Sports can sometimes be a metaphor for life . There are winners and losers , triumphs and disappointments . But in the end , the most important thing is the people who go through those times with you .
The Peters Township High School football team of 1972-73 was a special group of young men led by extraordinary coaches , who went undefeated in a ninegame season — with five of those games as shutouts , clinching the Black Hills Conference Championship , before it became Allegheny Six .
Head coach John Bacha was named the Black Hills Conference Coach of the Year . Assistant coaches Ron Peters , Vaughn Brunazzi and Mike Westhoff , who later went on to coach 32 years in the NFL , were an instrumental support team under the head coach .
Almost prophetically , Coach Bacha told his team , “ Men , you will carry this year with you the rest of your lives .” The athletes who took that memorable journey together in 1972 were the best of friends . They also formed a bond with other Peters athletes that year . The PTHS swim team also had an undefeated season , and a camaraderie developed between the football , swimming , wrestling , basketball and baseball teams . It was a bond that was built not only on success , but mutual respect , a solid work ethic and friendship .
This tight-knit group of athletes have remained close for 50 years . It was this bond that led them to form an organization that helps Peters Township graduates who are in extreme need .
About 12 years ago , former coach Mike Westhoff was in Pittsburgh as the Special Teams coach for the New York Jets . Seventeen PT players and coaches came together , with some traveling across the country , to gather with their old teammates and three of their former coaches .
About five months after that memorable reunion , however , one of the team members , Frank Scarpaci , died suddenly .
Saddened by his death and realizing that Scarpaci had two children who would be headed for higher education in a few years , former teammate Tony Fastuca appealed to the group : “ We need to do something to assist the Scarpaci family . They need help for the children ’ s further education .”
Dave DeAngelis , another football player , and Bill Gullborg , a member of the 1972 swim team , agreed , and this was the beginning of the PTHS Alumni Foundation . They collectively called on many past athletes and friends from their high school days to support this worthy cause through a fundraiser golf outing . About 40 people showed up for the first event .
They decided to make the outing an annual event and established a fund in order to help other Peters Township High School graduates who met with extreme hardship , which is usually medical . Gullborg , who has worked in wealth management for decades , set up the financial side of the foundation . The goal is to help at least one individual per year .
Though there are three board members comprised of Fastuca , DeAngelis and Gullborg , all of the supporters of the golf outings as well as individual donors have been instrumental in making the alumni foundation successful each year .
Another key person has been Greg McCloskey , a football player on the 1972 championship team . The McCloskey family has owned the Scenic Valley Golf Course where the outing has been held . McCloskey and his family have opened the golf course , now called the 1781 Club , for the alumni foundation to hold the event every year .
In 2021 , the McMurray Rotary Club recognized the foundation for its outstanding service to the community with the Rotary ’ s prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship Award .
“ It is our hope that younger members of the Peters
Township community get involved in the foundation to further the recognition in the years to come , and to make this an even bigger platform to offer more support to those in need ,” says DeAngelis .
On Friday , Sept . 30 , PTHS will hold a special 50-year commemoration for the football team at its game against Baldwin that evening . The annual golf outing will be held the next day on Oct . 1 .
If you are interested in attending the golf outing , or becoming an active volunteer in the alumni organization , email PTHSalumnifoundation @ gmail . com . n
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