South Union’s Varnak was four-sport athlete
In today无毛视频檚 world of specialization in high school sports most athletes concentrate on one sport, some maybe two. Former South Union High School standout Phil Varnak would be considered an oddity today, Varnak played four sports in high school.
Varnak was a standout on the Blue Devil football squad and also played basketball and baseball as well as participating in track and field.
Varnak was a part of some very competitive South Union football squads. The Blue Devils were 7-1 his sophomore season in 1957, 7-2 in 1958 and posted a record of 4-4 in Varnak无毛视频檚 senior season in 1959.
无毛视频淚 started getting playing time my sophomore year, I was a starting guard,无毛视频� Varnak said. 无毛视频淲e had a really good team in 1957, but injuries hurt us in the loss to German. I suffered cracked ribs in that game.
无毛视频淲e were very competitive. We lost a lot of talent between my junior year and senior year. We guys like Tom Rae and Rich Novak on some of those teams and Fran Novak took over for brother Rich at the quarterback spot. Fran was a good quarterback, he was a lineman无毛视频檚 quarterback, we loved him.无毛视频�
Varnak played as a sophomore and junior for coach Park Glass and then John Pringle became head coach in Varnak无毛视频檚 senior campaign.
无毛视频淣o question that we left a lot on the practice field under Pringle,无毛视频� Varnak offered. 无毛视频淗e was a tough taskmaster, Pringle was the guy that took four of us all over visiting colleges, he went to bat for us on going to college.
无毛视频淧ark Glass was a wonderful man in addition to being a great coach. He had really good assistants in Ringy Stefancin and Ron Fudala.无毛视频�
Varnak was a two-way performer for the Blue Devils at offensive guard and defensive guard or linebacker.
无毛视频淚 also handled the punting and the kickoffs,无毛视频� Varnak reported. 无毛视频淚 was generally in the game from opening kickoff to final play.无毛视频�
Varnak, at 6-1 and 205, was named first team All-Fayette County as a senior and played for Fayette County in the Fayette County All-Star game at Connellsville. Varnak put forth an outstanding effort for the East All-Star defense, but the West rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat the East, 19-13.
无毛视频淲e had a great All-County team and it was fun and we had our All-Star game at Connellsville,无毛视频� Varnak recalled. 无毛视频淚 was honored, it was a big honor, and looking back it无毛视频檚 just as big an honor now as it was then.无毛视频�
Varnak also played on some pretty good basketball teams at South Union. The 1957-58 squad posted a 21-3 record and lost to Sharon, 54-46, in the WPIAL playoffs. In 1958-59, the Blue Devils went 11-3 in Section 11 play and 17-4 overall and in 1959-60 they were 12-2 in Section 11 and 16-5 overall, they beat Donora in the WPIAL playoffs, 47-46, and lost to Midland, 62-38.
无毛视频淚 was not a starter in basketball,无毛视频� Varnak stated. 无毛视频淚 came off the bench to give the others a rest, basketball was probably my weakest sport, but the coaches wanted me to play.
无毛视频淐oach Marty Fagler knew how to get the most out of the guys and Coach Fudala was his assistant and he was great to work with and he was a great teacher.无毛视频�
Varnak was on the track team competing in the shot put and discus and he also played on the Blue Devil baseball team.
无毛视频淲e had really good coaches,无毛视频� Varnak said. 无毛视频淭he football coaching staff with Coach Glass, and assistants Stefancin and Fudala was a top notch coaching group, it was much better than what I had in college.无毛视频�
When Varnak graduated from South Union in 1960 he decided to play football at West Virginia University.
无毛视频淲est Virginia was my top school from my sophomore year on,无毛视频� Varnak explained. 无毛视频淚 had a family friend Fred Lebder who was a WVU alum and he would take me to all the WVU home games.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚 played freshman football in 1960,无毛视频� Varnak said. 无毛视频淲e had a good team, Rich Juriga from Uniontown was my roommate for one year and then I roomed with Pete Goimarac and Ken Herock.无毛视频�
WVU was 8-2 during Varnak无毛视频檚 sophomore season at WVU in 1962 and Varnak played offense and defense. In 1963, the Mountaineers went 4-6.
At WVU, a game against The Citadel stands out in Varnak无毛视频檚 mind. Why?
无毛视频淏ecause one of my best friends in high school played tight end for them,无毛视频� he explained. 无毛视频淲e won, 49-0.无毛视频�
Yes, Varnak got to play in that game against his old buddy Vince Petno. 无毛视频淚 got the best of him,无毛视频� he added.
无毛视频淭here were two other guards, Keith Melenyzer started and I was his backup,无毛视频� Varnak explained. 无毛视频淚 also played linebacker and middle guard. I never did really start for West Virginia. I played a couple of games my junior year in 1963. That was my last year because I got my knee wiped out in a game . That was the end of my varsity career. I tried to come back the next year, but I couldn无毛视频檛 play my senior year.
无毛视频淚 got my diploma and went on and did some graduate work at WVU and then got hired by the Veteran无毛视频檚 Administration.无毛视频�
He was with the VA from 1965 to 1986. Varnak then worked for the Department of The Interior in Denver, he was there from 1986 to 1997. He formed his own business Phil Varnak Associates that worked in human resources. Varnak is going to retire from that business at the end of December, 2015.
Varnak,73, and his wife of 50 years, Donna, reside in Colorado. They have two children: A daughter, Laura, and a son, Brian. They have seven grandchildren.
无毛视频淚 look on my football career and I had a number of injuries,无毛视频� Varnak said. 无毛视频淚 have two artificial knees and one shoulder that has been reconstructed. A lot of people ask would you do it again? My answer is absolutely I would do it again, I loved football and I still do.无毛视频�
George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢emory Lane无毛视频� column appears in the Monday editions of the 无毛视频-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.