Harrison remembered as player, person
Edward A. “Buzzy” Harrison, 62, is being remembered as a great basketball player and a better person.
Harrison died Sunday of natural causes at his home.
He was a forward on Laurel Highlands’ 1968 PIAA Class AAA championship team that was inducted into the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame in June.
“When you were Buzzy’s friend in fourth grade, you were his friend forever,” said Joe Gentilcore. “We had a group of maybe 20 good, close friends who did everything together.
“My primary contact with him was through basketball, but I was a close friend with him, too.”
Basketball was how Harrison made a name for himself. He started for the Mustangs in their state title season as a junior and later played at Pitt for a season before transferring to the University of Science and Art in Chickasha, Okla.
“He became a role player on that LH team,” Gentilcore said. “That was his niche. He was a steady, fundamentally sound player who could take charge of a game if needed.
“Buzzy was always good for 10-12 points a game, but if the team needed him to score 20, he could do it. If someone else was in foul trouble, he stepped up. He always kept them in the game as a role player. He was very careful with the ball, too. I don’t remember him turning it over very much.”
Those sentiments were echoed by teammates Wil Robinson, who became an All-American and Hall of Famer at West Virginia, and Jim Hobgood, who went on to star at the University of Virginia.
Those two were the stars of the state championship team, while Harrison was the role player. In fact, Harrison scored only four points in the championship game against Cheltenham, primarily because he was busy guarding Cheltenham star Craig Littlepage.
“I remember all of Craig Littlepage’s sweat that I tasted,” Harrison said. “That’s basically what I remember about that game because I stuck with him. I was supposed to play him and not foul out.”
Harrison’s play for the Mustangs had an impact on future generations of Mustangs, as well.
Former LH star Gus Gerard posted the following on his Facebook page:
“Buzzy was a great friend and one of many who helped me take my b-ball game to a whole new level. He was a great player at L.H. and at Pitt. Everyone loved Ed “Buzzy Harrison” RIP My brother. Prayers for the family to find peace and comfort.”
Gerard went on to star at the University of Virginia and played in the ABA and NBA.
Harrison played at Pitt in the 1970-71 season and scored 25 points in an upset over Duquesne in the Steel Bowl semifinals. He scored 11 points in the Steel Bowl championship against UCLA.
“As a sports figure, he knew most of the people from Uniontown and Laurel Highlands,” Gentilcore said. “He was a Uniontown guy who lived in South Union. Buzzy was able to make those around him play better. He was always upbeat.”
Harrison is the third member of Laurel Highlands’ state championship team to have died, joining Wayne Woods and Jim Rambo.
He is survived by twin brothers, Gary “Gay Gay” and Harry “Tiny” Harrison, and two children, Eric and Ebony.
“Buzzy also was quite a philosopher,” Gentilcore said. “He had a view on everything. He and Gay Gay could go on for hours and I’d be in the middle of it.”