Once
a Bobcat, always a Bobcat. Ed Snitger began playing for Beaver in
1957 and – save for a four year hiatus at Purdue University – stayed
with the school until his retirement in 1999. Sports success came
early for Ed: he made the Bobcat varsity baseball team as a
freshman, and by his senior year was team captain and All Section,
leading his team to the playoffs and throwing a no hitter against
New Brighton along the way. Ed was also a starting end on the Bobcat
football team that played for the 1960 WPIAL championship and was named All Conference as both an end and a punter, again
being named team captain. Ed also played basketball at Beaver, but it was
his prowess on the gridiron that earned him a scholarship to Purdue,
where he played end for the Boilermakers and caught passes from Bob Griese. Ed returned to Beaver and began coaching with
Pat Tarquinio
on some of the school’s best teams, including WPIAL title squads. Ed
stayed with the football team as defensive coordinator all 35 years
of his Beaver tenure and received a Pennsylvania Scholastic Football
Coaches Association Award for assistant coaches. Ed also managed the
baseball team, spending his first six years as an assistant, then assuming
head coaching duties for the next 28 years, with his teams compiling
more than 300 wins, five section titles, and one WPIAL championship.
Ed coached the first Beaver County diamond team to reach the PIAA
State playoff championship game in 1983, a squad that included two
future major leaguers (John Burkett and Doug Piatt). Ed was twice
named Coach of the Year in baseball. He was involved in the
Beaver County Baseball League, organizing, managing, and playing for
the Beaver Grays for eight seasons – making the playoffs and
winning the title each year (one of Ed’s players was
George “Doc” Medich).
Ed was inducted into the Beaver High School Coaches Hall of Fame.
Once
a Bobcat, always a Bobcat. Ed Snitger began playing for Beaver in
1957 and – save for a four year hiatus at Purdue University – stayed
with the school until his retirement in 1999. Sports success came
early for Ed: he made the Bobcat varsity baseball team as a
freshman, and by his senior year was team captain and All Section,
leading his team to the playoffs and throwing a no hitter against
New Brighton along the way. Ed was also a starting end on the Bobcat
football team that played for the 1960 WPIAL championship and was named All Conference as both an end and a punter, again
being named team captain. Ed also played basketball at Beaver, but it was
his prowess on the gridiron that earned him a scholarship to Purdue,
where he played end for the Boilermakers and caught passes from Bob Griese. Ed returned to Beaver and began coaching with