DeLallo resigns at Bethel Park, Loughran retires at Fox Chapel

Brian DeLallo wants to be clear: He is not upset with anyone in Bethel Park High School’s administration. He had great affection for his players and said parents were extremely supportive of him.

DeLallo’s decision to resign as Bethel Park’s football coach has everything to do with himself and his family.

DeLallo resigned Thursday as coach after only four seasons. He had guided Bethel Park to its best season in more than a decade, as the Black Hawks went 10-2 and made the WPIAL semifinals for the first time in 13 years.

“I’ve been in football since I was 8 years old, so it’s going to be a little weird without it,” DeLallo said. “But it’s just the right thing to do for my family and myself. My health is suffering a lot. I need to get that straightened out before worrying about anything else.”

DeLallo’s resignation is one of two notable coaching moves in the WPIAL in recent weeks. Tom Loughran, who won WPIAL and state championships, retired as Fox Chapel’s coach. Between South Park and Fox Chapel, Loughran had been a head coach for 40 seasons.

DeLallo was forthright about the reasons.

“It’s nothing life-threatening, but it could become that,” said DeLallo, who has a wife and two daughters. “I was diagnosed with diabetes a couple years ago. I dropped 60 pounds, but I put on 25 last season and the other 35 this year. My blood sugar is bad. My blood pressure is high. I need a knee replacement.

I’ve already had one back surgery.

“This all stems from being overweight. With this coaching, you get so wrapped up in the competition that you become a slave for the prep work or getting ready to compete. If you get a half hour free, I don’t say, ‘I should go walk the track or get on the elliptical machine.’ I say, ‘I should watch more film.’ If I keep heading down the road I am, I’ll be 400 pounds and have a heart attack.”

DeLallo, who will continue as an economics teacher at Bethel Park, engineered quite the turnaround with the football team. The Black Hawks finished 0-7 two years ago, but lost in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals last week to Upper St. Clair.

Meanwhile, Loughran retired at Fox Chapel after eight seasons, but coached South Park for 32 years before coming to Fox Chapel. He and Mapletown’s George Messich were the longest- tenured WPIAL coaches.

Loughran was one of the most respected coaches in the WPIAL among his peers. He won 185 games at South Park and two WPIAL and two PIAA championships. He took over a Fox Chapel program in 2015 that hadn’t enjoyed much success in the past 25 years. Loughran’s record was only 25- 55 at Fox Chapel, but the Foxes made the playoffs three times and they won a playoff game last year.

In one other WPIAL football coaching move, Norwin’s Dave Brozeski resigned after nine seasons.