YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – Over the years, the valley has been a hotbed for some of the top high school football coaches in the entire country.
Sports Team 27 has compiled a list of some of the best coaches that have patrolled local sidelines, along with their impressive coaching resumes.
Fans are invited to cast their vote for which coach they consider the best of all-time. If there’s a local coach missing from the list, fans can likewise write-in the names for additional nominees.
Voting ends Monday, August 12 at Noon!
Click here to vote in the best coach poll
Red Angelo
– Chaney (1954-1970)
– Chaney won 25 of 27 games over a 3-year period (1964-66)
– Led Cowboys to a perfect 9-0 mark in 1965
– Son, Jerry, was General Manager of the Chicago Bears from 2001-2011
Dave Hartman
– Head Coach at Austintown Fitch from 1982-1993
– Won 92 games as Falcons’ head coach
– Led Fitch to three playoff appearances (1986, 1990, and 1992)
– 2 State semifinals trips (1986, 1992)
– Won/shared eight SVC titles in 8 of his 12 years
Tom Carey
– Spent 17 seasons as Ursuline head coach
– Posted a career record of 100-53-8
– Led Irish to a pair of undefeated seasons and four City Series Championships
John Delserone
– Brookfield (1973-1983)
– Posted a career record of 56-24
– Led the Warriors to the 1978 Class AA State Championship
Jim Laut
– 38 years as head coach at West Branch
– 216-108-8
– Led Warriors to the Division III State Championship in a perfect 14-0 season
John Knapik
– Campbell Memorial (1936-1964)
– Posted a record of 182-84-31
– Led Red Devils to five Steel Valley Conference titles
Mike Pavlansky
– Current Canfield coach is entering his 19th season at the helm
– Posted a 135-64 record in the previous 18 years
– Finished runner up in Division II in 2005
– Capped off the regular season in 2017 & 2018 as the Region 9 top seed
Jim Tsilimos
– Spent 2 stints in Lisbon, totaling 146 wins
– Won the Division V State Title in 1995 with a perfect 14-0 record
– Teams made 8 playoff trips
– Currently coaching at Carrollton.
Ron Berdis
– Chaney (1987-2006)
– Career record: 128-73
– Led Cowboys to 8 playoff appearances and the 1997 Division III State Finalist
– 14 City Series Titles
Jack Pierson
– Began his coaching career in 1956 at South Range and finished his last season at Mathews in 2010.
– Spent stints at South Range, McDonald, Howland, Niles, Jackson-Milton, Hollywood Hills (FL), Mathews
– Standout player at Ursuline and YSU
Dick Angle
– Career record: 262-161-3
– Lakeview (PA), Ursuline, Howland
– 12 Conference Championships, 2 State Semifinal Appearances
Don Bucci
– Career record: 306-89-5
– 1955-1960, Mt. Carmel (22-10)
– 1966-1999, Mooney (284-79-5)
– Led the Cardinals to four state championships (1973, ’80, ’82, ’87)
PJ Fecko
– Career record: 155-74
– Cardinal Mooney (2000-Present)
– Won 4 State Titles (2004, 2006, 2009, 2011)
Dan Reardon
– 72-39 at Ursuline
– 2 seasons at Poudre HS (CO) and 1 at Wheat Ridge HS (CO)
– 30-15 at Canton McKinley
– 3 State Championships (2008-2010)
Andy Golubic, Jr.
– 125-40-3, 16 years at McDonald
– 1978-90, 1997-99
1980: 10-0
1988: 10-0
Tony Mason
– 47-3-6, 6 years at Niles (1958-1963)
– Did not lose a single game during his final four years at the helm (36-0-3)
– 1963: State Champion
– 1961: State Champion
– Left Niles to take an assistant coaching position at Michigan under Bump Elliott
– Coached Cincinnati Bearcats from 1973-76 and Arizona from 1977-79.
Jeff Bayuk
– 193 career wins
– Began coaching at Canfield in 1986
– Hubbard (1991-2006)
– Campbell (2007-2009)
– JFK (2014-Present)
– Led Hubbard Eagles to 6 TAC-8 championships
– Led Campbell to their first playoff appearance in 2009 since 1999
– Led JFK to the 2016 State Championship
Bill Bohren
– Career record: 295-174-6
– Stops at Ottawa-Glandorf, Steubenville (1975-77), Portsmouth, Lakeview (1979-83), Boardman, Butler (PA), Salem, Niles, LaBrae, Southington
– 1987 Division I State Finalist at Boardman
– Led Salem to their first league championship in 1994 (Metro Athletic Co-Champs)
– Led Niles to their first ever playoff appearance (1999).
Tony Napolet
– 214 wins, 29 years
– 12 State playoff appearances
– 1991 Division IV State title
– 2006 Division V state finalist
– 1970-1972 at JFK (’71: 10-0), overall 26-2-2
– 1973-1978 at Niles, overall 35-24-1
– 1991-1998 at JFK, overall 107-43
Pierre Hill
– 81-32-7, 1930-1942 at Harding
Thom McDaniels
– Canton McKinley (1982-97), 134 wins including 1997 state title
– Harding (2000-2006), 63-21
– 2002 State Finalist
Phil Annarella
– Career record: 246-146-3
– Coaching stops include: East Liverpool, Warren Western Reserve, Warren Harding, Hickory, Niles, and Austintown Fitch
– 1990: 14-0 (Won Division I state championship) – Team ranked #5 in USA Today poll
– ‘90 was the year Harding/Reserve consolidated
– Led Austintown Fitch to the first undefeated 10-0 season in school history in 2013
– Led Fitch to six playoff appearances in 2010, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18
Joe Rich
– ICL Champions 4 of 5 years (1963-64, 1966-67) at Mineral Ridge
Mineral Ridge
1967: 8-0
1964: 9-0
1963: 8-0-1
St. Mary’s
1950: 8-0
Bob Price
McDonald
1970: 8-0-1 (ICL Champs)
1969: 9-0 (ICL Champs, State Champion)
1968: 9-0 (ICL Champs)
Howard McGowan
McDonald
1936: 8-0-1
1934: 6-0-2
1932: 7-0
1931: 8-0
Terry Verrelli
– 314 career wins at Wilmington (1978-90, 1992-2017)
– 2008 Class AA State Champion(3 State Final appearances)
– 14 District Championhips
Jim Wildman
– 259-104-7 in two stints at Sharon
– 2-time PIAA Class AAA State Finalist (1994, 1995)
Lou Falconi
– Career record: 210-91-6
– Farrell (1980-2006)
– PIAA Class A Champions 1995 and 1996
Frank Amato
– Career record: 156-67-9
– Reynolds (1969-1980, 1982-1992)
– Played DB for Purdue, is now an assistant at Thiel College.
Bob Stone
– Career record: 222-75-6
– Greenville (1978-2006)
– 3 undefeated seasons. 4 District 10 championships (1993, 96, 97, 99)
Lindy Lauro
– Career record: 220-104-15
– New Castle (1961-1992)
– 2 WPIAL titles (1967, 1973), co-championship (1975)
– Six undefeated seasons
– Played in the NFL for the Chicago Cardinals
Phil Bridenbaugh
– Career record: 265-65-25
– New Castle (1922-1955)
– During his 1st 3 years, New Castle went 28-0-2
– In 1937, Bridenbaugh’s Hurricanes defeated Massillon 7-0 snapping their 26-game win streak (Tigers were coached by Paul Brown)
Paul Cusick
– 165-91 overall
– 15 playoff appearances since 2000
Bob Spaite
– Career record: 186-125-4
– Southern (1989-1993)
– Columbiana (1994-Present)
Dan Yeagley
– Career record: 202-69
– 2 State Semifinal Appearances (2005, 2017)
Paul Piccirilli
– Career record: 207-73
– Coached at Sharpsville for 24 years (1996-Present)
– 1997 Class A PIAA champs
– 1973 Sharpsville graduate; lettered in football, basketball and baseball.
Jarrett Samuels
– Career record: 116-31
– 11 years at Farrell (2 stints)
– 2018 State Football Championship
– Seven District 10 Championships
