 |
 Success
started early for Mike DeChellis: at age 7 he won the Punt Pass and
Kick competition in Beaver Falls. Then in high school he won eight
letters in three sports: two in basketball, three in baseball,
and three in football. Although he hit .428 for the Beaver Falls
American Legion team (coached by
Gene Palka) that went to the state
finals in 1974, Mike was best known for his prowess on the gridiron.
A three year starter, he received All WPIAL and honorable mention
All State honors as a running back his junior and senior years, then
at
Westminster College, Mike lettered all four years and helped the
Titans win back to back National Championships his junior and senior
years. The Titans were 34-4-21 in Mike’s tenure with the team, their
four losses by a combined 11 points. Mike ended his diamond days as
a player in an American Legion State Championship contest, and he
finished his grid days in a National Championship game. After
graduating from Westminster in 1978, Mike accepted a job at
Blackhawk and coached on the football staff for eight years. He
became an offensive backfield coach for Geneva College in 1987 and
coached three All Americans and helped the Golden Tornados reach the NAIA
playoffs four times, earning Mid States Association Assistant Coach
of the Year honors in 1998. Mike also had an impressive career
coaching girls’ basketball at Blackhawk: from 1982 to 1998, he
amassed a 284-140 record and won two WPIAL championships. In the
1995-1996 campaign he was Pennsylvania Girls’ Basketball Coach of
the Year. He returned to coach the Lady Cougars from 2002 to 2005
and won section titles all three seasons. |
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