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Joe Tronzo

Sports Journalism ∙ Beaver Falls

It’s said that no man is poor who has friends. If that’s true, then Joe Tronzo was a very wealthy man. Tronzo amassed a wide range of friends and touched numerous lives with his words over the course of his 60-plus years as a sportswriter in The Valley, first for the News-Tribune and later for The Beaver County Times. And the subjects he wrote of were like a who’s who of the area’s greatest athletes and coaches, including the likes of Joe Namath, Joe Walton, and Larry Bruno.

Tronzo may have been born to be a writer, as he penned his first article at the age of 12 covering a Polish Falcons Track Meet. In 1942, as a senior at Beaver Falls High School, he enlisted in the United States Army, and spent two years in Germany during World War II writing for Stars and Stripes. Following his military service, he returned to Beaver County and joined the News-Tribune as a sportswriter. He spent 32 years with that publication, including the final 19 as the sports editor.

In 1979, the News-Tribune was purchased by The Beaver County Times. Tronzo then became a columnist for The Times, a position he held until his death in 1999. Even after his passing, Tronzo’s legacy lived on. He had several columns already written at the time of his death, which The Times ran for weeks after he left us. Today, at the end of every school year, The Times recognizes local high school student-athletes with "The Tronzo Awards", given for dedication to sports, an unsung hero or an inspirational player.

But Tronzo did more for local sports than simply write about them. Tronzo helped to organize many of the Little Leagues, Youth Leagues, and Booster Clubs in the Valley. He was also honored by many groups throughout the county for his dedication to sports and for his community service, including being named The Upper Beaver Valley Jaycees Man of the Year. He won several writing awards, and was also named an Honorary Letterman by Geneva College. Tronzo also helped form and was a charter member of the Executive Committee of The Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame. This year his name will be added to the institution he helped create. Tronzo’s career and life were dedicated to chronicling and honoring high school athletes in the Valley and singing the praises of Beaver County.

Tronzo was married for more than 50 years to Dorothy Koah Tronzo.