BERNIE POWERS RIP

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May 18, 2012

"Just Watch the Game" is not your typical Pittsburgh Sports book. No punches are pulled here. I honor the good guys and great performances that I covered and I trash the bad guys. I also remember the good-old days when watching and playing sports were about the games. Before "snack moms" and everybody getting a trophy. If you’re of a certain age, it will bring back fond memories. If you’re too young to have experienced it, as my Dad used to say, “Read this. You might learn something.”

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Bernie Powers, the first football coach at South Hills Catholic High School (Now Seton-LaSall) has died.

He was also one of the coaches featured in my book, “Just Watch The Game (Again)” who helped create one of the great football dynasties in Western Pennsylvania history at St. Bernard in Mt. Lebanon.

St. Bernard lost three games from 1949 to 1961.

There will be a lot of solid citizens at this guy’s funeral –all of them former players of his.

Date: January 27, 2012

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: BERNIE POWERS RIP

Comments RSS TrackBack 10 comments

Reply

Maynard G. Krebs

in January 27th, 2012 @ 16:30

He was a good man. I never played for him but got to know him a little bit. He deserved respect. Man, this has been a tough week. RIP coach.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in January 27th, 2012 @ 16:33

No man ever scared me more. He was the Prefect of Discipline at South Catholic when I was there. (How many schools have one of those anymore?) I really enjoyed doing the interview with him for my book last Summer.

Reply

bald guy

in January 27th, 2012 @ 19:47

How great that you give recognition to people like this. I moved to Pittsburgh in 1996, and I was unfamiliar with a lot of our sports history before that time. Your books have given me a feel for that. Your personal connection to so many of the people involved are what makes your books so special. Thank you.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in January 27th, 2012 @ 23:06

Thank you.

Reply

Tim Rennie

in January 28th, 2012 @ 12:13

John, what is your email address? Thanks, Tim

Reply

John Steigerwald

in January 28th, 2012 @ 12:55

Sorry. Can’t give you that here.

Reply

Jack

in January 29th, 2012 @ 21:50

I had the privilege of playing for him my freshman year when i went to South…He was a great teacher of the game and a maker of men. We don’t realize what we have until we understand later in life how great some of our coaches and teachers were. I count him among the three best coaches I had in my life, along with Ralph Fife at Lebo and Dick Goff at St. Bernards.
Reply

sherm

in January 29th, 2012 @ 23:09

Sorry for the loss. Chapter 36, the best of the books in my reading opinion. “What football means at St. Bernard”.I must tell you that I changed the sport to wrestling and the school and copied almost every word. I handed it out to the junior high and high school teams after reading it to them approximately 2 weeks ago. I thought i’d find the letter left behind or in the trash in the locker room after practice. Yes i looked in the trash. I found 2 left behind but not in the trash. I received 6 phone calls and was approached by 3 other parents thanking me for showing concern for their positive progression in the sport of wrestling but also a positive progression that they may have in life. The letter is posted in the locker room and on the doors going into the wrestling room as a motivational tool when things get tough. Just throwin some credit your way for putting the statement in the book. I’d love to have Father Lonergan as a banquet speaker, not only to hear his words but also to see the looks on all the parent faces.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in January 30th, 2012 @ 10:12

Your response makes my decision to write that chapter worthwhile. Thanks. I think the response would be the same from 98% of the parents (definitely the fathers) if more people had the guts to approach sports the way that Father Lonergan did 60 years ago.
****************************************************************************
Football at St. Bernard is not merely a form of recreation; it is much more. Every person has certain fundamental problems to face in life. It makes all the difference in the world whether a person faces his problems honestly, with courage and intelligence, or tries to sneak around the problems of life… There is no place on the football field for the sluggard, the shirker, the coward, the scatterbrain, the dolt, the leaner, the quitter, the egotist.
Most of these faults are the result of pampering. In a football game, the opposing team is seldom inclined to do much pampering. Football is just clean, hard give and take.
What a training to face the stern realities of life.
We have a lot of fine boys in St. Bernard’s School and our aim is to bring out all of the best in them. We saw what football did to the boys last year. (Undefeated championship team.) The benefit was almost unbelievable. It is a pity that many boys are physically unfit to take part in the training. They are missing something, just on account of their physical handicap, they need most urgently. They are our problems. The real football boy is seldom a problem. He has learned to tackle problems.
**********************************************************************

Reply

sherm

in January 30th, 2012 @ 11:53

Out of the 9 that I talked to. 33% dads, 66% moms. Imagine that. I passed the letter on to 2 other coaches a couple days ago to hand out if they wanted to. I’ll follow up to see if they handed the letter out and if they received any feedback.

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