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JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – After 56 years, a customer with a unique stature returned to the Miller’s of Johnstown clothing store.
“The last time my mother brought me here was my senior year in college – 1970,” Steve Smear said Saturday inside the store at 525 Main St. in downtown Johnstown.
Smear, an All-American defensive tackle for the Penn State Nittany Lions at the time, had contributed to Penn State’s 22-0 record in 1968 and ’69 with a pair of Orange Bowl victories.
In his senior college year, Smear was fitted for a blazer, and he has had it ever since.
At age 78, the Johnstown native, who went on to a championship-winning career in the Canadian Football League after college, returned Saturday to Miller’s for a new coat.
Smear’s old Penn State roommate, Gary Mihoces, of West Mifflin, joined Smear during his visit to Miller’s, and took in the sight of the store that he had always heard about.
“His mother used to send him packages from here,” Mihoces said. “He always had the nicest clothes.”
Miller’s outfitted Smear with clothes through his childhood parochial school career in the 1960s at St. Andrew School, outside Ferndale, and through his high school years at Bishop McCort High School in Johnstown.
Smear graduated in the same Bishop McCort class as Pittsburgh Steelers legend Jack Ham.
Trying on his jacket at Miller’s, Smear told a story from his Penn State days, when then-coach Joe Paterno sought his advice prior to awarding Ham a scholarship to join the team. Ham had been looking to transfer from Massanutten Miltary Academy.
“He called me to his office, which typically means you are in trouble, but when I sat down, he asked me about Jack Ham, whether he was a hard worker,” Smear said.
Smear vouched for Ham, and that was all Paterno needed to hear. The coach gave Ham a scholarship, leading to Ham’s standout career at Penn State and later his Hall of Fame career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After college, Smear played professional football in Canada, where he helped the Montreal Alouettes win the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup in 1970. After football, Smear settled in Annapolis, Maryland, to run his own insurance business and raise a family.
On Saturday, Smear gave his old coat back to Miller’s owner Randy Clark and received a new coat of the same brand – Hart Schaffner Marx.
Although Smear’s history with Miller’s spans decades, that’s a fraction of the clothing store’s history, underscored by its relationship with Hart Schaffner Marx.
Relaying information from Miller’s suppliers, Clark said Miller’s is the second- longest-standing account internationally of the 140-year-old U.S. designer label.
Miller’s was founded in 1890 by Maurice Miller. The Miller family owned the store until eventually passing it to a long-time employee and patriarch of the Clark family, H. Jay Clark.
Randy Clark recalled working as an apprentice tailor as a teenager when his father would get a call from Smear’s mother.
“He is a tough fit because of his build, and so my dad had to be ready for him,” he said.
To provide pants that fit Smear’s muscle-bound legs while also fitting his lean midsection, Clark’s father would have to get pants three sizes too big and tailor the waist.
During a recent visit to Johnstown, Smear and Clark crossed paths again.
“When he said he had a blazer for 56 years, I wanted to get him a new one,” Clark said, “and he’s the same size as he was back then.”
Continue reading...
“The last time my mother brought me here was my senior year in college – 1970,” Steve Smear said Saturday inside the store at 525 Main St. in downtown Johnstown.
Smear, an All-American defensive tackle for the Penn State Nittany Lions at the time, had contributed to Penn State’s 22-0 record in 1968 and ’69 with a pair of Orange Bowl victories.
In his senior college year, Smear was fitted for a blazer, and he has had it ever since.
At age 78, the Johnstown native, who went on to a championship-winning career in the Canadian Football League after college, returned Saturday to Miller’s for a new coat.
Smear’s old Penn State roommate, Gary Mihoces, of West Mifflin, joined Smear during his visit to Miller’s, and took in the sight of the store that he had always heard about.
“His mother used to send him packages from here,” Mihoces said. “He always had the nicest clothes.”
Miller’s outfitted Smear with clothes through his childhood parochial school career in the 1960s at St. Andrew School, outside Ferndale, and through his high school years at Bishop McCort High School in Johnstown.
Smear graduated in the same Bishop McCort class as Pittsburgh Steelers legend Jack Ham.
Trying on his jacket at Miller’s, Smear told a story from his Penn State days, when then-coach Joe Paterno sought his advice prior to awarding Ham a scholarship to join the team. Ham had been looking to transfer from Massanutten Miltary Academy.
“He called me to his office, which typically means you are in trouble, but when I sat down, he asked me about Jack Ham, whether he was a hard worker,” Smear said.
Smear vouched for Ham, and that was all Paterno needed to hear. The coach gave Ham a scholarship, leading to Ham’s standout career at Penn State and later his Hall of Fame career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After college, Smear played professional football in Canada, where he helped the Montreal Alouettes win the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup in 1970. After football, Smear settled in Annapolis, Maryland, to run his own insurance business and raise a family.
On Saturday, Smear gave his old coat back to Miller’s owner Randy Clark and received a new coat of the same brand – Hart Schaffner Marx.
Although Smear’s history with Miller’s spans decades, that’s a fraction of the clothing store’s history, underscored by its relationship with Hart Schaffner Marx.
Relaying information from Miller’s suppliers, Clark said Miller’s is the second- longest-standing account internationally of the 140-year-old U.S. designer label.
Miller’s was founded in 1890 by Maurice Miller. The Miller family owned the store until eventually passing it to a long-time employee and patriarch of the Clark family, H. Jay Clark.
Randy Clark recalled working as an apprentice tailor as a teenager when his father would get a call from Smear’s mother.
“He is a tough fit because of his build, and so my dad had to be ready for him,” he said.
To provide pants that fit Smear’s muscle-bound legs while also fitting his lean midsection, Clark’s father would have to get pants three sizes too big and tailor the waist.
During a recent visit to Johnstown, Smear and Clark crossed paths again.
“When he said he had a blazer for 56 years, I wanted to get him a new one,” Clark said, “and he’s the same size as he was back then.”
Continue reading...
