( From The Parkersburg News December 9, 2006)
PARKERSBURG — A role model. A father figure. A war hero. A Hall of Fame
athlete and coach.
Sam Mandich, who passed away early Saturday morning at age 89, was all of the
above.
Mandich was a legend at both West Virginia University — where he was a
standout football and basketball player — as well as at Parkersburg High
School, where he guided the Big Red basketball team to three state
championships before becoming the school’s athletic director for 11 years.
Mandich was one of Parkersburg’s most honored, humble and beloved figures. He
was one of the first persons inducted into the Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of
Fame, as well as the Parkersburg High School Athletic Hall of Fame. On Nov.
11, he was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame, his
last public appearance.
‘‘He was like a second father to me,’’ said Mike Hayden, who succeeded Mandich
as the PHS athletic director. ‘‘It was an honor for me to follow him as
assistant principal and athletic director. He was as excited about me getting
it as I was.’’
Hayden also had the pleasure of playing for Coach Mandich.
‘‘He’ll always be Coach Mandich to me,’’ said Hayden, who played baseball,
football and basketball for Mandich at PHS. ‘‘He was the quintessential
disciplinarian. If you see a picture of Sam Mandich, you immediately think of
honesty, ethics and integrity.’’
Hayden said Mandich cared a great deal about the young men for whom he served
as a leader.
‘‘His former players loved him,’’ said Hayden, the executive director of the
West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission, who is representing the
state at the National Federation of High School Athletic Directors Convention
in California this week. ‘‘Many of them wouldn’t make a major life decision
without seeking his advice. He was a master at handling young people. He
instinctively knew what buttons to punch. He knew when to hug you — and when
to kick you in the rear end.’’
When Mandich was inducted into the WVU Hall of Fame last month, many of his
former players were in the audience.
‘‘He was the man who led us and taught us in so many things other than
athletics,’’ said Larry Brothers, one of the many young men who had the
pleasure of calling Mandich their coach.
‘‘He was a role model to us,’’ said Bob Maxwell, a former PHS standout who
went on to be a successful coach in his own right. ‘‘I’ve coached 40 years and
I modeled everything I did in coaching — and in my life — after him.’’
PHS Principal Ralph Board described Mandich as ‘‘a pioneer in the coaching
profession. Sam set the standard for basketball programs. He was the first one
to have his athletes dress up in a sports coat and a tie. Sam was unmatched in
his abilities. He set standards for all other coaches to follow.’’
Mandich served as the Big Reds’ basketball coach for 18 seasons, leading PHS
to state titles in 1958, 1960 and 1970, the last time PHS won the state
basketball championship.
A quiet man, Mandich reveled in the accomplishments of others but seldom
talked about the many things he had done.
At WVU, he was the captain of the Mountaineer basketball team — for whom he
earned a letter for three seasons — and also was a three-year letterman for
the WVU football team. He was a member of the 1938 Mountaineer football team
that defeated Texas Tech in the Sun Bowl.
After graduation, he had the opportunity to play professional basketball in
Philadelphia, but turned that down to enlist in the U.S. Marines, where his
leadership skills became legendary. He commanded a company that was
instrumental in the battle of Iwo Jima, where Mandich was wounded.
One of his pleasures late in life was to attend the annual reunion of his men,
who relished being with him.
Mandich was proud of all the honors he received, but one in which he took
particular pride was the naming of the floor at Memorial Fieldhouse in his
honor. If you look at the midcourt circle, you will see the words ‘‘Sam
Mandich Floor’’ emblazoned around it.
Parkersburg High School got that idea from Duke University, which did the same
for its most respected basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski.
Frank Marcinko remembers the day he became the athletic director at
Williamstown High School. One of the first persons to offer their
congratulations and some sagely advice was Mandich.
‘‘He told me to never forget where I came from,’’ Marcinko said. ‘‘To always
try to look at things through the eyes of a coach. He was a great mentor and a
great man.’’
One of the funniest stories involving Mandich comes from another highly
successful PHS coach, Daniel ‘’Buddy’’ James. Seems that during his sophomore
year at the school, James walked onto the basketball court at Memorial
Fieldhouse to try out for Mandich’s basketball team.
‘‘Follow me,’’ the coach told him. Mandich proceeded to march James down to
the wrestling room, where he eventually became a state champion.
Mandich also has a scholarship named in his honor. Sponsored by the
Parkersburg High School Basketball Boosters, a grant is presented each year to
a Big Red basketball senior. The Mandich family has requested that in lieu of
flowers, donations be made to the scholarship fund. Donations can be mailed to
Parkersburg High School, ATTN: Sam Mandich Scholarship Fund, 2101 Dudley Ave.,
Parkersburg, WV 26101.