94WIP's Glen Macnow Inducted Into Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall Of Fame
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — To generations now, he's been that calm, steadying avuncular presence that has come through our car radio grill. He's been the voice of reason and optimism amid the typical chaos that goes along with another faltering Philadelphia team. A trusted staple, he's had an innate ability to reach into the minds of fans in this town and know what they were thinking. In 30 years in this market, he may have questioned his own wisdom from time to time, but rarely did anyone else.
Tonight, 94WIP's Glen Macnow, one of the truly good guys in Philadelphia's hardscrabble sports media community, will be honored by the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, as part of its 19th induction class, joining Lexie Gerson, the late Phil Glassman, Amy Gross, Art Jacoby, Ira Meyers, Michael Tabas and Moe Tener. The class of eight will be inducted at the Gershman Y (401 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19147), beginning at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception.
"It's very nice to be recognized for spending 30 years in this town," Macnow said. "I find honors and awards to be very flattering, mostly because when I look at the names in this hall of fame, I see Stan Hochman, and I see Phil Jasner, and I see Merrill Reese. I think I was just lucky to even meet those guys and share a press box with them. To be put in the same hall of fame as them is very, very humbling. To be frank, I don't think I'm worthy of that.
"I always thought of myself as one of the fans. It is a weird thing when you go from being one of the guys to someone generational. I don't know exactly when and where that transition happened. I could say it's when my hair fell out, but my hair fell out before that. I'm not really any different than I was when I first arrived here (to Philadelphia) and started at WIP. Being an elder voice of authority is still something very strange for me."
Yet Macnow is.
A Havertown resident, Macnow, whose two sons are doctors, began at the Philadelphia Inquirer in November 1986, after working for the Detroit Free Press. He was the creator "The Great Sports Debate," which was shown on PRISM, and in December 1993 made the jump from print media to radio, which is how most local sports fans identify with him today.
"The best part of this (induction) is that my dad, Marvin, gets to be there," said Macnow, who grew up in Buffalo and graduated from Boston University, where he met fellow WIP stalwart Al Morganti. "My dad is 85 years old and he's the one who fostered my interest in sports. He passed the show-off gene to me. He still corrects my grammar and to do something like this in front of your hero makes this very special for me. Dad was an advertising executive, was in community theater, and believe it or not, he used to get paid to do stand-up comedy in Buffalo.
"I also wouldn't be here without my wife, Judy. Long before there was GPS, she was my guide and remains so. She kept me from doing a lot of foolish things and made everything work. This is going to be special night and I'm looking forward to it. I just hope I hold up and don't get too emotional."
The calming voice for generations of Philadelphia sports fans will crack tonight. Count on it.
For tickets, which are $136, please contact Debbie Weiss at: 215-900-7999 or info@phillyjewishsports.org.
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PHILADELPHIA JEWISH SPORTS HALL OF FAME'S 19TH ANNUAL INDUCTION CEREMONY INFO
The Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Adolph and Rose Levis Museum (PJSHOF) is celebrating its 19th anniversary by honoring eight new individuals at a cocktail reception and induction ceremony to be held on Thursday, May 26, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. at the
Gershman Y (401 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19147). The 2016 inductees include Lexie Gerson*, the late Phil Glassman*, Amy Gross*, Art Jacoby*, Glen Macnow*, Ira Meyers*, Michael Tabas* and Moe Tener.
Inductees and Pillar of Achievement Honorees from 1997-2015 will be recognized along with the 2015 JCC Maccabiah Games® Team Philadelphia graduating athletes. Sponsorships are available through April 15. Tickets may be purchased by May 10 for $136 via credit card by calling (215) 900-7999, emailing to info@phillyjewishsports.org, or by mailing checks to the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, 401 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19147. Al Shrier is serving as ceremony chairman; Jay Goldberg, nominating committee chair; Harriet Beloff Goodwin; décor chair; and Louis Schmidt, publication chair. Stephen H. Frishberg is chair of the board and Deborah P. Weiss is the director. The media sponsor for this event is the Jewish Exponent.
The inductees into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame represent the best of the best, those individuals who, through perseverance, dedication, superior talent and skills, have risen to the top of their respective sports. Their names and achievements are celebrated within the walls of the museum. Each PJSHOF inductee has been involved in sports as an athlete, coach, manager, administrator, team owner, agent, and referee or as a member of the media. They must have at least one Jewish parent and have lived within, or competed within the Greater Philadelphia area. They have joined a special group of approximately 160 past honorees. This year's unique and eclectic class includes a popular sports media jack of all trades, boxing manager, runner, and golfer.
Lexie Gerson of Jenkintown attended high school at the Peddie School where she started on the nationally ranked girls' basketball team for four years. She garnered national attention and accepted a full scholarship to play basketball at University of Virginia. She made the ACC All-Defensive Team her junior and senior years at UVA, leading the ACC in steals both years. She won the Thomas J. Ryan Scholarship twice. The scholarship is presented to a hard-working player committed to success; a team player who shuns the spotlight in favor of her teammates; a player who believes in family values and shares those values with her team. She was also named to the ACC All-Academic Team her senior year. While at UVA she received her Bachelor's degree and a Master's in education. She performed considerable community service throughout her college career. She was named to the 2008 and 2012 USA Maccabiah Open women's basketball team and was the only high school player chosen in 2008. After college Gerson has played professionally in Israel and just finished her second season last March.
The late boxing manager Phil Glassman succeeded in the first half of the 20th century, most notably with two of the greatest fighters ever to come out of Philadelphia -- lightweight contender Lew Tendler and world featherweight and junior lightweight champion Benny Bass, each a member not only of the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame but also of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, NY. Tendler, five years younger, grew up in the newspaper business with Glassman and began pushing him to get him a pro fight. Tendler won his professional boxing debut by decision to begin a career which lasted until 1928, covering 171 fights and two challenges for the world lightweight title, and one for the welterweight title. Bass won the featherweight title in 1927 and the junior lightweight title in 1929. "Phil was the greatest manager in the business," Tendler once said. He owned a half interest in the Arena at 46th & Market Streets and he began promoting fights as a rival to Herman Taylor, also a member of the PJSHOF. One of his last promotions was a 1950 middleweight fight between Sugar Ray Robinson and Robert Villemain, of France. In his retirement, he helped his brother Oscar at Glassman's Ticket Agency in center city. He passed away in1989.
Amy Gross started competing at the age of nine and won the Junior Squash National and International Championships before the age of 12. She was the top player all four years for the Harriton-Lower Merion Varsity Squash team. Started by her mother, Susan Gross, in 1997, the HLM varsity squash team was the first public school varsity squash program in the country and has been recognized by U.S. Squash as a major influence on the increasing popularity of squash as a sport in high schools all across the nation. Amy Gross had a decorated Junior Squash career. In 1999, she helped the U.S. team win the Gold Medal at the Pan-American games. While at Yale, she was a four-time first team All-Ivy and All-American and a leading player on the only women's varsity squash team to win three consecutive national championships. She helped Yale win their third consecutive national championship title in 2006 and represented the U.S. at the 17th Maccabiah Games in Israel in 2005. She won the gold medal in the Women's Open squash competition. She has over 15 years of coaching experience and was the varsity squash assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania for three seasons. She currently lives in center city Philadelphia and works as a Peak Performance coach and therapist, helping student-athletes in all sports improve areas that are critical for successful performance.
Art Jacoby of Wyncote was introduced to the game of golf by his father when he was 10 years old. He won the Meadowlands Club Championship six times and The Philmont Club Championship once. He played for the Cheltenham High School golf team which was undefeated in 1965. He was named captain and won the prestigious Holden Award for golf. Next, he played for the University of Miami golf team and won the University of Miami golf championship in 1968. He transferred to Temple University for his senior year, where he was co-captain of the golf team. Better-ball and team championships include The North-South Invitational at Philmont Country Club, The Philadelphia Senior Four Man Team Championship, and The Senior Bud Lewis Invitational. The highlight of his competitive career came in 1975, when he won The Philadelphia Amateur, defeating Jay Sigel in the semi-finals.
Glen Macnow of Havertown has been an influential voice in Philadelphia sports, through newspapers, talk radio, television and books for three decades. As a fixture on WIP radio, a hard-nosed reporter and author of regional best-sellers, he has been an integral observer of this city's unique sports scene. He also hosts the Philadelphia Eagles official radio pre-game show, and has been a commentator on Phillies and Flyers' broadcasts. He grew up in Buffalo, NY and was hired by the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1986 to launch a beat covering sports business. He was the first to uncover documents showing that some NFL owners accrued far higher profits than they had claimed to fans. He conceived the idea for a no-holds-barred TV show in which Philadelphia sportswriters would argue topical issues. "The Great Sports Debate" ran on PRISM and later on Comcast SportsNet for 10 years total. In December 1993, he joined several of his old Inquirer colleagues at 610 WIP (now 94 WIP), helping to build one of America's top sports radio stations. Currently, his weekend morning shows with Ray Didinger are among the most popular at the station. His approach to sports talk is never to berate callers or listeners with strident opinions. Rather, he seeks to discuss, listen and entertain. He has written five books for adults and 15 for children. "The Great Philadelphia Fan Book," co-authored by Anthony Gargano, spent several weeks on the USA Today best sellers list despite its limited geographic appeal.
Dr. Ira Meyers of Warrington started running competitively in 1974. While at John F. Kennedy High School in New York, he led his team to a state championship in cross country. He was a two- time All-State in cross country. While attending college at William and Mary, he attained All-East honors. He also set the school record in the 10,000 meter run. As a junior, he competed in The Maccabiah Games. He ran in the 10,000 meter run and won a team gold medal in the half marathon. He then attended The Pennsylvania College of Podiatric Medicine (now Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine). While there, he won the Brooklyn Half Marathon twice, the Queens Half Marathon and the Long Island Marathon. In 1986, his senior year, he won the Philadelphia Independence Marathon. He started his podiatry career in 1988. His running background attracted a multitude of runners. He has worked with several collegiate All-Americans, including several NCAA champions, and both a silver and bronze Olympic marathon medalist. In 1989, he co-founded The Briarwood Running Camp with fellow PJSHOF member, Fred Rosenfeld. The camp, now in its 27th year, helps to motivate and educate high school runners about cross country running.
Michael Tabas of Dresher got the water ski bug at a very young age. He joined Flat Rock Ski Club on the Schuylkill River, and every summer weekend, his family and friends water skied together. The club maintained a slalom course and jump ramp on the river, and soon he entered his first tournament. A Philadelphia native, he graduated from Cheltenham High School, the University of Pennsylvania, and Temple University School of Law. He is the founder of Lawyers' Video Service, Inc., an audio-visual deposition and documentary production company for the legal profession. In 2010, he began documenting the annual induction ceremonies for the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame for its museum archives. His specialty is overall water skiing in which he competes in all three traditional events: slalom, tricks and jumping. He has won many individual awards, but his proudest moments have been winning as an overall water skier. He has won first place overall at the Pennsylvania and Delaware State Championships three times and first place overall three times at the Eastern Regional Championships. He is nationally ranked, and has qualified for, and competed in, five National Championships. He recently achieved his lifelong goal by earning an overall medal at the 2013 USA Water Ski National Championships in Florida.
Dr. Morton "Moe" Tener of Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania was a first team All-Public basketball player in 1949 for John Bartram High School. Anyone who played against him would describe him as tough, tenacious and a natural, aggressive scorer. A newspaper article reported that "despite the fact that he stands only six feet tall…he was an outstanding rebounder. Moe Tener is one of those rare individuals who combines scholastic ability with sports talent." He excelled in academics and won full paid scholarships to three colleges. He chose Rider College to continue his studies and to play ball. He was on the varsity team from 1950-1953 where he was high scorer his junior and senior years and team captain and MVP his senior year. Following his honorable discharge from the Army in 1955, he began a teaching career in New Jersey, coaching basketball at several stops. Along the way, he has authored 25 articles dealing with coaching and sports administration.
The mission of the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame is to provide the community with tangible and lasting evidence of the past, present and future of Jewish sportsmen and sportswomen in the Greater Philadelphia area and to instill community pride in Jewish accomplishments in the field of sports and the role sports has played in preserving Jewish culture. The hall and museum reflect the obstacles Jews had to overcome in order to excel in sporting endeavors locally, nationally and internationally; portray the instrumental role sports has played in Jewish life; and provide continuity to future generations of Jewish athletes. The PJSHOF is open Sunday through Friday and provides tours by request. Please call 215-900-7999, write info@phillyjewishsports.org or visit www.phillyjewishsports.org or https://www.facebook.com/PhiladelphiaJewishSportsHallofFame to learn more.
