Ken Hi’s Frederick stood out as football player, longtime coach; joins A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame

By: Mark Nitowski
Saturday, April 19, 2025 | 8:37 PM

Don Frederick spent more than a half century in sports, first as a star football player, then as a long-time coach.

Looking back, Frederick said it was the people he met along the way who made the journey so special for him.

“The relationships that I built were unbelievable,” the 78-year-old said. “Even to this day, I’ll be out to dinner with my wife, Kathy, and we’ll see a (former) player who will come up and hug you. It’s just great.”

Frederick was a high school standout at New Kensington before playing college ball at South Carolina and Cal (Pa.). He then embarked on a 46-year coaching career with stops at Verona, Riverview, Leechburg and Valley.

Over the years, Frederick has looked on as some of his former players and coaching brethren — including Chuck Wagner, Bill Beebe, Ben Ederljac and Jake and John Cappa — have been welcomed into the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame.

Now, he’s ready to take his place alongside them as part of the Class of 2025, scheduled for induction during the 54th A-K Hall awards ceremony May 17 at Pittsburgh Shriners Center in Harmar.

“I’m not sure I belong with all of the other great athletes and coaches, but I really feel honored,” the Lower Burrell resident said.

A 1964 Ken High graduate, Frederick said it was an honor to just put on the pads for the Red Raiders.

“There was a lot of great history of success,” he said. “The school had teams that went undefeated and won championships. … We were basically a small double-A team playing against schools like Johnstown and McKeesport with twice as many kids.”

Frederick played tight end and defensive end as a sophomore, guard and linebacker as a junior and was a two-way tackle as a senior.

“In 10th grade, I was 6-foot and 200 pounds, which was big for that time,” he said. “By my senior year, I was probably 240.”

During the 1963 season, Frederick earned all-state honors as a tackle.

“The one thing that helped me throughout my playing career was that I was fairly quick and had pretty good speed for my size,” he said.

“I could keep up with the running backs and wide receivers for the first 10 or 15 yards.”

Coming out of high school, Frederick initially accepted a football scholarship to Virginia Tech. However, several A-K Valley players who were heading to South Carolina convinced him to switch to the Gamecocks.

At the time, college freshmen were not permitted to play varsity football. Frederick earned starting positions at offensive guard and defensive tackle on the freshman team.

“I liked it at South Carolina, but head coach Marvin Bass left after my freshman year, and I decided I really didn’t want to go back,” he said. “I was happy to return home.”

Frederick was searching for a new school when a childhood friend suggested that they room together at Cal.

“I had to sit out a year (of football as a transfer),” he said. “I was able to practice in the spring and earned a starting spot. I was a defensive tackle my sophomore year, then played offensive tackle my junior and senior years.”

An All-District selection as a senior, Frederick helped Cal (Pa.) win the West Division of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in 1968. The Vulcans were crowned PSAC co-champions after tying East Division champ East Stroudsburg, 28-28, in the title game.

“It was definitely a thrill and very exciting to end your football career in a championship game,” he said.

Fresh out of college, Frederick took teaching and coaching jobs at Verona. Two years later, Verona merged with Oakmont to form Riverview. As a result, Frederick became a teacher/coach in the new school district.

“I just loved sports, and coaching was something that I always wanted to do. But I enjoyed the teaching aspect, too,” said Frederick, who retired from Riverview in 1999 after a 30-year teaching career.

Frederick started coaching football under Jake Cappa at Verona. After Riverview opened in 1971, he directed the junior high football and basketball teams under Wagner and Jack Schmitt, respectively.

When Cappa took over as Riverview head coach in 1986, Frederick became part of a veteran staff that led the Raiders to tremendous success.

“We had some great teams with a lot of great athletes,” said Frederick, who served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. “We really won quite a few games.”

In the 1990s, Riverview was one of the WPIAL’s top programs, winning a total of 85 games. During the decade, the Raiders played in three WPIAL final in four years, capturing the 1997 title.

Frederick retired after Cappa stepped down as head coach following the 2002 season.

“I quit coaching for a year but realized how much I missed it,” he said.

Frederick returned as an assistant with Leechburg, before moving to Valley. He completed his long coaching career with a second stint at Leechburg in the mid-2010s.

“I was very fortunate to coach in places with excellent kids and not just athletically,” he said. “They were super kids who were disciplined and knew how to respond to coaching.”

Despite nearly five decades on the sideline, Frederick said he never sought out a head coaching position.

“I was never interested in doing that,” he said. “I enjoyed the aspects of being an assistant and interacting with the players.”

Frederick and his wife spend their winters in West Palm Beach, Fla. Though enjoying the warm weather, he said he was a little nervous about the upcoming A-K Hall induction ceremony.

“I’m trying to get my speech (for the banquet) together. It’s not something I’m crazy about doing,” he said with a laugh.

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: Leechburg, Riverview, Valley