Mike Mastovich: Conemaugh Valley's Jacoby made his players winners on the field, in life

Feb. 10—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — When John "Jake" Jacoby became the head football coach at Conemaugh Valley High School in 1980, the Blue Jays program didn't have much experience in winning.

In fact, Jacoby inherited a program on a 27-game losing streak.

A tie at rival Conemaugh Township snapped the losing skid at 29 games, and a victory over visiting Homer-Center later in that 1980 season ended a 35-game winless stretch.

"Absolutely, you could see the change," said Randy Toth, a senior 1,000-yard rusher as a running back on Jacoby's first team. "It was a major move. The practices, when we were underclassmen, you could see what the culture was like and it wasn't very good. When Jake took over, he was very fair with everybody and gave everyone a chance.

"His philosophy for the game was great. He told us week in and week out that he knew it was going to come. We didn't know what it was like to win. He was the start of the change of the program up there."

By the time his Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame career had concluded, Jacoby and his staff had taught the Blue Jays plenty about winning — on and off the field.

The Conemaugh Valley School District recognized Jacoby's contributions on Thursday by renaming the football field in East Taylor Township as John "Jake" Jacoby Field at Thomas Yewcic Stadium.

"It's extremely humbling. It's a great honor," Jacoby said when he learned of the district's decision. "It's like any kind of individual award — it's never just about you. It takes a lot of people to be a part of it.

"The guys who coached with me, the players, the administration, the fans, the managers. A lot of people have a hand in an individual's success."

In 22 seasons, Jacoby's teams won 110 games and one district championship — the only football District 6 crown in program history. From 1984 through 2001, he led Conemaugh Valley to 101 wins and 13 winning records in an 18-season span.

His 1992 Blue Jays team set the standard for the program, going 10-2 and capturing the District 6 Class 1A championship en route to an appearance in the state quarterfinal round.

By comparison, Conemaugh Valley had only one winning season and 25 total victories in the school's first 14 football seasons from 1966 to 1979.

"I learned everything from him as the head coach," said current Conemaugh Valley football coach Matt Kent, who was a captain on the 1992 District 6 championship squad. "They basically taught us how to be men back then. It was a different style of football.

"He taught me what I'm trying to teach my teams," Kent added. "He was strict on discipline and work ethic. He taught me how to be a man outside of football. That's what I'm trying to do now with my players."

Thirty-nine years ago, the Conemaugh Valley field was named Thomas Yewcic Stadium in honor of the East Conemaugh High School graduate who starred in football, basketball and baseball for the former Iron Horses program. Yewcic played professional football with the Boston Patriots in the former American Football League and had a brief baseball career as a catcher with the Detroit Tigers.

A dedication ceremony was held on Oct. 6, 1984 for both Thomas Yewcic Stadium and baseball's Pete Vuckovich Field, named after the Blue Jays graduate who won the 1982 American League Cy Young Award.

East Conemaugh and the former Franklin High School formed the Conemaugh Valley School District in 1966.

"I've been a Blue Jay all of my life," said Jacoby, who played for the Franklin Blue Jays before the merger. "I was in the Franklin building. When we joined to form Conemaugh Valley, we were still Blue Jays."

Jacoby produced more than winners on the field. He also contributed to a healthy Conemaugh Valley coaching tree.

Kent, Toth and former head coach Brian Bair are among his former players who held coaching roles with the Blue Jays.

"Anytime I think of football for Conemaugh Valley, I think of him," said Bair, who graduated in 1984. "Playing for him for three years and coaching with him for about six years, I learned so much from him. I think of Mr. Jacoby anytime I think of CV. Tough-nosed players. Tough defense. Play the Power-I. You knew what you were getting."

Bair played on the 1983 team that helped set the table for the first winning season under Jacoby a year later, when the Blue Jays reached the 1984 Appalachian Bowl before losing to United.

"I was part of the program when we turned it around," Bair said. "My senior year, we started 1-4 and the last five games, we went 3-1-1 (to finish 4-5-1 overall). The next year they won the section and went to the Appalachian Bowl."

Jacoby credited his assistants over 22 seasons, but especially pointed to long-time coaches Tony Castiglione and Ray Conway, as well as Joe Slovensky, who was one of the head coaches in the program's early days.

"Joe Slovensky inspired me to get into coaching," Jacoby said. "He was my assistant coach years later. Ray Conway was with me for a long time. Tony Castiglione was with me for 18 years as a junior high coach and assistant varsity coach.

"A lot of kids who played for me later coached for me. The Bairs (Brian, Corey and Craig) and others. Other guys have been head coaches since I left, Danny Markiewicz, Brian Bair and Matt Kent."

Of course, Jacoby credited much of his success to the support of his wife Donell, who has been a member of the Conemaugh Valley Board of Directors for 30 years.

"If it wouldn't have been for Donell, this wouldn't be possible," Jacoby said. "It was important to have a wife who was so supportive."

That support was evident from the outset.

"The first year I coached was 1973 as an assistant junior high coach," John Jacoby said. "We got married on Saturday, August 18. On Monday, August 20, I was at junior high football camp. We had to cancel our honeymoon. I was getting paid the amazing amount of $250 for that season."