Chartiers Valley graduates picked as NFL free agents
Should Christian Kuntz and Wayne Capers make the respective rosters for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers this NFL season, the people least surprised by this achievement would be their former coaches at Chartiers Valley High School. They have watched them weather the best and worst of times to mature into NFL prospects, as well as solid citizens.
“Those guys were great kids. They were good athletes but they were better people,” said legendary basketball coach Tim McConnell. “Nobody is more deserving of this opportunity than those guys. What they did for our program has been phenomenal and what they overcame to achieve the great things they did for us was amazing. Some way they’ll be on that roster when the season begins. They may be long shots but I tell you I would not bet against them.”
Neither would Chris Saluga. He coached Kuntz and Capers in football at CV.
“Sports is training for life,” said the former coach, who still is an English teacher at the high school. “Both athletes have overcome significant setbacks and returned as improved products on the cusp of professional careers. I am proud of their development as athletes and young men and look forward to cheering them on for many years on the football field and forever in their lives.”
Those lives could have been devoid of a potential professional career had it not been for their resilience and persistence.
As a freshman, Capers suffered the dreaded Lisfranc fracture, an injury of the foot where one or more of the metatarsal bones are displaced from the tarsus.
“Wayne made a remarkable comeback. They thought he would never play again but he worked real hard,” McConnell said. “He came back and helped us win a WPIAL title. Wayne always worked hard and battled back.”
So did Kuntz. He ruptured his spleen and missed his senior season of football. He was cleared to play basketball two days before the season started. He, as well as Capers, played alongside Philadelphia 76ers guard, T.J. McConnell, who helped the Colts win a WPIAL title and PIAA runner-up finish in 2010.
“Christian also had a severe injury but he took a chance, got clearance to play. It could have been devastating if he had gotten hurt. He talked his parents into playing. That tells you what kind of kid he is, what he is all about. It could have been devastating if he had gotten hurt but he worked hard come back. If all kids had his work ethic, then they all would be great.
“He and Wayne proved people wrong. Wayne was more athletic but Christian would never take no for an answer.”
That can-do attitude enabled Kuntz and Capers to realize their dream of being pro-ready. Kuntz will be part of Tampa’s rookie mini-camp this weekend. Capers, whose father, Wayne Sr. was a second round pick of the Steelers in 1983, will participate in Pittsburgh’s three-day rookie mini camp to be held next week.
“Christian is the ultimate competitor; confident and unfazed by difficult circumstances,” Saluga said. “He was at his best when his team needed him most. Wayne made his teammates better. His athleticism and game-day competitiveness aided him. He was the best athlete on the field in nearly every game.”
After passing for 1,044 yards with nine touchdowns and rushing for 330 yards and seven more scores, Capers, who was recruited to play basketball at the collegiate level, played defensive back at the University of Arizona. But he returned to his roots and played three seasons strictly as a receiver for Duquesne University. He amassed 2,187 all-purpose yards and scored 22 touchdowns in his career as a Duke. He earned All-Northeast Conference honors twice and played for a pair of NEC championship teams, leading the Dukes in receiving TDs both seasons.
“Wayne is arguably the greatest pure athlete to come through Chartiers Valley and has more potential than any athlete I ever coached,” Saluga said. “Spectacular big plays come to mind when remembering Wayne.”
McConnell agreed. “Wayne is extremely gifted athletically. He always worked real hard and battled back. I think he liked basketball better but realized football was his ticket. You knew he would have a chance.
“But when he goes to camp, they are all going to be like Wayne Capers. He has to outwork the others. It’s up to him to make the team but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he is on the roster. Knowing Wayne the way I do, I know he will find a way.”
Meanwhile, Kuntz found a way to become one of the best that DU has produced on the gridiron. In fact, he is the first Duke to earn All-American honors three times. He finished 12th in the voting for the 2016 Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the FCS Defensive Player of the Year. Kuntz was the conference career sack leader with a school record 30.5. He also was the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, twice.
“He turned out to be one of the best players that Duquesne has ever had,” McConnell said.
Saluga concurred that he was the “best all-around player” that he coached. “He could have played any position on the field with success,” he added. “Christian was the youngest of three brothers who played for me and was certainly molded by growing up in a competitive family. Additionally, he was supremely loyal to his teammates, coaches, and Charters Valley.”