Football coaches have been short on longevity
to do this or that.’ But people who last long in coaching don’t believe what they hear.”
In recent years, there have been other WPIAL coaches who weren’t around that long and stepped away after enjoying success. Nick Kamberis resigned as Keystone Oaks’ coach after the 2011 season. Kamberis was 38 at the time and had led the Eagles to one of their best seasons ever (10-2 record) two years earlier. He says he gets the itch to coach again every Friday morning. But Kamberis said he got out also because of his two young boys.
“I loved what I was doing at Keystone Oaks,” said Kamberis, who still teaches physical education at Keystone Oaks. “But we used to live in Keystone Oaks’ district and then we moved to South Park. When you’re teaching and coaching in one place and live in another — and I know it might sound corny — but it’s hard when you’re looking left and your world is to your right.
“I was lucky enough to have a good booster group, parents and administrators who were behind me a lot. But I think some of these short tenures as coaches has a lot to do with parents. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m sure that’s a big part of it.”
Chris Saluga turned around Chartiers Valley’s program from 2001-12. The Colts had made the playoffs only twice in the previous 25 years. But they qualified for the postseason eight times under Saluga and twice won eight games, the second most in school history. Saluga resigned in 2012 at age 41, even though his son would’ve played for him in a few years.
“For me, I just felt it was the end of the line there,” said Saluga, who still teaches at Chartiers Valley. “I just felt personally I had lost momentum. Anybody who has a leadership position has to continue the momentum and I thought it was best for me and the program to go.
“Sometimes in society today people give in to the whims of parents and school boards. It’s rare to find consistent support in bad times. Sometimes, it’s the minor incidents that cause the problems. I can say that Chartiers Valley was great to me and I still teach there. But as for the coaches leaving, I don’t know what the answer is. I think it’s tough to stay long at a program without a great history. Winning solves a lot of problems. Losing creates just as many.”
Athletic directors and principals say fewer people want to coach nowadays, especially in sports other than football and basketball. Fewer teachers want to coach, compared to decades ago. The varsity wrestling coach’s job at Thomas Jefferson was open for this year, and Cherpak said two people applied.
“If you’re not a teacher and want to coach, you’re talking about someone who has to finish work and be at school many days at 2:30. Who has a job like that?” said Cherpak. “Then you’ve got to be able to put in time over the summer. Let’s face it, you’re not getting paid a lot to coach.”