Barney Ewell Legacy Committee

While at McCaskey I was selected as a member of the 1970-71 All Central PA Basketball Team. In addition I qualified for the PIAA State Championships in Track and Field in the 120 yd. high hurdles. Our 1971 track team went undefeated and also won the PIAA District 3 Championships, which at that time was hosted at McCaskey.

My memory of "Mr. Barney" as I called him occurred on a trip to Franklin Field in Philadelphia for the Penn Relays back when I was still attending Edward Hand Junior High (now Hazel I. Jackson Middle School). My friend Larry Ford invited me to go along with him, as well as Mr. Barney, and his son Patrick. Up until this time, I never knew that Mr. Barney had been in the Olympics. But that day the announcer said, “Today we would like to welcome to Franklin Field an outstanding Olympic athlete, IC4A Champion, and one of the fastest runners to ever run here at the Penn Relays. Would you join us in a round of applause for Barney Ewell?!”. Mr. Barney stood up and waved to the sellout crowd as they cheered and clapped for him.

I looked at Mr. Barney and he just smiled. During those early years, I never knew Mr. Barney’s story. Many years later, I went to Penn State for an AAU Basketball Tournament with my daughter. It was there at Penn State that I saw his track accomplishments listed for the first time. All I could say was WOW...Mr. Barney never boasted about his accomplishments or complained about the times he had lost.

I am proud to say that I knew Mr. Barney. As I began to learn how to run the high and low hurdles, he was always encouraging me. He would say, if you failed, get up and do it again. Don’t stop trying. Keep at it. You will get better.

Many years have gone by, but I will never forget Mr. Barney.

-Daryl Hardcastle, McCaskey Class of 1971

It's official! The Barney Ewell Statue coming to Lancaster City's Ewell Plaza is currently scheduled for dedication on Saturday, November 19!
As we build excitement for the dedication, we will be collecting and sharing memories of Mr. Ewell and reflections on his legacy from the community. If you would like to contribute to this effort, please send written or videoed recollections to [email protected].
Even if your age and/or circumstances prevented you from ever knowing Mr. Ewell, we are interested in hearing from individuals of all ages who have been impacted by his remarkable story of resilience.