After staring at Knoch, Allegheny, Nick Reiser set to join A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame

By: Mark Nitowski
Saturday, April 26, 2025 | 4:04 PM

Nick Reiser credits the success he had on the football field to being a “highly competitive individual.”

Reiser has a pretty good idea of where he picked up that inner drive to be the best.

“I grew up as the youngest of eight kids in a competitive household,” the 1993 Knoch graduate said with a laugh.

Reiser starred at Knoch and Allegheny College, playing on some of the best teams produced by those schools.

In recognition, the 50-year-old Freeport resident already has been inducted into the Knoch, Allegheny and Butler County sports halls of fame.

On May 17, Reiser will add the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame to the list, joining seven other individuals and two teams to be honored at the 54th awards ceremony at Pittsburgh Shriners Center in Harmar.

“Being included in any hall is a great honor,” he said. “It’s not just about the individual honor, which is really nice, but also about the teams and what they were able to accomplish. … Western Pennsylvania remains very strong (in sports) and has had some great athletes. It’s always humbling to be honored with those individuals.”

At Knoch, Reiser was a standout in football and basketball.

On the basketball court, the guard-forward earned all-section honors his junior and senior seasons.

But long-time Knoch fans most likely remember Reiser for his rugged play as a 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker and running back.

A three-year letterman, Reiser received all-conference honors in 1991 and ’92 and was a third-team all-state selection his senior year. Knoch posted a combined 27-10 record during his final three seasons.

“Even more than the games, a lot of my memories are of my teammates and the parents who were highly involved,” he said. “Our senior season was the first year that lights were installed at Knoch High School. It took a lot of fundraising efforts by the parents. I remember helping the parents install the lights, digging the ditches.”

Under the new lights, Knoch posted an 8-2 regular-season record and earned a berth in the 1992 WPIAL Class AAA playoffs. Back then, Three Rivers Stadium hosted the championship games.

“We had a goal going into our senior year to make it to Three Rivers, make it to ‘the house,’ as we called it,” Reiser said. “We had a picture (of Three Rivers) up in the weight room and used it as motivation.”

The Knights opened the playoffs with a 27-0 victory over Mt. Pleasant. In the semifinals, Knoch edged Montour, 3-0, at Butler High School to advance to Three Rivers. However, Blackhawk blanked the Knights, 20-0, in the championship game.

“The camaraderie of that team, working toward our goal, playing under the lights and getting to Three Rivers, even though we didn’t get the outcome in that final game, was really a special moment for me,” said Reiser, who led a defense that gave up seven points or fewer in 10 of 13 games.

Coming out of high school, Reiser decided to play football at Allegheny, where his older brother, Kurt, had just completed his collegiate career. As a sophomore, Kurt had helped Allegheny capture the 1990 NCAA Division III championship, catching the winning touchdown in the title game.

“I had some strong ties to the school,” Nick said. “In addition, Allegheny was a strong school academically, and at the end of the day it’s the education that is critical to long-term success.”

As an outside linebacker and defensive end, Reiser started every game of his freshman season with the Gators. He became just the third freshman in North Coast Athletic Conference history to receive first-team, all-league honors.

Reiser went on to earn All-America status his junior and senior years and made the All-NCAC teams all four seasons.

“I moved to inside linebacker my final two years,” he said. “I had a lot more freedom to make plays from there.”

Behind Reiser, Allegheny won conference championships in 1993, ’94 and ’96. In each season, the Gators advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs, before running into perennial national power Mount Union.

“We lost a total of five football games in the four years I was at Allegheny,” he said. “Three of those losses came in the playoffs to Mount Union. We had some really competitive games with them.”

Reiser finished his career as Allegheny’s all-time leader in sacks. He was named to the NCAC’s 20th Anniversary All-Decade Team.

A biology major at Allegheny, Reiser went on to receive graduate degrees in physical therapy from Chatham College. He is now president of Advanced Home Health & Hospice in Pittsburgh.

In an example of what comes around, goes around, Reiser and his wife, Jennifer, have a blended family with eight children.

He coached his son, Jacksen Reiser, and stepson, Zach Clark, while they played football for Freeport through the 2022 season.

“I had a great time helping to coach the defense and linebackers,” he said.

Reiser quit coaching to watch his twin daughters, Sydney and Kealey, compete in junior high sports.

“I refocused my time on the twins playing basketball and volleyball,” he said. “It’s just another outlet for me as far as my competitive spirit.”

If you’re going

What: 54th A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame induction

When: 7 p.m. May 17

Where: Pittsburgh Shriners Center, Harmar

Tickets: $40

For more information, visit akhof.com.

Tags: Knoch