Under the Friday Night Lights at Old Sharon Tiger Stadium

Few things seem as important to Americans as sports, particularly football. In western Pennsylvania, football, both professional and amateur, remains a staple of our sports culture. Since 1899, Sharon High School football has been a mainstay in the Shenango Valley. Originally known as the “Yellow Jackets” until 1934, the Sharon High School football team played on four different fields until the legendary Sharon Tiger Stadium was built as a Works Progress Administration project. Head coaches like Dave Stewart and Jim Wildman made Sharon’s team famous. Undefeated teams in 1931, 1956, and 1966 and great players like Joe Bosco, “Rube” White, Dick Bestwick, Wally Jones, Frank Gitschier, Jim “Spike” Moran, Mike Sebastian, Jim Hubicz, Randy Holloway, Mike Connell, Teryl Austin, Mike Archie, and Marlin Jackson helped build a dynasty. Visiting players who displayed their talents at Tiger Stadium include Terry Hanratty, Joe Namath, Tony Dorsett, Mike Ditka, Hugh McGinnis, Randy Crowder, Lorenzo Styles, Andre Coleman, and the Saul brothers from Butler. Memorable crowds at the stadium came during the 1956 Sharon-Farrell game with nearly 10,000 spectators and the 1996 Sharon-Wilmington game featuring undefeated teams. These are the stories of hundreds of young men who pushed themselves to their limits, the coaches who pushed them to victory, and those who sat in the crowd cheering them on.

Anthony “Tony” Molinari turned an outstanding high school football career into a long and successful career in coaching. Molinari played football in Sharon from grades 7 through 12. He was a three-year varsity starter and letterman. He was co-captain of the 1959 Tigers squad and named to the Mercer County All-Star team in 1960. He was honored on the Farrell Press (Al Wolgast) All-Star team in both 1958 and 1959. He played for the West Penn All-Stars vs. the Allegheny County All-Stars in 1960. He was all-state honorable mention in 1959 and was named to the WPIAL All-Midwest Conference First Team at tackle. He played one year of football as a freshman at Purdue University. He transferred and graduated from Youngstown State University in 1965 and continued his post-graduate work at Kent State until 1973.

Molinari went on to an outstanding career as an assistant coach for 44 years at Warren JFK, Brookfield, Niles McKinley, Sharon, and Farrell. He also served as a track coach for three seasons. He has served as president and treasurer of the West Penn Football Coaches Association for 20 years and game site manager for the association’s annual All-Star Football Classic. Through the Classic he helped honor numerous local coaches and provide scholarships for many young football players. In 2012, he was inducted into the Mercer County Hall of Fame for his contributions to the community. He served on the Sharon City School Board for eight years and recently retired in 2021. Molinari’s love of football and the Sharon community inspired him to write the first edition of this book, Pads of Glory, in 2004, covering 100 years of Sharon High School football. The Sharon Historical Society is indebted to Molinari for this work on this project and his permission for the Society to complete this new, second edition.

Pages: 232

Publisher: Sharon Historical Society

Imprint: Shenango Heritage Press

Series: Sports

Publication Date: 14th November 2024

State: Pennsylvania

Trim Size: 8.5 x 11 in

ISBN: 9798988979425

Format: Paperback

BISACs:
HISTORY / United States / State & Local / Middle Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
HISTORY / United States / 20th Century
SPORTS & RECREATION / History
SPORTS & RECREATION / Football