GOODBYE TO A LEGEND: Longtime Union Boys Basketball Coach Don Stemmerich, Who Won 638 Games, Passes Away at 91

RIMERSBURG, Pa. (EYT/D9) — He had a distinct way about him, a quiet demeanor that spoke volumes.

Don Stemmerich didn’t have to say much to get his point across. His players knew. His students knew. His Sunday School kids knew.

No one wanted to disappoint “Coach.” Everyone wanted to please him.

(Pictured above, Don Stemmerich waves to the crowd during Don Stemmerich Night at Union High School in December of 2014/File photo)

When his boys basketball coaching career was over at Union after the 1992-93, he had amassed 638 wins. That is third most in District 9 history.

Stemmerich, died on Wednesday. He was 91.

“The thing that stands out to me is his faith,” said Josh Meeker, who was a senior on Stemmerich’s last team at Union and went on to coach the girls basketball program at the school. He returned to the bench this season after a decade away. “He was actually the head of our FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), so it was important to me to see that side of him.

“On the basketball court, he was very soft-spoken,” Meeker added, “but you knew it when he meant business. He was what I would call a tactician. He was good at coming up with the best way to be successful. When we faced a team the second time around, you know we were going to be ready. I looked up to him a lot.”

Stemmerich was born in Pittsburgh on June 18, 1931. He attended high school in Wilkinsburg and played basketball in church leagues in the area.

But 6-foot-1 and skinny, he didn’t try out for the high school basketball team. Wilkinsburg had an enrollment north of 500 and Stemmerich figured he wouldn’t make the team.

A growth spurt pushed his height to 6-7 by the time he enrolled at Clarion State Teachers College to become an educator.

Clarion athletic director Waldo S. Tippin caught a glimpse of Stemmerich playing intramural basketball.

Tippin convinced Stemmerich to try out for the basketball team.

Stemmerich did and launched an impressive career on the hardwood, scoring 1,070 points between 1951 and 1953. When he left, he was the school’s all-time leading scorer.

His 22.5 points per game as a senior is still eighth in school history.

He was inducted into the Clarion University Sports Hall of Fame in 1991. He was voted into the Western PA All Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

Basketball wasn’t the only sport in which Stemmerich shined.

He was also a standout baseball player for the Golden Eagle and had a tryout in 1953 with the New York Yankees. He was drafted the same year by the Washington Bullets of the NBA in the 11th round.

Stemmerich, though, went to the Army instead of the pros.

After completing his service time in 1955, he was hired as a math teacher in the Union Joint School District and also coached basketball.

He was 638-288 in his career, leading his teams to nine D9 championships and 14 appearances in the PIAA playoffs.

In 1967 and 1974, Union was the state runner-up.

By the early 1990s, Stemmerich was certain he was going to call it quits soon.

Meeker was a junior in 1991-92, and — as his mom likes to tell it — she sat down and had a heart-to-heart with Stemmerich.

“He was actually thinking of retiring a little earlier than he did,” Meeker said. “I don’t know if this is just a story, but my mom says she begged him to stay at least until I graduated. It may not have been because of me or my class, but I’d like to think so.”

Meeker said much of what learned about coaching came from Stemmerich.

“I was blessed with the fact that I was coached by Mr. Stemmerich and I coached under Karen Davis,” Meeker said. “I mean, there’s two legends in the game. I got to see two different styles of coaching. It was such a blessing to work with both of them and be a part of what he did.

“A big part for me and how he influenced me and what I do now is he was into character building,” Meeker added. “To him it was more than just basketball. He was trying to create young men, strong men and not just basketball players.”

Stemmerich made an impression far beyond the basketball court.

In 1974, Stemmerich received the Rimersburg Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award.

He was the mayor of Rimersburg for a few years, taught Sunday School for more than five decades and was the leader of the Rimersburg United Methodist Church for 25 years.

Stemmerich was also a member of the Lions Club and American Legion Post 454. He served as the Chaplin in the Military Funeral Honor Guard.

“It’s bittersweet for me because when you care about someone, you want them to live forever,” Meeker said. “But you know that’s not gonna happen. He had such a good life.”