column: records being broken doesn't denigrate local legends, it renews interest in them

Allderdice's Bailey White goes up for a layup during the City League championship game last Sunday at Brashear High School. White scored 32 points and was named MVP for the third consecutive season. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges

Former Allderdice girls basketball coach Janet Davis feels that the legacies of Mary Myers and Edna Campbell have been done a disservice. Davis, who led the Dragons' program for more than 30 years and won 445 games, emailed this week because she said some of the alumni wanted her to reach out and set the record straight.

Current Dragons senior guard Bailey White set the school's all-time scoring record earlier this season, breaking the mark set by Myers, and the record for points in a game, which was set by Campbell. Myers, who held the record for 46 years, went on to play for Kansas. Campbell would play collegiately for Maryland and Texas before embarking on a lengthy professional career.

Myers finished her three seasons with the Dragons with 1,707 points. White recently topped 2,000.

"Records are legitimately meant to be broken," Davis wrote. "A disservice has been done to Mary and Edna. They were both All-Americans and Division I players. Edna was USA Today's No. 3 player in the nation her senior year and went on and played in the ABL (American Basketball League) and WNBA, as well as on USA national basketball teams. Again, Mary only played at Allderdice three years, and Edna less than three years.  I might also add that there was no 3-point shot when they played. Had Mary played four years at Allderdice, she clearly would have scored well over 2,000 points!"

That's true. With another year, Myers could have made the number even bigger. But calling a record illegitimate is wrong.
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Setting records in sports can be a funny thing because athletes across different eras don't play the same game. No Major League Baseball pitcher will break Cy Young's record for career wins. Young pitched from 1890 to 1911 and won 511 games. The modern player who got closest to him was Greg Maddux, who won an impressive 355 games over 23 seasons before retiring in 2008.

Even Maddux's win total seems out of reach now. 

It's not fair to people in the past or present to use records as a barometer of comparison. Asking for proper context to be applied is appropriate, but calling the career record being broken not legitimate is silly. It isn't Myers' fault she didn't get to play in more games, nor is it White's fault she played more.

Instead, White topping the mark was the perfect opportunity to revisit what Campbell and Myers accomplished. Campbell spent seven years in the WNBA and averaged 7.1 points per game. Her best season came in 2001 with the Seattle Storm, when she averaged 13.9 points per game.

Myers helped Kansas win the Big 8 Conference Championship in 1981. She finished with 137 assists during the 1984-85 season, which is still the fifth most in a season in Jayhawks' history.

Davis, who was the Dragons' first coach, only left Allderdice because she wasn't given a choice. Davis was forced out as coach in 2008, despite saying she would coach for free. When she retired as the head of the Health and Physical Education Department at Allderdice, Pittsburgh Public Schools told TribLive in 2008 it was district policy to open up any extracurricular jobs that employee also holds when they retired. Dave Walchesky was chosen to replace Davis, who reapplied for her position. 

Davis later sued the district for discrimination, retaliation and deprivation of her Constitutional rights. More about the case can be read here.

Davis wrote she didn't feel the current coaching staff put the records in proper context. Davis, who led the program to 445 wins, pointed out that Campbell's record for points in a game occurred during a 71-60 win over Seton La Salle in the PIAA playoffs, while White's mark came in an 81-13 blowout win over Perry.

"While Allderdice girls basketball alumni applaud Bailey White’s scoring success, some of the alumni have asked me to set the records straight regarding Mary Myers’ scoring record and Edna Campbell’s 40-point game scoring record," Davis wrote. "I coached Allderdice for 35 years. Our statistician, Diane Hill, kept meticulous records over the years. I want to thank her for compiling an official program in 2006 detailing 35 years of statistics and records. 

Allderdice Assistant Coach, Mattie Collins-Wood, contacted an alumni wanting Mary Myers’ phone number anticipating Bailey breaking Mary’s record. Mattie was told, in no uncertain terms that Mary had only played three years at Allderdice whereas Bailey was in her fourth year. Had Bailey done this in three years, breaking the record would be legitimate. Mattie chose to ignore the discrepancy and proceed with 'breaking Mary’s record.'”

It is nice to know that people deeply involved with a program care about it long after they are directly involved. But people from the past don't have agency to say how things are defined. 

White's accomplishments aren't more impressive than Campbell's or Myers' numbers. They are different because the world is different.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo