PRINT ONLY player reaction
As a teenager, Sean Lee said that he didn’t know Jim Render was molding him but he prepared the Dallas Cowboy for the future as he guided him through every adversity and challenge he faced in high school.
Jerry Bereotti, who played professional baseball in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, agreed, adding that Render was tough and demanding.
Such is the reaction of former players after their skipper announced his retirement after 40 years as head football coach at Upper St. Clair High School.
Though he put only Lee in the NFL, Render coached two other players with ties to professional football.
Doug Whaley was hired Nov. 8 as the senior vice president of football operations for the XFL. Prior to that, Whaley served as general manager of the Buffalo Bills.
Whaley helped USC win two WPIAL titles and one PIAA championship. He credits Render for his success as well as his work ethic.
“The most valuable lesson I learned from Coach was that working to accomplish a goal should be natural like breathing,” Whaley said.
“Coach held everyone to the same standard whether you were a starter or a backup. His expectations on how you worked or carried yourself, on as well as off the field, never changed.”
Whaley added that while he is saddened by Render’s departure, he noted that he raised the bar for future generations.
“Coach had a great run,” he said, “and he will be the gold standard for high school head coaches for decades to come.”
Meanwhile, Josh Helmrich met the retirement news with mixed emotions. He is happy for Render and his wife, Pam, because they can now “travel the world” and spent more time with their grandchildren. But Helmrich is saddened because he knows that when he returns to USC, Render won’t be “roaming the sidelines” and he will have lost a connection to the program.
Long before Helmrich became an executive in the NFL-he serves as director of strategy and business development-the Yale graduate gained his start as a ball boy for Render in 2000 and ended up being his quarterback. He learned quickly how tough, intelligent and old-school his boss was.
“If you screwed up, you best be prepared for a tongue-lashing,” added Helmrich. “He didn’t hold anything back.
“I feel incredibly blessed to have played for Jim Render. He unquestionably helped shape me into the person I am today, and I am better because of it. He instilled in us principles that have been beneficial in life. If everyone in the world focused on his “doing right” philosophy, I think the world would be a much better place.”
The Conwell brothers believe their world is a better place because of Render’s influence.
Dane was a member of USC’s 2006 PIAA championship team. He rushed for five touchdowns and 167 yards in that state final back in 2006. Today, he works in sales at FedEx.
Dakota played at Arizona and West Liberty, where he also earned a business degree. He is employed as an outside sales executive for Worldwide Express.
Both said that they were “proud” to say they played for Render. “It’s an end of an era,” said Dakota.
Dane pointed out how Render’s Panthers won against schools with higher enrollments than USC. He said that when the Panthers compiled a 16-0 record capped with a state title his senior season, USC’s male enrollment hovered around 300.
“That’s a testament to Coach Render,” Dane said. “He’s left an amazing legacy. He got the most out of his players and against all odds.”
While Dane recalls the “ear-to-ear smile” on his coach’s face after the Panthers won the 2006 state title, Dakota will never forget Render’s compassion. The 2012 graduate had broken his ankle in a semifinal playoff game his senior season. But Coach Render put him in for the first play of the WPIAL championship game the following week at Heinz Field.
“My fondest moments of playing for Coach Render were both a sad one and a happy one. When I told him my ankle was broken, he put his arm around me and told me that he loved me and appreciated all I had done. That was encouraging because Coach cared about me as a player and a young man. When I wasn’t supposed to play the next game, he gave me the green light to start,” Dakota said of the overtime loss to North Allegheny. “As a young kid to go to Heinz Field and play there was very special. So that meant the world to me. It was just one play, but my happiest memory.”