Joseph C. Gorman, 85, star city athlete

Joseph C. Gorman, 85, of Glen Mills, a gifted high school athlete in the 1940s who later excelled at business, died of congestive heart failure Sunday, Sept. 8, at his home.

Mr. Gorman came from a working-class family in the Schuylkill section of Philadelphia. A standout at football and basketball while at Southeast Catholic High School, he was named to the All-City All Star football team in his junior and senior years.

But his most memorable moments came while on the Southeast Catholic basketball team of 1944-45. At the time, John McGarry coached a group including Mr. Gorman, Joe Hannan, Larry Foust, Jim Forsythe, and Jim Furey.

A crowd of 12,500 packed Convention Hall to see Southeast Catholic vie with South Philadelphia High School for the city championship. The rivalry was so keen that an estimated 5,000 fans were turned away.

"With 1:30 left, Southern scoring leader Stan 'Loady' Brown was injured in a collision with Southeast Catholic's Joe Gorman. Brown returned to finish the game," wrote reporter Ted Silary. But "Larry Foust scored 11 points and provided the margin of victory with a tap-in at the buzzer." Southeast Catholic won, 37-36.

Mr. Gorman was inducted in 1987 into the Millay Club, the Hall of Fame for St. John Neumann's varsity. (Southeast Catholic was renamed Bishop Neumann High School in 1955. In 2004, it merged into Neumann-Goretti Catholic High School.)

Mr. Gorman landed a job with Cooper Cheese, a small firm in Philadelphia that later became Schreiber Foods, a company in Green Bay, Wis.

This first job launched a 50-year career selling cheese and dairy products that won him accolades.

He met his wife, the former Eleanor Magee, in grade school. They raised eight children in Overbrook. She died in 1997.

He made time for friends, some of whom dated back to his basketball days. "My father could quote sports statistics from every game ever," his daughter Nancy Barton said. "But he was also a true gentleman with a sense of humor."

In addition to his daughter, surviving are sons Charles, Thomas, Richard, Joseph, Christopher, and Kevin; daughter Helene Bradley; 27 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; a sister; and his 14-year companion, Mary Swanick.

Friends may call from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, at Ruffenach Funeral Home, 4900 Township Line Rd., Drexel Hill, and after 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 13, at St. Dorothy Church, 4910 Township Line Rd., Drexel Hill. A Funeral Mass will be at 10:30 a.m., with burial in SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery, Marple Township.