Meet Pittsburgh's Premier Sports Historian

PITTSBURGH, PA — David Finoli didn't plan to become the most prolific chronicler of Pittsburgh sports history in, well, Pittsburgh history. But the ideas wouldn't stop coming.

After graduating from Duquesne University with a journalism degree in the early 1980s, Finoli's career path led him to retail management success. The self-confessed sports fanatic, however, needed a creative outlet and eventually found one that would take up nearly every moment of his spare time.

"I had always wanted to write books, and I love the history of Pittsburgh sports," he said. "I kept coming up with ideas, pitching them to my wife. When I was 40, she said it was time to actually write one and send something off to a publisher."

So he did.

Finoli's first book, "For the Good of the Country: World War II Baseball in the Major and Minor Leagues" was published in 2001. Since then, he has authored or co-authored dozens of books on Pittsburgh sports.

"Number 36 should be out in October or November," Finoli, 61, of Monroeville told Patch.

Among the books he has written or co-written:

• "Classic Steelers: The 50 Greatest Games in Pittsburgh Steelers History."

• "When The Bucs Won It All: The 1979 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates."

• "Breaking Barriers: The Chuck Cooper Story," which told the tale of the Pittsburgh man who was the first black player to be drafted in the NBA.

• "1976 National Champion Pitt Panthers: "The Miracle On Cardiac Hill."

• "Kings On The Bluff: Duquesne University's 1955 National Championship Team."

• "Where Pittsburgh Played: Oakland's Historic Sports Venues."

Finoli also co-authored a book on the city's historic run of championship in the 1970s that included a chapter on the Immaculate Reception. Widely regarded as the best play in NFL history, Franco Harris' catch and touchdown run gave the Steelers a playoff victory over the Oakland Raiders.

"I was at the game," Finoli recalled. "But we were losing, the game was almost over, and my father hated traffic and said 'Let's get out of here.' So we're there at Gate C, about to walk over the (Fort Duquesne) bridge and we heard this incredible roar. I thought maybe Roy Gerela had
kicked a field goal or something."

Was Finoli upset that he missed witnessing the historic play?

"I was 10 at the time, so I was just excited that we had won. I think I would have been more irritated had I been older," he said. "But until the day he died in 2016, we all had fun with my dad over it."

Finoli has written most of the books on his own. But has collaborated on some with the likes of KDKA-TV sportscaster Josh Taylor; Paul Alexander, a longtime Pittsburgh sportscaster currently working at 93.7 The Fan; Sean Gibson, the great-grandson of Negro leagues star and baseball Hall-of Fame-member Josh Gibson; Chuck Cooper III, the son of Chuck Cooper; Tom Rooney, a longtime Pittsburgh-area venue operator and promoter; and Chris Fletcher, the former publisher of Pittsburgh magazine.

Some of those people likely will be involved in Finoli's next project: a series of smaller books under the banner "Lost Legends of Pittsburgh." It will focus on teams and people such as Sam Parks, the golf pro at several Pittsburgh clubs who won the U.S. Open at Oakmont in 1935 - the only major tournament he ever won.

Between juggling his professional career and his prolific writing activities, the question arises: When does Finoli sleep?

"Oh, I get my best ideas in the middle of the night ," he said. "Last night, it was 2:30 in the morning and I was wide awake. Kohl's is what I do for a living and the kids are out of the house.

"This is kind of my way to have fun."