A-K Valley legend Joe Stone, who helped Kiski Area, Pitt to championships, dies at age 70

By: John Phillips
Monday, August 4, 2025 | 8:57 PM

Previous Next

When it comes to telling the story of the 1976 Pitt Panthers national championship football team, the tales usually begin and end with the kid from Hopewell Township, Tony Dorsett.

The story that doesn’t get told is that a lanky, talented offensive lineman from the Alle-Kiski Valley named Joe Stone blocked for Dorsett. He not only opened holes for Dorsett to run through, but he helped pave the way for his historic run to a Heisman.

Stone, who also was a key member of the 1971 Kiski Area football team that won a WPIAL championship, died last week at age 70.

Stone’s football journey and place in A-K Valley lore goes back to that magical playoff run of the Cavaliers, as he was involved in two pivotal plays that led to the team’s title:

• During the 1971 WPIAL semifinals, the Cavaliers were facing a daunting opponent, Penn Hills, at Latrobe. This was the first time the WPIAL had allowed all undefeated, untied teams into the playoffs. Stone’s first moment of glory came late in the fourth quarter with the score tied 6-6.

In the 1970s, the WPIAL used what can only be described as an odd tiebreaker system to determine a winner if a game ended with the score tied. The rule was simple but bizarre: If a game ended in a tie, the team with the most offensive yardage would advance to the next round or be declared the champion. Penn Hills dominated for most of the game but could not take the lead.

Late in the game, Kiski Area got the football and started to drive. The Cavaliers managed to get the ball to the Penn Hills 8 and knew they had to score because Penn Hills clearly had more yardage. Stone was asked to attempt a field goal. He proceeded to kick a 25-yarder with 37 seconds left, eventually winning the game 9-6.

• The next week, against Thomas Jefferson for the WPIAL title, Stone again kicked a field goal that helped Kiski Area take down the Jaguars, 16-8.

Stone was inducted into A-K Hall of Fame in 1998, as was the 1971 Cavaliers team this past May. Tom Giotto was a quarterback on the 1971 club and spoke about Stone’s quiet character.

“He was our field-goal kicker and tight end. Not to mention he was my neighbor, and our families were very close,” Giotto said. “Joe was a big, quiet guy. He worked hard and made contributions with his play on the field. A multi-sport letterman. He played basketball and baseball. His brothers all played at Kiski Area. The Stones were solid citizens.”

Al Romano was an All-American nose tackle and teammate of Stone’s at Pitt. He called Stone a player who did all he could to help his team win.

“Syracuse had this quarterback named Bill Hurley, and they were always hard to play,” Romano recalled from his home in New York. “He was giving us fits. We didn’t anticipate his speed, and it drove us crazy. On one series late in the game, they drove to our 15, and on third-and-short we stopped them.

“They went for it on fourth down, and we brought Joe in because he was one of our biggest guys. I told him where to be, and as he walked up to the center, he yelled, ‘red, red,’ indicating they were running the exact same play. They didn’t pick up on it, and we stopped them. I was shocked they didn’t figure out we knew what was coming. I got the credit for the big play, but that was Joe who gave us the ability to pull that off.”

Romano said Stone was the strong, silent type during his time at Pitt.

“He was a quieter type of guy, but my crew — and Tony Dorsett was part of that group I ran in — we were a bit rowdier than most on the team,” Romano said. “I wish I would have stayed in touch with him more. He was a good teammate.”

St. Gertrude Church in Vandergrift will have a memorial mass for Stone on Aug. 22.

Tags: Kiski Area