×

Brooke inducts four to HOF

INDUCTED — Inducted to the Brooke High School Athletic Hall of Fame Friday in recognition of their accomplishments as athletes or coaches were, from left: 1987 graduates Don Koscevic and Jack Shaffer, Paul “Bud” Billiard and Anthony Paesano. (Photo by Warren Scott)

WELLSBURG — Drawing on their experiences and observations, the four inducted to the Brooke High School Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday reflected on the impact sports have on the personal development of youth.

Inducted to the hall of fame this year were 1986 graduates Don Koscevic and Jack Shaffer, and former coaches Paul “Bud” Billiard and Anthony Paesano. The four were guests of honor at a dinner before Friday’s homecoming game as well as during the contest.

It’s the first year former Brooke staff have been eligible for the honor, with Brooke County school board members noting Billiard’s outstanding record as Brooke’s head football coach and Paesano’s support of sports programs as the high school’s principal for 15 years.

Paesano also was a coach, heading the football programs at the former St. Anthony School, Canon-McMillan High School and Follansbee High School.

He said while coaching, he stressed to his teams the importance of hard work.

“If you’re going to play the game, you’ve got to have intensity,” Paesano said, while adding he also tried to get to know the players personally and bond with them.

Named All-Valley guard in 1946 and selected to play in the 1947 North-South game, Paesano also lettered in four sports his junior year.

Paesano — who also has been a school board member, president of the Follansbee Chamber of Commerce and mayor of Follansbee — said sports allowed him to pursue an education and career he might not have had when a chance meeting with John Rokiski, an All-American at Duquesne University, led to his receiving a football scholarship as a walk-on player for the school.

The son of Donald and Jean Koscevic, Koscevic was a defensive tackle on the Brooke football teams that won the state championship in 1985 and runner up in 1986.

He went on to play for Ellsworth Junior College in Iowa Falls, Iowa, a move he said allowed him to start in each of his four years; and from there to Western Illinois University, where he was on a team that advanced to the 1991 NCAA Dviision I AA playoffs.

His football career includes 68 wins and 17 loses.

Koscevic said he started playing football at a young age and through it, learned respect for coaches and other authorities.

“To this day, I still say yes sir and no sir,” he said, adding the tremendous support he and other Bruins received from the community was never lost on him.

“The best fans are right here in Brooke County. I played in front of the best crowd you could have,” Koscevic said.

A fellow teammate and graduate of Koscevic, Shaffer said of his four years at Brooke, “It was a great time and a great place with great people.”

Also a member of the 1985 and 1986 Brooke football teams, Shaffer set a Super Six Bowl record for the most interceptions and received many honors, including First Team All-State, All-OVAC, Player of the Week twice and was a Dapper Dan honoree.

Shaffer also was on the school’s baseball, basketball and wrestling teams and went on to play football and baseball at West Liberty University, where he played on two conference championship teams and pitched for a National Association of Inter-Collegiate Athletics World Series.

Shaffer also competed in basketball and wrestling while at Brooke and was an area, regional and national motocross champion.

Of his high school days, he said, “It was a great time at a great place with great people.”

Shaffer said he will always appreciate the support he received from all of his coaches.

Billiard headed Brooke’s football program for 23 years, leading the Bruins to as many playoff appearances, three state championships and seven OVAC championships. He finished that tenure with a record of 185-79-1 and with many honors, including West Virginia and OVAC coach of the year and the Ohio Valley Coaches, OVAC and West Liberty State College halls of fame.

He also coached wrestling and track at Brooke and Wheeling Central Catholic High School.

While a student at Wellsburg High School, he played football all four years and was team captain in one, and played baseball three years. At West Liberty State College, he was a four-year varsity letterman in football, playing on both the offensive and defensive lines and was named a captain, First Team All-WVIAC as an offensive lineman and First Team All-Conference as a defensive lineman.

“For many of us, sports has been our life,” said Billiard, who noted those who have chosen to share their love of sports with youth as coaches. He said while coaches often focus on teaching youth the rules and skills required for various sports, they often also teach about good character.

Billiard noted student athletes must learn to balance school work, games and practice.

“They learn to follow schedules and rules, and that’s what you face in life. It’s all about discipline and that carries you from year to year,” he said.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.73/week.

Subscribe Today