Sports and music are never far apart for soccer coach

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The basement of Rob Eldridge’s McDonald home provides a fascinating window into two very different worlds in which he excels.

At the center hangs a gigantic TV, perfect for playing video games and watching sports. Nearby there’s a weight bench and workout area. Go left or right, and you’ll see either Eldridge’s home recording studio or his collection of albums and vintage sound equipment, both impressive.

Real life or metaphorically speaking, sports and music are never terribly far apart for Eldridge.

“It’s important to have that balance in my life,” said Eldridge, who has been the South Fayette boys soccer coach since 2007 and a professional musician for much of his adult life. “I’m sort of a restless person. I need to be doing things.”

Among WPIAL coaches, Eldridge, 48, likely holds the distinction of also being the only one who has produced a collection of songs that you can purchase on iTunes.

Eldridge’s band, Steelesque, released “Toro Toro” on June 23. Eldridge not only wrote everything on the six-song EP, but he plays guitar, piano and banjo and sings.

The yin and yang of music and sports is downright essential for Eldridge, a Vermont native who’s as energetic as he is creative.

“Music, teaching and coaching are all important to me,” said Eldridge, who teaches health and physical education at South Fayette High School. “To have them work together is a good homeostasis spot for me; it levels me out.”

Eldridge was exposed to music early in life. His grandfather was an opera singer, and his grandmother would often accompany him on piano. Meanwhile, his father, Bob, was big into rock ‘n roll and got his son hooked on the Vietnam-era greats.

The younger Eldridge took trombone lessons in school, but it never stuck — too boring for a rambunctious, sports-obsessed young boy.

So Eldridge spent the bulk of his time playing sports and did so all the way through college,