A Legacy of Friendship My Chance Encounter with Bill Priatko, and Why I Haven’T Let Go Ever Since by David Villiotti
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A LegAcy Of frIendship My chance encounter with Bill Priatko, and why I haven’t let go ever since by David Villiotti he bad news is time flies,” motivational speaker Michael Altshsuler once said. “The good news “T is, you’re the pilot.” I was not the pilot, though, on the flight from Boston on the night of October 13, 2006, carrying my then-13-year-old son and myself to Pittsburgh for our annual father-son Penn State-Steelers weekend. As we began our descent to Greater Pitt, the poignancy of time gone by was overwhelming. The bright lights of high school football fields dotted the landscape. I shook Anthony in the seat next to me, imploring him to remove his headphones and listen to his old man for a few minutes. “Look at those lit fields,” I said to him. “On every one of them, high school football players competing. That was me 25 years ago.” I paused:. “Wait. I mean 35 years ago.” “Cool,” said Anthony, having spared a few seconds, and back in went the headphones. .It had, in fact, been 35 years since I had last taken the field on a Western Pennsylvania Friday night. That was November 5, 1971, and the Swissvale Gold Flashes were visiting the Yough Cougars. My high school football career ended as it had begun on an early September evening in 1969, on the short end of a 7–6 score in Herminie. On Sunday of that weekend, less than two short days removed from my trip down Memory Lane on Friday evening, I was making my way through the concourse in the 500 level at Heinz Field. I sought a pre-game refreshment at the Yuengling stand as the kickoff for the Steelers’ clash with the Chiefs rapidly approached. In my haste to acquire last-minute refreshments, I man- aged to spy a familiar face, one I’d not seen since graduating from Swissvale High in 1972. “Bill Priatko!” I called out. Maple Street Press | 1 SteelerS HiStory One day short of his 75th birthday, Priatko still sported was 2–6 at the midway point that season—and that he’d had the linebacker’s build and moved with the athlete’s determined “a hard time concentrating on anything else.” gait. Priatko stopped in his tracks, flashed his trademark broad Yes, Priatko donned the black and gold, and he’s been smile, and recognized me instantly even though 34 years had forever proud of it. But he’ll also be the first to admit that passed since our last encounter. The coach of the ’71 Gold his NFL playing career didn’t amount to much. A self- Flashes hugged me and said that seeing me after so long had deprecating joke will probably be involved. In fact, Priatko made his month. was recently asked by an acquaintance if he was in the Pro Accompanying the former Pitt Panther, one-time Steeler Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. Priatko joked that (1957), and longtime coach and athletic director at both his shoulder pads are in the basement of the Hall of Fame, the high school and college level was his daughter, Debbie, honoring the player who had missed the most tackles in an her father’s long-time and equally passionate gameday NFL game. The acquaintance believed him. companion. Not present, but equally important to Priatko, What’s no joke, though, is that Priatko is a Hall of Famer was his high-school sweetheart, Helen. The two first met as in the hearts and minds of scores of young men who plied three-year-olds at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in the gridirons, baseball diamonds, and basketball courts of Braddock, and celebrated their golden wedding anniversary Western Pennsylvania during Priatko’s days as a coach and in 2007. They have another daughter, Kathy, and two sons, athletic director. Throughout our correspondence since that Daniel and David, both West Point graduates. David, a encounter, I’ve also learned that he’s made a Hall of Fame lieutenant colonel, recently returned from his fourth tour of impression on just about everybody—from his family and duty in Iraq. friends, to his former coaches and colleagues, to the local Bill is a zealous Steelers fan. He’s traveled all over the US media, and to the countless young adults he either coached or to attend all eight of the Steelers’ Super Bowl appearances. administered over the years. He drove cross-country in an RV with 15 friends for Super Bowl XIV in Pasadena. And as I learned after bumping into Growin’ Up his daughter at Heinz Field, he’s a longtime season ticket The five Priatko kids of North Braddock were raised by a holder who doesn’t miss a game unless he absolutely has to. mother who was widowed at 29. Young Bill was just six years “Once a Steeler, always a Steeler,” said Priatko. “You’re old at the time of his father’s passing. He attended Scott High part of a big family.” School and played football under Johnny Reed. Fran Rogel, I emailed him shortly after our chance meeting at Heinz. later of “Hey diddle diddle, Rogel up the middle” fame, was Priatko wrote back, apologized for the delay, and confessed an upperclassman star for Scott when Priatko began high that he had been “so upset about the Steelers”—their record school. The freshman Priatko described the elder Rogel, then a senior, as “my hero.” After attending rival institutions for college—Rogel at Penn State and Priatko at Pitt—they crossed paths again as Steeler teammates in 1957. Rogel was playing what turned out to be the last of his eight NFL seasons, all in Pittsburgh. He led the Steelers in rushing for five of his eight years with the organization, an accomplishment exceeded only by Jerome Bettis and Franco Harris. It was during the ’57 season when their lifelong bond truly formed. Priatko Photo this page: Bill Priatko recalled a comical incident later in their lives, long after their lone year together with the Steelers. “Fran and I drove up to take in the Pitt-Penn State game some 25–30 years ago or so. At the Pitt practice session the Bill Priatko remains in contact with Hall of Famers Chuck Noll and Joe Schmidt. previous Thursday, the Pitt equipment Photo on previous page: Bill Priatko 2 | www.maplestreetpress.com A legacy of Friendship Fran Rogel, a lifelong friend of Priatko’s and one-time Steeler, being honored at halftime during a game against Pitt. man, Boo Conner, gave me a bench pass for the game that guarding those and you can’t do that.’ The kid finally listened Saturday. After we parked and started to head in to Beaver to me and didn’t give it to Fran. Stadium, Fran says to me, ‘Come on up in the press box with “Fran always said he hated Pitt. I would say, ‘Fran, is me, Penn State gave me press box passes; [I’m being] honored it because they stopped you on the one-yard line in the at halftime.’ He didn’t mention this to me until then. I told Pitt-Penn State game of 1948?’ He said, ‘No, because Pitt him I had a bench pass and I would see him when he came recruited me by having me take a street car from North down at halftime. Braddock to Oakland to talk to me about a football scholar- “It was a cold day, probably 35 degrees. When Fran ship.’ He and I always had friendly barbs between each other came down at halftime, he only had on a sport coat and on the Pitt-Penn State games.” was shivering. I asked him, ‘Where is your topcoat?’ and he As Rogel suffered with Parkinson’s disease later in life, said he came down on the elevator from the press box and Priatko, and another long-time North Braddock friend, Rudy left his coat in the press box. I told Fran he was going to Celigoi, organized a testimonial in his honor. They wanted freeze, [because] the Penn State Blue & White band had 15 to make sure Rogel knew how much he had meant to all of minutes of their routine before Fran’s honoring ceremony. them before it was too late. Celigoi was Rogel’s line coach at A Pitt student manager was guarding the Pitt team warm- Scott and went on to become superintendent of schools in up capes that were on the bench. Fran turned around and Swissvale. Former Penn State and Packers linebacker Dave said to the manager, ‘Hey kid, give me one of those capes, Robinson, a key player on Vince Lombardi’s Super Bowl I’m freezing.’ teams, was one of the speakers. “Now, would you believe, Fran is going to go out in the “You know, Fran,” said Robinson, looking straight at middle of the field to accept an award from his alma mater Rogel from the dais, “When I was playing at Penn State, we with a football cape that has big Pitt Panthers on the back. all heard about you, how tough you were, and we wanted to I said, ‘Fran you can’t wear that, are you nuts?’ He said, ‘I emulate you. You were a role model for us.” don’t care, I’m freezing.’ He said, ‘Kid, give me that cape.’ I With Rogel’s health failing, he was visited in the nursing Photo: Bill Priatko said, ‘Son don’t you give that to him, you are responsible for home by Priatko, and the Pitt alum sang the Penn State Maple Street Press | 3 SteelerS HiStory Priatko feels fortunate to have played for Brown in Cleveland during his brief NFL career.