User:Columbia1974

Thaw "Coach Tee" Washington
, born 1923 in Pittsburgh, started coaching girls basketball in 1971. His teams immediately finished at the top as champions of local leagues. Boys asked him to coach them, with similar results. The majority of the Fifth Avenue High 1976 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association champion boys team members had previously, as junior varsity age (12-15 olds) youth at The House of Culture had been coached by Thaw Washington and George "Dew" Brown. Coach Tee later founded the Hill Ministries sponsored Pittsburgh Sprinters Junior Olympic Track team. Many of the team members resided in Pittsburgh Housing Authority or "projects" neighborhood. Washington consistently over more than two decades, motivated the youth to come to practice, work hard and qualify to advance through the USA Track and Field Junior Olympic program. Frequently, Sprinters had never before been outside Pittsburgh, or stayed in a hotel. Coach Tee's track and midget football teams qualified for championship matches outside of Pennsylvania.