There are plenty of highlights for the Manning family to look back on together.
Mike Manning Sr. was an assistant coach with Bradford basketball for 15 years, while Mike Jr. was an accomplished player for the Owls and a baseball standout who played at St. Bonaventure and spent some time in the Cleveland Indians organization.
In addition, Shawn Manning, the younger brother to Mike Jr., spent time as a baseball coach at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and enjoyed his own successes as an athlete.
But perhaps no accomplishment stands above what Bradford did in the 1994-1995 basketball season — one the Mannings enjoyed as a father-son duo.
“It was a really special year for all of us involved,” Manning Jr. said. “And then, to be able to share it with my dad is something we still talk about occasionally. We had an opportunity to share that experience together, so it’s a part of our lives and special to us. I’m really happy I could share that with him.”
For his part, the younger Manning played a major role for the Owls. A senior at the time and a team captain, he was the third-leading scorer with 12.1 points per game, and also finished with 161 rebounds, the second most on the team.
Manning Sr., meanwhile, was described by his son as a defensive mind who helped formulate the potent pressure defense the Owls employed during that magical season. As a team, Bradord racked up 358 steals during the 1994-1995 regular season, an average of nearly 15 per game.
Combining his talents with head coach Dave Fuhrman, who designed the team’s offensive sets, was “the perfect storm,” according to Manning Jr.
“My dad and Coach Fuhrman made a really good team together. As talented as we (the players) were, and as much time as we spent together up until our high school seasons and careers, once we got involved with Coach Fuhrman and Dad it was like the perfect recipe,” Manning Jr. said. “Coach Fuhrman was an offensive genius, and the playbook and every little detail of the offense were just drilled into us. My dad was the defensive genius, so with those two and the personnel to back it up, it just caught fire and it was like the perfect storm.”
Playing for his father was nothing new to Manning Jr., who detailed being coached by Manning Sr. from youth basketball and Little League baseball and then again during his high school career.
“I’ve never given it much thought to tell the truth. The reason is, I knew him as a father at home, but I’ve also always known him as a coach,” Manning Jr. said. “That’s just what he is.”
But the coaching was kept to the court and field, and that’s perhaps what made it work, says Manning Jr.
“He wasn’t one of the guys that on the car ride home, he re-lived the whole game or anything. He wouldn’t take it home or be upset,” Manning Jr. said. “Once we got home, I had younger brothers and we had other stuff to do besides worry about games. He kept it all in a really good perspective, so it was never a challenge or chore for me to have him as a coach. It was actually the opposite; I loved it.”
The coach also speaks of fond memories from both that season and from his time at BAHS as a whole.
“I coached for Dave for 15 years. It was a great time and great to be with him. It was a good run we had,” Manning Sr. said. “We were blessed with some really good and talented kids — kids that really wanted to invest in the program and work hard. It made our lives easier as coaches.
“That’s not to say we didn’t work hard (as coaches), but the kids we had that came through the program were not only good players, but good people and very coachable. They just bought into the program… You can take it down to the BYL, too. Those kids were all products of that, and it played a big role into our success.”
And sharing that magical 1994-1995 season with his son was just the cherry on top for the coach.
“With my oldest son, for him to play such a big role, not only in his abilities but in his leadership qualities, is just really gratifying as you look back,” the coach said. “It’s hard to believe it was 25 years ago. It was just exciting, gratifying and thrilling. It was everything you could ask for as a coach and as a father.”
