Joe Hamilton Resigns As Blackhawk Football Coach

By: Bruce Markey
Tuesday, January 20, 2015 | 11:07 AM

In today’s world, only a few high school football coaches last more than ten years, let alone 39 years at the same school. That was the legacy of Joe Hamilton and the Blackhawk Cougars, but it came to an end Tuesday when Hamilton submitted his resignation.

In the almost four decades at Blackhawk, Hamilton’s teams won 295 games, four WPIAL championships including three straight in 1991-92-93, played for the WPIAL title nine times and made three trips to the PIAA championship games.

In 49 years as a head coach, Hamilton racked up a record of 342-170-11. He started his coaching career in 1966 at Midland at the age of 24, the Leopards won the Midwestern Athletic Conference in his first season. He moved to New Brighton for seven seasons, winning an MAC title in 1969. Hamilton moved to Hempfield for one season in 1975, where he went 4-4-1. Those accomplishments, along with an outstanding playing career at Geneva College earned Hamilton a spot in the Beaver County Hall of Fame in 1990.

Blackhawk had struggled in the last few years in the ultra-competitive Parkway Conference, missing the playoffs in five of the last six seasons. The Cougars have not won a playoff game since 2008, when they advanced to the WPIAL championship game.

Hamilton did go out a winner, the Cougars won their final game of the season, defeating Canon-McMillan 21-13.

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