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Unveiling the Court. Photo by Louis B. Ruediger | Leader Times

Ford City High School's basketball history was celebrated Friday night at Red Mihalik Gym. Armstrong School District officials and the Ford City Alumni Association renamed the surface Hube Rupert Court, in honor of the school's long-time coach.

The unveiling brought back a flood of memories from a time when Ford City was one of the state's top programs. Under Rupert, Ford City won 333 games and 11 section titles. It also made three WPIAL basketball title-game appearances during his 21-year tenure.

"This is the preservation of a legacy that's been a long time in coming," said master of ceremonies Ted Breuer, who played for Rupert. "He proved that successes in life are more important than successes in basketball."

Rupert died in 2006 at age 96.

"He would have been thrilled with tonight. He just loved this place," said his daughter, Judy Fink.

After he was elevated from assistant coach to head coach when Cornelius "Neenie" Campbell left for McKeesport in 1943, Rupert's first team finished one game behind New Kensington in the section race. Soon after the season, Rupert was off to the Navy, serving in the Pacific Theatre as a lieutenant junior grade. He commanded landing ship transports that carried tanks to Japan.

After the war, Rupert returned to lead the Glassers — as Ford City was nicknamed then — to the WPIAL title in 1948 and the state championship game, which Norristown won at the Palestra.

A starting guard on that team, Bill Englert of New Kensington, spoke of how Rupert got him into Penn State, where he was helped by a variety of scholarships and a summer job with the Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad. Englert's degrees led to a 38-year career with PPG Industries.

"Hube was a stickler for fundamentals that had us prepared for every game," Englert said.

Englert and a number of players stayed close with Rupert, whose coaching career ended in 1966, through the years, gathering each Aug. 22 for his birthday.

"He was my friend, my coach, my mentor," Englert said.

Ford City Alumni Association president Linda Weller distributed $1,000 scholarships from a fund developed in Rupert's memory to recent graduate Krystal Dudas and a founder's award to Tyson Klukan for community service.

Cheerleaders unveiled a court inscription on each sideline in the gym, which was built in 1938 as a Works Progress Administration project.

"My father always credited the principal, Mr. Marsh, for spearheading the gym project," Fink said. "And he was always thankful to him."

Coach Don Mains

FORD CITY — The Ford City High School Baseball Field will now be known as “Don Mains Field.”

At their regular monthly meeting on Monday, March 1, 2010, the Armstrong School District Board of School Directors adopted a formal resolution naming the ballfield after Coach Mains. Ford City Jr-Sr High School's baseball team plays home games at the baseball field, which is connected to the Ford City High School football field along Neale Avenue.

Mains was a coach and guidance counselor at Ford City Jr-Sr High School from 1965 to 1989. He served as baseball coach at Ford City Jr-Sr High School from 1977 to 1989.

In 1987, Coach Mains led the team to greatness as the baseball team won both the WPIAL and PIAA state championships.

The Ford City High School Alumni Association recognizes that Coach Mains is the only coach in the history of Ford City Jr-Sr High School to lead a team to win the state championship. Ford City High School has been competing in interscholastic sports since 1909.

“The naming and dedication of the field not only adds identity to the field, but it also will forever bring back memories of Coach Mains and the greatest era in the history of Ford City High School baseball,” said Bill Oleksak, Sr., of the Ford City High School Alumni Association. “It, hopefully, will act as an inspiration to our future teams that they, too, can reach that goal of playing at the highest level."

The Ford City High School Alumni Association initially asked the school board to consider naming the field after Mains. Coach Mains combined his knowledge of baseball with his skills as a guidance counselor to truly mentor numerous players to become great athletes and productive citizens, the alumni association said. One of Mains' former players, Dennis Harriger, went on the play in the Major Leagues with the New York Mets and Detroit Tigers, and the alumni association shared a story from Harriger in the initial request to the school board.

“I don't ever remember Coach Mains yelling at a player,” Harriger told the alumni association. “Instead, he would take him aside and explain the point. Coach Mains treated everyone the same, and it was an honor to play for him. He would give us words of wisdom.”

Coach Mains' record was 162 wins, 53 losses, had a winning percentage of 75.3 percent, and his teams won additional section titles in 1982, 1983, and 1988.

In addition to being a winning coach, Don Mains received his master's degree in counseling from West Virginia University, and his bachelor's degree in social studies from California University of Pennsylvania, where he also was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame.

This resolution and the naming of the field will be publicly announced at an upcoming dedication ceremony to be conducted by members of the Ford City High School Alumni Association. Final plans are still being made, but it is tentatively set for sometime in May.