"POWER MEMORIAL: THE LEGEND OF KAREEM" TO HIGHLIGHT
METRO TV’S SPORTS LEGENDS WEEK NOV. 5th-9th
Documentary on Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s High School Career at New York’s Power Memorial Academy to Feature Rare Playing Footage
NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2001 – From 1962-1965, the eyes of the world of scholastic boys basketball centered on New York City where the dominating presence of a 7’1" center named Lew Alcindor, now known as Kareem Abdul Jabbar, helped lead Power Memorial Academy to an amazing 95-6 record, including a 71-game winning streak. Jabbar’s illustrious school boy career will be examined on Friday night, November 5 at 10 p.m., when METRO TV Sports premieres "Power Memorial: The Legend of Kareem," the latest in the series of METRO SPORTS LEGENDS documentaries.
The one-hour documentary will be the climax to METRO SPORTS LEGENDS WEEK, a nightly showcase of a different New York City sports hero, airing each night (Cablevision 16, Time Warner 70) at 10 p.m. from Monday, November 5th through Friday the 9th.
The METRO SPORTS LEGENDS schedule features:
Monday, Nov. 5 – Joe DiMaggio: The Final Chapter
Tuesday, Nov. 6 – Broadway Joe – The Impact of Joe Namath on New York City
Wednesday, Nov. 7 – Mickey Mantle: In His Own Words
Thursday, Nov. 8 – The Captain: Thurman Munson
Friday, Nov. 9 – Power Memorial: The Legend of Kareem
"Following the tragedy of September 11, everyone realized that the real heroes in life are the police officers, firemen and EMS workers, who put their lives on the line each day," said Michael Lardner, Executive Producer of METRO TV Sports. "As we still mourn the tragedy, we wanted to provide viewers with an escape for a few hours by letting them relive some of the glory days of New York’s sports legends through our week long Metro Sports Legends documentaries. Many felt Jabbar was the greatest high school player ever and we’ll give viewers a retrospective look at how he chose Power Memorial, the impact his play had on the game and his teammates, and the unbelievable 71-game winning streak he led."
That remarkable streak came to an end on January 30, 1965, before a crowd of 12,000 fans at Maryland University's Cole Field House when the Catholic school powerhouse DeMatha's Stags, winners of 29 games in a row, held Jabbar in check and emerged with a five point victory over the Power Memorial Panthers. The game was not only covered by all the local area media, but national radio and television outlets as well.
Jabbar, who had been averaging 30 points per game, was held to 16 by the Stags, who practiced for their match up with him by holding tennis rackets over their heads so their shooters would get used to lofting their shots over his long arms.
Never before seen footage, unearthed by METRO TV, from the historic Dematha-Power Memorial game will be shown during the documentary.
The 1963-64 Power Memorial Team was named the "Team of the Century" by USA Today.
"Power Memorial: The Legend of Kareem," will feature an interview with Jabbar along with the reminisces of Jack Donohue, the Power coach; teammates Arthur Kenney, John Bonner, Bob Grundstrom, Ed Gowrie, Mike Parfett and Ed Coleman; as well as Frank McLaughlin, former high school standout and current Fordham Athletic Director, Jack Curran, Archbishop Molloy H.S. coach; sportswriter Phil Pepe, and New York City hoop basketball fixtures, Tom Konchalski and Howard Garfinkel.
Over the past year, Metro TV has expanded its horizons to provide outstanding programming for area sports fans. This Spring, Metro TV debuted METRO SPORTS LEGENDS, a 12-part exclusive original production series airing over the next three years about the most influential people, places and moments in sports history that took place here in the New York area. The series kicked off in April with "Broadway Joe," focusing on the impact Joe Namath had on New York on-and-off the field after joining the Jets following his collegiate career at Alabama. This October, The Captain: Thurman Munson, profiled the late Yankees catcher, whose premature death in 1979 in an airplane crash, is still felt this day by Yankee fans. The Joe DiMaggio special follows a long line of Metro TV baseball documentaries that have previously debuted this year, including one on the legendary Mickey Mantle, a Subway Series documentary that provided a nostalgic look at its rich history, as well as the live telecast of the first Brooklyn Cyclones game from KeySpan Park in June. In addition, Metro TV has televised NY Golden Gloves bouts, Seton Hall women’s basketball, New York Power WUSA soccer games, and New York Hamptons team tennis events.
Rainbow Media's MetroChannels (MetroTV, Metro Learning and Metro Traffic & Weather) are the first and only suite of television networks devoted entirely to the experience of living in the New York metropolitan area. MetroTV is the only local channel providing original programs focusing on everything from fashion, comedy, music, and sports to independent features and documentaries about the people, places and history of New York. MetroTV has received numerous accolades for its programming including three NY Emmy Awards from the 1999 and 2000 competitions, the 2000 Gold Promax Award, the 2000 & 2001 Community Spirit Award, New York Festivals Awards, Omni Awards, and The Communicator Award. MetroLearning provides unfiltered coverage of events unfolding in the many diverse communities throughout this metropolis. Metro Traffic&Weather is the tri-state’s first and only 24-hour local traffic, transit, and weather channel.