Sign Dedication Held To Honor 3 Legends Of South Oakland
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Cathedral of Learning is certainly one of the iconic landmarks in and around Oakland, but a few blocks away is a neighborhood in South Oakland, where three people certainly started to make their mark on the world.
Now, a sign honors the legacies of Dan Marino, Bruno Sammartino and Andy Warhol.
"He became a Hall of Famer football player. I made a bit of a mark worldwide with my 25-year career in wrestling and Warhol, of course, we know all about him," Sammartino said.
Within a stone's throw of Swinburne and Dawson came three men -- all famous in their own right. Warhol may have the largest international reputation.
"You know that Andy's roots here, and Dan and Bruno all from the same neighborhood. It's just really hard to believe that a small section of Pittsburgh has such talented talent coming from here," Andy Warhol's nephew, Marty Warhola, said.
Marino starred as a quarterback at Central Catholic, then Pitt and had a Hall of Fame career in the NFL. Yet, he never forgot where home was.
"Bruno went to school with my dad here at St. Regis. They grew up together, went to high school together. I always knew about Bruno. My dad was talking about some of the stories of him and them growing up together," Marino said.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto recognized a central theme during today's sign dedication ceremony.
"All three came from working class backgrounds. All three weren't given anything -- that they built success on their own. It speaks volumes about Pittsburgh," Peduto said.
Sammartino summed it up best.
"I loved Oakland. We really did. It was a lot of nice people. I remember our street, Cato Street. Everybody was so nice, you know. Nothing but great memories," Sammartino said.
Three men of worldwide reputation come from this little neighborhood of South Oakland, but even more remarkable than that, the Sammartinos and Marinos were back-door neighbors.
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