Photos courtesy of the Washington Wild Things
Pennsylvania State Athletic Directors Association in 1989—a position
he still holds today.
“The awards I’ve received mean a great deal, but this one is so special
because it is named after a gentleman I just absolutely respect,” says
Bozzuto, who has been NA’s athletic director since 1999. An educator
for over 37 years, he worked at Hempfield Area and Franklin Regional
high schools before taking over at NA. “Bob Buckanavage has helped
me by leading by example, and as a young athletic director, I modeled
myself after him. He is a wonderful human being and has accomplished
so much for athletic directors throughout the state and nation, but
most of all for student athletes for many, many years.”
Buckanavage thinks highly of Bozzuto as well.
“In my opinion, Bob Bozzuto epitomizes the best of the best in
high school athletic administration in PA,” he says. “He is a true leader
because he gets the right things done for his student athletes, coaches
and community in the North Allegheny School District. Bob has
always impressed me with his passion for coaching education and
the importance of providing the best sport experience for his student
athletes. It is truly an honor and privilege to recognize [him] with this
citation.”
Bozzuto is grateful for both his promotion and the citation.
“To be able to do something that I truly love is great, but it is not
about me,” says Bozzuto. “It is about ‘we’ and ‘us.’ I really believe that
the staff we have is just great. To do something that you really want
to do and to be recognized for it is not necessarily something that I
wanted, but when people do respect what you have done—I think that
is a great accomplishment.”
The Washington Wild Things opened its 15th season of Frontier
League Baseball in May. For more information, visit the website at
washingtonwildthings.com. n
Canon-Mac | Summer 2016 | icmags.com 15