"He's the finest athlete I've ever seen and that includes Staubach."

South Side artist Johno Prascak painted a portrait of George Herbert Walker Bush that hangs in the former president's library at Texas A&M University. He also has five of his Pittsburgh Steelers theme prints displayed at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a painting of Hollyhocks inspired by his father's garden in Dormont was featured on the series finale of the NBC sit-com Will & Grace.

But the painting Prascak recently finished for the United States Naval Academy might be at the top of his list. The Naval Academy commissioned Prasack to do a painting that features Jim Campbell, a Homestead native and former star athlete with the Midshipmen.

Prascak presented the painting at a ceremony in Annapolis, Md. this past weekend when the Navy football team celebrated the 45th anniversary of its decorated 1963 team that included Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach and Campbell, a former Navy fighter pilot who flew more than 200 missions in Vietnam.

"This has been an unbelievable experience for me," Prascak said. "I put this right up there with the portrait of President Bush. As an American, what a great feeling it is for me. I was honored to do it. I'm overwhelmed."

This was the second painting Prascak did of Campbell. The first hangs near the gymnasium at Steel Valley High School.

When Tom Lynch, the captain of the 1963 Navy football team, heard about the painting at Steel Valley through former teammate and West Mifflin native Nick Markoff, he thought it would be a great way to honor Campbell, who passed away in March of 2006, the first player from his graduating class to die of natural causes. Four others died while serving.

Campbell played football, basketball and lacrosse at Navy, but he is best known for his accomplishments as a football player. Known as "Soupy" by his teammates, Campbell played offensive and defensive end for the Midshipmen.

"He's the finest athlete I've ever seen and that includes Staubach," Lynch said. "He was a great athlete and a great person."

"He was a fantastic athlete," said Mark Fallon, the founder of the Steel Valley history club who raised money for the first painting of Campbell. "Steve Belichick [an assistant coach at Navy from 1956-89 and the father of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick] said he was the best athlete he ever saw at Navy."

Lynch said every living member of the team was expected to be in attendance at the dedication. All contributed money to have the painting commissioned. The team has a reunion every fifth year at the Naval Academy, but Lynch wanted to do something special this year for Campbell, who was heavily decorated for his years of heroic service as a fighter pilot.

"They're all going to be there," Lynch said. "We're all looking forward to having the team together again. It will be a time of reflection and remembering the good times."

Prascak has a unique style, which he describes as impressionistic and fluid. He works in enamels and sand, which gives his art an unusual texture. He developed his style through experimentation.

Sand from the Monongahela River is used in every one of his paintings. For the panting of Campbell he used sand that was sent to him from Annapolis and Phoenix, where Campbell lived. The painting will hang at Navy's new sports complex.

"People are enamored with the sand," Prasack said. "President Bush was struck by it. It's gritty and blue-collar. I never had any art lessons. I just experimented. I'm so glad I stuck with it."

Prascak said the painting of Campbell has added meaning because his father, Joseph, served in World War II. Joseph Prascak has cancer and is in hospice care.

"He's living this through me," Prascak said. "He's enjoying this. There are a lot of things that are tied into this painting."

To view the paintings of Campbell and others by Prascak, visit his web site: johnosart.com.