USC tennis players stroll down memory lane during reunion
Mike Unitech returns a shot during the doubles competition between the former Upper St. Clair tennis players during their recent reunion.
Upper St. Clair tennis players through the years pose with their coach, Richard Saccani, on the swimming pool steps. The steps were a significant part of the Panthers’ physical training in preparation for the season. Pictured from left are: (front) Greg Woodman (’76), Chip Chomyn (’86), Richard Saccani, Gil Davis (’76), Martin Sieckmann (’82) and Colin Clark (’91). Middle: Ron Wilde (’71), Oren Eschenasy (’87), Evan Rogoff (’90), Bruce Edwards (’68) and Gordon Edwards (’70). Back: Nimit Bansal (’88), Mike Sieckmann (’75), Todd Singleton (’84), Mike Unetich (’90), Kent Johnson (’90), Rick Rogoff (’90), Rick Unetich (’91), Dave Dye (’75) and Mark Sullivan (’76).
Bruce Edwards was one of the first to play tennis at Upper St. Clair High School and for head coach Richard Saccani. He and his brother, Gordon, captained the teams during the recent tennis reunion. The brothers own and operate Brookside Lumber in Bethel Park.
Martin and Michael Sieckmann pose with their former high school tennis coach, Rich Saccani. Under Saccani, Martin captured a PIAA state championship in 1982.
Todd Singleton
Richard Saccani chats with two of his former players, Gordon and Blaine Edwards.
Rich Unetich talks with Colin Clark while sitting on the pool steps at Upper St. Clair High School.
Homecoming arrived early at Upper St. Clair as alumni of the high school boys’ tennis team returned for a day of competition and fun with former head coach Richard Saccani. Many of the players arrived from out-of-state. Some traveled from as far away as Texas, Florida, Boston and Chicago to participate in activities filled with nostalgic moments.
“It was a remarkable day for me. Awesome,” said Saccani, who never had a family aside from the one he cultivated while at USC. From 1967 through 2001, Saccani taught math classes at Upper St. Clair High School. From 1968 through 1991, he served as varsity tennis coach. During his tenure, the Panthers captured six WPIAL team championships, the first coming in 1971. The Panthers also won titles in 1975, 1982, 1984, 1987 and 1990 under Saccani. The school has captured eight additional district titles from 1995-2007.
“It was never about me,” Saccani said. “It was about my players and the whole team. I’ve been blessed to know such good people, who have provided me with some wonderful memories. I thank God that he let me have the experience of letting these guys into my life. I love them and always will. I’d do anything for them.”
During their years at USC, the players did anything for their coach. Some of them won a lot.
Saccani coached several state and district champions. After winning back-to-back WPIAL titles, Martin Sieckmann earned the state crown in 1982. WPIAL doubles champions at USC under Saccani included: Chip Kalberkamp and Dave King in 1975, Bill Kopp and Chris Brown in 1986 as well as Dan Cooper and Nimit Bansal in 1986. After yielding to Oren Eschenasy and Mike McCormick in the 1986 state championship, Cooper and Bansal combined for the PIAA doubles title in 1987. Saccani also coached a pair of mixed doubles champions. Chip Chomyn and Lisa Warren won the 1986 WPIAL title and Scott Freund combined with Jenny Yago for the banner in 1986.
“It wasn’t how many wins and losses he accomplished,” said David Wolfe of Coach Saccani. “What mattered to him was our character. He wanted us to be successful in life and the fact that many of his players are now successful fathers, employees and upstanding citizens speaks volumes of him. He taught us pride in ourselves, play for school and community and not to let our teammates and team down and to do the right thing. My only regret in life is that my children did not have the opportunity to play for him. Hopefully, our actions today inspire others, too.”
After Saccani was inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame last October, Greg Woodman was inspired to action. The 1976 graduate, who resides in State College, organized the recent get-together. In addition to Sieckmann, Chomyn, Bansal and Eschensay, Gil Davis (’76), Colin Clark (’91), Ron Wilde (’71), Mike Sieckmann (’75), Todd Singleton (’84), Kent Johnson, David Wolf, Dave Dye, Mark Sullivan, Mike and Rick Unetich, Evan and Rick Rogoff and Bruce and Gordon Edwards returned for the reunion. They participated in activities, games and competition before enjoying a sumptuous supper at Peters Place in Bridgeville.
The celebration commenced with a doubles tournament at the tennis center on McLaughlin Run Road. After a round of golf on the Par-3 course near the courts, the group, which was divided into four teams, played mind games, participated in a home-run derby and two-on-two basketball games before moving to the high school track for relays and a field-goal competition.
The Red team won the overall championship. Gordon Edwards captained the team, which consisted of Gil Davis, Ken Johnson, Todd Singleton and Colin Clark.
Edwards and his, brother, Bruce, were two of Saccani’s first protégés. When asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding previous experience, Edwards wrote ‘a little in my driveway’ while another former player listed absolutely none, flooring Saccani, who was a standout player at California University of Pennsylvania. Edwards also related a story about his brother’s singles career. Saccani told Bruce that he could play the position but he had to beat him first. Saccani spotted the older Edwards five games and started the match at 40-love. Needing to win only one point, Bruce said, “I never played singles.”
“Coach certainly taught me about intensity, focus and determination,” chuckled the owner of Brookside Lumber in Bethel Park. “Coach also taught us more than tennis. He taught us about integrity.”
One way Saccani did so was by making his charges memorize soliloquies from Shakespeare. Some of the players in the group were still able to recite Polonius’ precepts for Laertes from Hamlet. “It’s about the way a person should be. About having character,” Chomyn said.
Clark agreed. An executive for an engineering company, he has two children, Stephen and Ava, who play tennis today. Clark said that tennis not only taught him about sportsmanship and losing graciously, his years under Saccani also taught him about hard work.
“We all turned out to be quality human beings and that’s testament to Mr. Saccani,” added Woodman.
Saccani also stood for commitment. He was not afraid to dismiss his stars when they broke the rules. “I have not had a coach that taught me more about life than the game. He did things for you,” said Bansal, who was not allowed to letter his freshman year because he missed practices due to a family skiing vacation. “The things we learned were pretty simple but not always easy to do. He taught us about respecting other people and caring about what you do. I am grateful to the team and him.”
All in the crowd were grateful for the labors they endured under Saccani’s rule, such that the festivities concluded with a nostalgic trip down memory lane at the high school pool.
The venue served as a pre-season training site for the Panthers. Through the years, they ran the long and narrow steps as part of their conditioning program. Saccani said running the pool steps came about because when he started coaching, they were still building the courts. “We had nowhere to go. The baseball team had the gym. We needed somewhere to train,” Saccani said.
Train, the Panthers did.
“We would run for an hour,” said Bruce Edwards, who graduated in 1968.
While Eschenasy swore the time increased to two hours and 30 minutes by the mid-1980s, a player nicknamed “The Hawk” holds the record. Because the chemical fumes affected his asthma, The Hawk ran on the second floor of the high school. When the team finished its paces in the pool, somebody would always summon The Hawk to rejoin the group. “Well,” admitted Saccani, “one day, I forgot.” The Charleroi resident remembered while driving home. Approaching Mononghahela, he turned around and rushed back to school. He found the janitor, who had the keys to the school. When they reached the second floor, they found The Hawk still jogging.
“It was all about conditioning,” said Edwards. “His work ethic is what you remember most about Coach Saccani. That and tradition and remembering who came before you.”
As the players ran, Saccani would call out names of past players. ‘This is for so-and-so,’ he’d say. ‘This is for the 1970 team.’ The players ran a lap for every school in the WPIAL. “We never realized how many schools there were,” said Bansal. “We had to memorize the alumni from 1968 to the year that we were in. The win/loss records.”
There was a method to Saccani’s madness. He wanted to prove to his players that they could go beyond what they possibly thought they could. If they could get through that wall, if they could keep pushing and break through, then they could get through anything.
Sieckmann said it worked. “We would never lose because we were out of condition,” said Sieckmann, who works for the largest nonprofit hospital in Texas. “Plus, if we could do this [the pool steps], we could do anything.”