May 16, 2008

Reprinted With Permission From Pittsburgh Tribune Review

By Dave Mackall

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Sunday, May 11, 2008

CLARION -- During football season, the Arizona Cardinals play on TV at the Wells residence in Library. All eyes fix on Cardinals left tackle Reggie Wells, the former South Park High School star.

On Saturday at Clarion University, two hours to the north, football season was a memory, but family and friends still managed to get together for an afternoon to remember.

Wells, a six-year NFL player and former first-team NCAA Division II All-American, returned to Clarion to take part in graduation ceremonies where he and his father, Reggie Wells Sr., received their long-awaited college degrees.

"I literally had to swallow my tears," said Diane Wells, who battled emotions, particularly when her husband and son took center stage. "This has to be one of the proudest moments of my life."

The buzz that radiated throughout Waldo S. Tippin Gymnasium turned to a hush as Rachelle C. Prioleau, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, spoke of Wells and his son, who were presented last among a huge throng of recipients for bachelor of science degrees.

Prioleau called Wells Sr."brave" for serving the past 22 years as a Pennsylvania State Police trooper. She marveled at how a young Wells Jr. already has been honored with induction into the South Park Hall of Fame.

Both men, she said, are "legends" at Clarion.

"It's a great day," Wells Jr. said. "It's worth it to come here and be with family. It's really, really special."

As they approached the podium, Wells Jr. watched his dad, the second-leading scorer and rebounder in Clarion men's basketball history, step forward and accept his diploma. Then, Wells Jr. reached out and clutched one of his own, giving the family four Clarion graduates, including Diane and Wells Jr.'s younger brother Ryan, who was a two-time all-conference basketball selection from 2004-2005.

The two most recent of those graduates were greeted with open arms by university President Joseph P. Grunenwald.

"It was very emotional for me," Wells Sr. said. "It's been so long and it's finally here. My two sons and my wife beside me. We've come full circle."

"Now we can be proud of Clarion as a family," Diane Wells said.

While the line of graduates stretched from the floor to the stage, the attention turned to the two men with the same name.

Wells Sr., 50, who once participated in the Detroit Pistons rookie camp and has spent time in various pro leagues, including in Argentina, triumphantly was reunited with Wells Jr., a Cardinals starter for the past four seasons.

On the very floor where Clarion's commencement took place, Wells Sr. was an NAIA All-American from 1977-79 during a four-year college basketball career that produced 2,011 points and 1,120 rebounds.

Wells Jr. played basketball at South Park, when his father was coach, and nearly helped the school to a pair of PIAA Class AA Western Region championships, reaching the final in 1998 and 1999.

Wells Sr. serves as girls basketball coach at South Park, which won the WPIAL Class AA title this year.

"Looking back, it was always my dad, my brother and me, whether we were working out together or whatever the case was," Wells Jr. said. "I always appreciated the time my dad took with us."

When Wells Jr., a 6-foot-4, 320-pound giant, was drafted in the sixth round in 2003 (177th overall), his mother said it was another proud moment. She added that her husband also was unable to contain his excitement.

"I know it's cliche," Wells Jr. said, "but my dad went above and beyond the duties of being a father. We were buddies, but he was bad when he had to be. He's a man who has helped us become the men we are today. I could never replace the time I had with my father -- and my mother. They've been great influences on my life."

Dave Mackall can be reached at dmackall@tribweb.com or 412-380-5617. Back to headlines