off Manayunk Avenue, we’re paging through photo albums and scrapbooks. Each clipping or photo triggers off a flashback memory of the extraordinary life that Harris was fortunate to lead.
There he is as a young boy where he had somewhat of a charmed life living on the campus of what was Phila. College of Textiles and Science (now Jefferson University) in a picturesque house smack-dab in the middle of the tree-filled School House Lane campus.
He grew up having total access to the gymnasium where his dad, Bucky, had put “Textile” on the basketball map with a long and distinguished coaching career. As the team mascot, Buddy had a ringside seat as his father led the Rams to their first NCAA tournament bid in ‘57-’58.
He would spend hours shooting hoops in the old Althouse Hall where the Rams played their home games, perfecting the skills that would soon set him apart from his peers. Having the “keys to the gym” no doubt made Buddy popular with his friends who often tagged along with him as one of the perks of being the coach’s son.
He had a happy and productive childhood living with his mom (Lorraine) and dad along with sibs Billy and Marianne. While playing in the East Falls leagues at McDevitt Playground, Harris soon exhibited the athletic talent that would one day carry him to the major leagues.
Mifflin School classmate and lifelong friend Dave Budenz remembers Harris standing out from the other athletes at a young age. He recalls that “Bud was very strong and as a pitcher and threw harder than any of his peers. After a 7th grade growth spurt, “he was already developing into a basketball prodigy.”
Many of Buddy’s early coaches recognized his raw potential at an early age. Although his dad, Bucky, was the primary driving force in cultivating this young talent, several other East Falls AA coaches were instrumental in guiding his progress, including Bob Senski and Tom Greevey.
Flash ahead and Harris is a two-sport phenom at Roxborough High, earning the coveted Markward Award as the outstanding player in Public League basketball and dazzling hitters on the mound with overpowering heat. At the time his 34 ppg. average trailed only Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Cannon in Pub history. The stories of his pitching prowess for the Indians had reached mythological proportions. Not surprisingly, the prospect was recruited prospect by over 100 colleges coming out of high school as well as being drafted by the Atlanta Braves.
Despite all the hoopla about which door to take, Harris eventually decided to stay on the Textile campus. The now 6’7 Harris would be donning a Rams jersey and taking orders from his dad on the court. Harris had a solid freshman season utilizing the court savvy that he had worked so hard to develop over the years. His first year on the diamond at Textile was reminiscent of his high school glory, mowing down hitters left and right with aspirin tablet velocity.
However, after his impressive freshman season, Harris decided to see if the grass was greener on the other side of the fence, opting to transfer to the pastel colors at the University of Miami. While sitting out his sophomore year because of NCAA transfer rules, Harris got picked in the 1st round (#15) in the ‘68 MLB draft by the Houston Astros.
Harris had 3 phenomenal seasons in the Astros farm system before finally getting a September call-up in 1970. His first major league outing was memorable for no other reason than surrendering a 2-run homer to the third batter he faced, none other than the Giants future Hall-of-Famer Willie Mays. Nonetheless, getting a stat line in a major league box score would land his name in the Baseball Almanac for perpetuity. He had made it to “the show.”
Harris had considerably more success in his 2nd stint with the big club in 1971, nailing down a couple of key saves and earning an ironic “W” against the team he rooted for as a kid…yes, the Phillies. Unfortunately, that would be his only bigleague win as Harris soon after developed arm issues that would eventually derail his baseball career.
Harris had only moderate success for the Oklahoma City Astros and Tidewater Mets over the next two seasons before he officially retired from Major League Baseball following the “73 minor league season. He would have one more go round, trying a comeback pitching in the Mexican professional league in 1974 for the Mexico City Tigers before hanging it up for good.
Life after professional sports can be a tough adjustment for athletes trying to fit back into the work world. Harris took a step in the right direction going back to Textile to finish his B.S. in Business Administration. He wisely invested in the Apollo Parking Corp. in Palm Beach, Florida, while taking on the position of Executive V.P.
Further down the road a bit, Harris met someone who would have a profound effect over the rest of his life. Harris would be introduced to Cathy Capone by a mutual friend that Harris had befriended while working as a substitute teacher in the Philadelphia School District in the mid 70’s.
She had come to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania to work as a registered nurse after getting a nursing degree from Niagara County Community College, where she grew up.
Harris was immediately smitten with Cathy, but according to her, the reverse was not so true at the outset. But, over time, Harris persisted and eventually won her heart. What won her over was not his pedigree athletic career, which she cared little about, but rather his intelligence, humor, and his genuine caring for everyone that had touched his life.
They were married during the summer of ‘78 in an idyllic setting in her hometown of Niagara Falls, before temporarily moving to Florida, where Harris was employed at the time. A year later, Mr. and Mrs. Harris moved to Roxborough after Harris had purchased Cannon’s Cold Cuts & Deli on Manayunk Avenue.
Cathy would work side by side with him while continuing to pursue further educational development. Down the road, she would earn a management degree from Penn’s prestigious Wharton School, a degree as a nurse educator (MSN) from Thomas Edison University, and an MBA from Arcadia University. All this while raising three kids.
Harris loved every minute of his years running the deli. He would take the time to engage the customers with his astute knowledge of history and all things sports related. He was truly in his element.
Buddy and Cathy soon realized that they needed more space to raise their blossoming family. They relocated to East Norriton and gave their 3 children Ashley, Bradley and Jonathan the best of a suburban upbringing. (Harris also had two children, Walter ”Buddy” III and Brent from a previous marriage).
Buddy relished his years as a doting father, carpooling his youngsters and never failing to show up for his kid’s games and school functions as they grew up. Like his parents before him, he made his children his number one priority, generously offering his time and gentle guidance at the drop of a hat.
As the Harrises became empty nesters and with Buddy’s health beginning to decline, they decided that they needed to downsize. And what better place to go than back to the old cottage on Manayunk Avenue where it all started.
Buddy would live out his final years there before finally succumbing to a host of health ailments with Cathy being his caregiver and #1 advocate in dealing with the medical world. Buddy continued to entertain friends until he very end, engaging and charismatic as ever.
Harris has received numerous accolades and Hallof-Fame inductions (including the Pa. Sports HOF, Roxborough High HOF, Textile HOF) during his illustrious career. He even had a congratulatory hand shake from President Richard Nixon for Harris’ contribution to his initiative to fight drug abuse. But thing that Harris probably treasured most throughout his life was being able to stay in touch with old friends and teammates, swapping old stories and staying abreast in each other’s lives.
Retired sportswriter and lifelong friend from their American Legion days playing for Wolpert Post, Ray Parillo, remembered Harris as not only a dynamic athlete but one of the kindest and most well-grounded individuals to ever cross his path. Parillo was one of several friends he had from the neighborhood known as the “Bowman Boys” (from the East Falls street of the same name). As with many of his chums growing up, they stayed in contact throughout his life. Parillo affectionately called Harris a “teddy bear of a man.” Indeed he was!