Sam Bechtel enjoyed his career in journalism so much that he remarked that "I never felt like I worked a day in my life".

A 1961 graduate of Beaver High School, Sam attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 1961 to 1965, where he worked for WDAD Radio, writing news and sports scripts and providing on-air analysis for IUP football games. Sam briefly worked as executive director of the Indiana County tourism bureau. Then, in 1967, Sam was hired as a one-person staff sports editor of the Indiana Gazette in Indiana, PA.

In February 1971, Sam left the Gazette for the Beaver County Times, and Sam transformed the Times' sports section into one of the best in the country for a publication of its size. Sam's journalistic know-how and vision helped him develop a sports staff that covered high school, college, and professional sports as never before in Beaver County. In 1978, The Associated Press sports editors named the Times the No. 1 Sunday sports section in the country for a paper of its size.

As sports editor for the Beaver County Times, Sam was the driving force behind establishing a nationally recognized sports section that set a standard for high school coverage, and he mentored many aspiring writers who became prominent journalists. "The most important thing I ever did, and I say this about all the jobs I had, was hire great people," Sam said. "I'm going into Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame because of all the people I had the pleasure of working with. I couldn't have done it myself."

Sam's staff at the Times included Beaver County Sports Hall of Famers Mike Bires, Ron Cook, Andy Nuzzo, John Perrotto, and Ed Rose. At the Times, Sam developed an internship program for promising journalists; among his interns were Jay Mariotti, who would later write columns for the Chicago Sun-Times and regularly appear on ESPN's Around the Horn; Bill Keenist, longtime member of the Detroit Lions' public relations team; and sports agent and Beaver County Sports Hall of Famer Joe Linta.

At the Times, Sam helped organize a fund-raising drive that raised thousands of dollars to help defray costs for Beaver Falls track star Candy Young for the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow.

Sam was the first Beaver County sports reporter to regularly cover the Pittsburgh Steelers. Over his career, Sam also covered the Pittsburgh Pirates, Beaver County high schools, the 1971 World Series, Super Bowl IX, and Super Bowl X. In 1984, Sam left the Beaver County Times to become deputy sports editor of the Pittsburgh Press. Sam stayed at the Press until it folded on December 31, 1992. In 1993, Sam returned to the Indiana Gazette, first as assistant managing editor and then as executive editor. He remained at the Gazette until he retired in 2004.