Funeral has been set for Friday for the man affectionately known as “Hooks” and “The Legend” who powered Farrell High School to a lofty perch on the state’s map of basketball accomplishments.
Julius L. McCoy, 76, of Harrisburg, died peacefully at home surrounded by his family last Friday, the final chapter in a life filled with basketball heroics, civic involvement, and a commitment of being kind and respectful of others.
He was born Feb. 21, 1932, in Cheraw, SC, to the late Rufus and Estelle (Fleming) McCoy. He has been a resident of the Harrisburg area for decades, but the span in both space and time didn’t diminish his popularity in Farrell, where he grew up and attended school.
He led Coach Ed McCluskey and his Steelers to basketball prominence in 1952 when they won their first of seven big-school state championships. In his three years at Farrell, McCoy scored 1,471 points, including a phenomenol 726 as a senior when he led the team to a 29-1 record and a victory over Coatsville for the state crown.
His 1,471 points remain a record in Farrell’s fabled history. Gravelle Craig, who played at Farrell for four years in the 1980s, came closest to breaking the mark with 1,425. In McCoy’s three years as a player for McCluskey, he led the team to a record of 80 wins against a mere 6 losses.
After high school, McCoy had an illustrious college career at Michigan State University. He was the president of the Excalibur Honorary Society of Michigan State in 1955, and was Michigan State Athlete of the Year in 1956 for his excellence in football, basketball and track, where he held many records for decades.
After college, he was drafted for the St. Louis Hawks in the 1956 NBA draft, but ended up being drafted into another league, the U.S. Army, where he served until he was honorably discharged in 1958. During his service career in Germany, he excelled in track and basketball.
From 1958 to 1962, he served as director of physical education for the YMCA in Harrisburg, and from 1962 to 1968, he was a teacher and coach in the Harrisburg School District. He served as director in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Equal Opportunity and from 1983 to 2004, and he served as special assistant to the secretary for PennDOT, from where he retired with 33 years of service.
He was a 12-year veteran in the Eastern Professional Basketball League, toured with the Harlem Globetrotters, and in 1996 was named to the Continental Basketball Association all-time team.
McCoy was a devout member of the Capital Presbyterian Church, where he served as an Elder. He has a long list of community service in the Harrisburg area and has been the recipient of many awards and honors. His memberships included the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Zeta Theta Lambda Chapter; Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Beta Pi Boule; the board of trustees of the Harrisburg Area YMCA; and Halls of Fame in Dauphin and Mercer counties.
In addition, he was a lifetime member of the NAACP and a member of its executive committee. Other memberships included the board of directors for the Harrisburg Boys Club; the executive board of Fellowship of Christian Athletes; the Minority Business Committee of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh; the Tri-County United Way board of directors; and the AAA Central Pa. board of directors and chairman of the board.
McCoy was a member of the Keystone Area Council, Boy Scouts of America and former chairman of National YMCA Health and Physical Education Coordination Council. During his years of service to the community, he received many honors, including 1998 Michigan State Distinguished Alumnus Award and the all-time leading scorer of the Eastern Basketball Association. He was awarded the 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award Minority Business Committee of Pittsburgh, and in 1973-76 member of United States Olympic Basketball Committee.
He was an affectionate husband, father and grandfather and enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Betty J. McCoy, who he met 49 years ago on the basketball court of the YMCA; his daughter, Judith “Judy” McCoy-Jordan; his son, Julius L. McCoy Jr.; and his four grandchildren, Justin and Julian Jordan and Amber and Leo McCoy, all of Harrisburg.
In addition, he is survived by his sisters, Vivian Williams, Sharon, and Jean Sims and her husband, Thomas, Farrell; his brother, James “Jim” McCoy and his wife, Nadine, Pittsburgh. He was preceded in death by his brother, Rufus McCoy.
McCoy and his wife shared a very close relationship with Betty’s sister, Stella House, and her three children, Richard House, Robbin Cox and Leslie Irvis, as they reared their families together. He leaves his wife’s other sisters, Caroline Leach, Doris Williams, Mary Harper and Yvonne Booker and his wife’s brothers, William Miller and Gary Miller, and a host of other family members and friends.
Family members and friends are invited to the viewing on for 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Major H. Winfield Funeral Home, 704 N. Front St., Steelton, Pa. A celebration of his life is scheduled at Capital Presbyterian Church, 1401 Cumberland St., Harrisburg, on Friday. Viewing is scheduled for 10 a.m. with service following at 11 with the Rev. Michael O. Wilson officiating. Burial will follow in Rolling Green Cemetery in Camp Hill.
A local memorial service will be held in Farrell at a later date. It has been scheduled tentatively at the E.J. McCluskey Gymasium, where McCoy and his brother, Jim, carved names for not only themselves, but for the entire Farrell community.
Memorial contributions are requested by his beloved family to be made in his memory to Capital Presbyterian Church, 1401 Cumberland St., Harrisburg, PA 17103.
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Remembering Julius McCoy
Former Farrell High basketball stars remember Julius McCoy:
“I moved to Farrell because of Julius. While growing up in Indiana, Pa. at the age of 12, I became interested in basketball and began reading everything I could find about high school, college and pro basketball. During this time I first read about the Farrell team and the great Julius McCoy. Upon moving to Farrell in 1953, and soon there after beginning my journey as a basketball player under Mr. McCluskey, Julius accomplishments became the model of a player that Mr. McCluskey used. The picture he painted of Julius was a person that I wanted to emulate. Mr. McCluskey did not concentrate on his scoring, rebounding or passing, but his character, work effort, quiet leadership and team player. Julius was bigger than life that I tried to model. Julius was the foundation that the great Farrell teams; he was the greatest player in Farrell's history. Many of us have had successful lives because we followed, early in of lives, the path he established. God bless Julius and his family.” — Col. (Ret.) Donald Jones, Orlando, Fla., former star at Niagara University, who led Farrell to its 1956 state championship with Julius’ brother Jim.
“He was an idol to all of the young kids who someday hoped to wear a Farrell uniform. He was our idol. Everyone wanted to be like Julius McCoy. He got it going. He was the first premier player we had in the McCluskey era. It was really Julius who started it all. More than his fabulous hook shot, I’ll remember Julius not only for what he meant to the school and the basketball program, but for what he meant to the town. Julius was Farrell.” — Frank Sincek, Mercer, former Farrell High coach and a member of the 1959 state championship team.
“This is sad news indeed. Julius was a great man, a true gentleman and an inspirational leader. He is without doubt the player most responsible for the establishment of our high school’s basketball dynasty under coach Eddie McCluskey. He will always be the Steelers’ “Most Valuable Player.” — Jack Marin, Durham, N.C., Farrell High 1962 first-team All-Stater, Duke University All-American, and two-time NBA all-star.
“I’m sure anything that I say would be repetitious. He literally put us on the map, Julius and Coach McCluskey. He got us our first state championship, and everything snowballed from there. All of the kids in the younger grades looked up to him. They wanted to be like Julius. And above all, Julius was always a gentleman, always a family man.” — Dr. James G. Kollar, Hermitage, a member of the 1954 state championship team and star at Marquette University.
“I was really saddened to hear about Jules. When you look back, he was the beginning of that era. He was the guy that everyone looked up to ... we all wanted to be like Julius McCoy. After Julius led Farrell to that first state championship under Coach McCluskey, everybody talked about it, everybody wanted to do it again. Julius set the standard for all of us.” — Dr. Brian Generalovich, who led Farrell to back-to-back state titles in 1959 and 1960 and starred at the University of Pittsburgh.
“Julius used his same level of energy and skills in sports to apply to his job as director of equal opportunity for PennDOT to help many minority contractors receive state contracts for 21 years. He always had time to uplift the youth.” — Wilbert Shannon, Wheatland, life-long friend and teammate.
“Besides being a great athlete, he was a gentleman and an outstanding person. That’s what was important to me. Even after his glory years, he always had time for people, especially the people of Farrell. He was just a super guy. It’s only once in a while that you are fortunate enough to meet a person like Julius McCoy.” — Tony Knott, Hermitage, teammate in 1951 who for many years held the career scoring record at Youngstown State University.
From Herald files: In Ed McCluskey’s first year as head coach in 1948-49, the team posted a 6-16 mark. In 1949-50, McCoy’s sophomore year, the team went 23-2. They were 28-3 in 1950-51, losing the state title game to Allentown. In 1951-52, they were 29-1 and won the state championship, defeating Coatesville. In McCoy’s three years at Farrell, the team was 80-6 and Julius scored 1,471 points, still tops in Farrell history books. He scored 268 as a sophomore, 477 as a junior, and 726 as a senior.
Compiled by Jim Raykie, Herald Editor.
