James “Jim” Garrity, a former Penn State wide receiver and Joe Paterno’s first recruit, died on Sunday after a battle with cancer.
He was 89 years old.
The former Penn State wide receiver detailed his recruitment by Paterno in Ken Rappoport and Barry Wilner’s book “Penn State Football: The Complete Illustrated History.” When legendary head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant led the Kentucky Wildcats, he vied for Garrity to suit up for them. Paterno, serving as an assistant coach to Charles “Rip” Engle, stepped in and convinced Garrity to stay closer to his hometown of Pittsburgh.
Garrity led Penn State in receptions in 1953 with 30 and followed up with the team lead in receptions in 1954 (11). He was named the co-captain in both seasons.
“The captains in that era were elected by the players and they had to be strong leaders,” Penn State football historian Lou Prato said. “The other co-captain in 1954, Don Balthaser, injured his leg before the first game and junior Frank Reich replaced him at center. Yes, the same Frank Reich whose son is now the head coach of the former Baltimore Colts, the now Indianapolis Colts.”
After Penn State, he was recruited to play in the NFL but chose to marry Gail Smith, his wife of 37 years, according to his obituary.
They lived in Wexford, where Garrity stayed heavily involved in his children’s lives as a member of the North Allegheny School Board.
His son, Gregg Garrity Sr., recalls his childhood with his father and mother trekking to his three sisters’ cheerleading events, along with he and his brother’s other sporting events. He also fondly looks back on the support that both of his parents gave each member of his family.
“Having him on the school board for a lot of years was a double-edged sword because if you did get in trouble, they knew about it before you got home,” he said. “(My parents) just let us be ourselves and they never pushed us into playing anything that we didn’t want to. The decision was always up to us. We were very fortunate that they just let us be ourselves.”
He and his own son, Gregg Garrity Jr., both followed in Jim’s footsteps as Penn State wide receivers.
Garrity Sr. believed that his chances of going to Penn State were “10-15%” prior to his visit. At 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, he didn’t think that he was big enough to play for the Nittany Lions. With his father and Paterno being good friends, Garrity Sr. toured the football facilities and eventually ended up in the weight room, where he saw former Penn State linebackers Bruce Clark and Matt Millen. With their size, Garrity Sr. was unsure of the prospect of playing for the Nittany Lions. But a talk with Paterno and his father ended positively.
“I just remember looking at my dad and he looks down at me and I said, ‘Really? Are you kidding me,’” Garrity remembered. “’We kept going around and Joe said, ‘We don’t have any scholarships left, but if you show me and the coaches that you can play, we’ll give you a scholarship.’ If my dad wasn’t there and knowing Joe the way that he did, I would’ve never believed it. My dad said when we were on the way home, ‘If that’s what Joe said, that’s what he means.’”
Garrity Sr. ended up making a game-winning 47-yard catch for Penn State to win its first ever national championship on Jan. 1, 1983 over Georgia.
Gregg Garrity Jr. played for the Nittany Lions from 2013-2016, looking up to the two earlier generations of his family that played for the team.
Jim Garrity is survived by life partner of 30 years Julie Allen, along with five children and one stepson. He never lost his love of all things Penn State.
A celebration of Jim Garrity’s life will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 22, at the Walnut Grill in Wexford, where attendees are asked to wear — what else? — blue and white.
