Aliquippa school board to consider replacing football coach Mike Zmijanac

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, February 20, 2018 | 12:08 AM

The Aliquippa school board could vote Wednesday to replace football coach Mike Zmijanac after 21 seasons and 13 trips to the WPIAL finals.

Zmijanac led the Quips to Heinz Field in each of the past 10 seasons, but his coaching future will be in the hands of the school board. The action item on the meeting agenda says Aliquippa superintendent Peter Carbone will “advertise the position of head football coach,” if the nine-person board approves.

Carbone declined comment Tuesday.

“Per district policy, I cannot comment on personnel at this time,” Carbone said.

Reached Monday, Zmijanac declined comment on his job status.

“I have no idea,” he said. “Whatever you've heard, you need to talk to people who are involved in that. I'm not on the school board.”

Email messages sent Monday to board members via addresses listed on the school's website were not returned. The nine are Aileen Gilbert, Nicole Bible, Janice Cain, Catherine Colalella, Elverna Cuffie, Sandra Gill, Tina Price-Genes, Ezra Lowe and Maurice Cary.

Wednesday's meeting starts at 6 p.m.

Zmijanac also is Aliquippa's athletic director, a position the former teacher has held since 2000. He has coached the school's football team since 1997.

He ranks among the state's most successful active coaches with a career record of 237-36, six WPIAL titles and one state championship. The Aliquippa graduate was inducted into the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2016.

The Quips went 12-1 and finished as WPIAL Class 3A runners-up last season after losing to Quaker Valley, 2-0, at Heinz Field.

Zmijanac also coached Aliquippa's boys basketball team from 1996-2003 and won a state title in 1997.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.