Ambridge gives longtime Aliquippa assistant a chance
Sherman McBride was a grandfather 12 times over before he became a high school football head coach.
The man known as “Pap Pap” to a dozen grandchildren is preparing to start his head coaching career at age 58. Although you can see some gray in the whiskers on McBride’s face these days, you can also see some fire in his eyes from the excitement that he has for being a head coach for the first time. McBride was recently named Ambridge High School’s new coach.
“I was chosen to be the coach because they felt I was the right person at the right time,” McBride said. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to make things right.”
McBride should know what makes things right in WPIAL football. The guy spent exactly half his life as an assistant coach with one of the most storied programs in the state. He has been an assistant coach for 32 seasons, but 29 were with the Aliquippa Quips. McBride is a 1980 Aliquippa graduate, a former Quip standout player who was an assistant under some legendary coaches — first Don Yannessa, then Frank Marocco and 21 years with Mike Zmijanac.
High school football
When Aliquippa let Zmijanac go after the 2017 season, McBride didn’t know if he’d coach much more, let alone be a head coach. He landed an assistant’s job at Hopewell for one season and then reunited with Zmijanac at Seton LaSalle for the past two seasons. When his long-time buddy, Zmijanac, retired after last season, McBride thought his coaching career might be finished also.
“I thought it was over, to the point where it seemed like I was at a standstill,” McBride said. “I was going to sit around and wait and see. I thought I’d just feel things out and see what happens. Then I got a couple phone calls from a couple Ambridge guys who were Aliquippa guys. They said a few Ambridge school board members were talking about me in some small talk. They wanted to know if I would be interested in Ambridge.”
As programs go, Ambridge and Aliquippa are about as different as 2 Chainz and Jimmy Buffet. They’re like in different worlds. Aliquippa has won more championships (17) than any team in WPIAL history. Ambridge has a grand total of one and it came 89 years ago. Ambridge has lost 23 consecutive games, is 1-44 in the past five seasons and has been outscored in those five years by a mere 1,903-198. Ambridge has won three games or less 16 times since 2000.
So, what in the name of Moe Rubenstein (coach who won Ambridge’s WPIAL title in 1932) was McBride thinking?
“At first, I called the godfather and asked him about it. I called coach Yannessa and asked him,” McBride said.
Yannessa, who coached McBride at Aliquippa and first hired McBride as an assistant, was Ambridge’s coach in the early 2000s and actually won two playoff games with the Bridgers.
“To this day, after you talk to Don Yannessa, he makes you think you can run through a brick wall,” McBride said. “Just his enthusiasm about everything. He said (coaching Ambridge) was something I should do. Then I talked to Mike (Zmijanac) and he doubled down on it. Those are two guys I have known practically my whole life. And I’ve learned a lot under three hall of fame coaches.”
McBride has heard the critics who say it’s practically impossible to win at Ambridge.
“Don even said, ‘It doesn’t matter what people say. You can only go up,’” said McBride, who played college football at Ohio University. “They’ve won one game in five years. So I can only go up. The challenge is what I’m looking forward to. With some of the coaches I have already brought in from Aliquippa, we’re not taking a look so much at what happened before. We think we can get something done.
“My main thing is to get everybody on board to what I’m trying to accomplish and that’s a winning attitude. That’s the thing right now that is missing. … One of the things that I said to my assistant coaches is do not put the word ‘can’t’ in these kids’ minds any more.”
McBride will continue to be Aliquippa’s track and field coach. Although Aliquippa doesn’t have a track, McBride has produced a number of WPIAL champs and Aliquippa’s 400 relay team has won WPIAL gold 13 of the past 16 seasons.
“I think I always wanted to be a head coach in football ever since I got the head coaching job with Aliquippa track,” McBride said. “I know they’re different sports, but you’re still the head coach. I thought if the gray fox (Zmijanac) ever stepped down I could maybe be the head coach. But that didn’t work out.”
Things finally worked out — just at a different school. McBride is encouraged what he has seen so far at Ambridge, at least in terms of interest. Ernest Genes will be his defensive coordinator and Ed Thornton the offensive coordinator. Both were one-time assistants and players at Aliquippa. Thornton was the quarterback of the 1991 Aliquippa team that won a state title with Ty Law. Lynwood Alford, another Aliquippa player and former Quips assistant, also will coach at Ambridge.
McBride said he recently had a meeting with interested players at Ambridge and 39 kids in grades 9 through 11 attended. Another meeting with interested eighth graders attracted 19 players.
“I was told they ended last year with 30 players,” McBride said. “We should have over 50. It will take some time. But the last two or three years their junior high teams were successful. I think there’s some talent over there. We just have to get them to come out and play.”
Go for it “Pap Pap.”