Lifelong residents Scott Breisinger, Tom LaFrankie honored by West Jefferson Hills School District Hall of Fame

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, July 27, 2025 | 11:46 AM

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Both men are homegrown products.

Both also are lifelong West Jefferson Hills School District residents.

Scott Breisinger and Tom LaFrankie were among the 17 individuals and/or contributors plus two athletic teams selected for induction into the WJHSD Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2025 was lauded April 12 at the WJHSD Hall of Fame banquet, presented by U.S. Steel and held at Georgetown Centre.

Breisinger, Joseph Dolata and George Wilson were chosen in the staff member/contributor/volunteer category; LaFrankie in the athletics heading.

Breisinger, a 1978 TJ graduate, holds a unique “master’s degree” in TJ history, as he’s followed the school’s athletic teams since the late 1960s with a particular focus on the football program. He has spent countless hours filming games and producing Hollywood-style season highlight films that are second to none.

“Being inducted into the TJ Hall of Fame is not just a personal honor, it’s a reflection of the love I have for this community and its people,” Breisinger said. “My love for TJ began at an early age attending high school football games and then expanded from there.

“Being part of TJ has enriched my life in ways I could have never imagined, and I hope that through my ‘Dutch Lane’ story others are inspired to embrace the richness of community, family and service.”

Breisinger’s wife, Denise, is a 1981 TJ graduate. Her maiden name is Schweitzer; she’s now an English teacher at the high school.

“This recognition is not just about me,” Breisinger said. “It belongs to my family — especially my wife and three sons — my friends and everyone who has supported me along the way. It reflects the deep bonds we have built and the commitment we share lifting each other up.”

The 2025 HOF inductee’s bio is undeniably impressive:

If it’s a Friday night in the fall, you’ll find Scott Breisinger on the sideline of TJ football games creating highlight videos that are cherished traditions. But that is just part of Breisinger’s decades-long commitment to the West Jefferson Hills School District.

Breisinger, who graduated from TJ in 1978 after a solid four-year football stint, recently retired from a distinguished career in corporate America, having worked more that 35 years in the consumer-packaged goods industry. Much of his time was spent at GlaxoSmithKline, where he played a key role in selling and marketing leading brands to retailers.

Breisinger regularly received high grades during his business career. He was an effective high-energy leader who could deliver solutions that consistently achieved corporate sales and profitability targets. And he was a proven consumer packaged goods specialist recognized for the ability to manage, market, plan, negotiate and execute objectives that strategically fit all customer requirements.

“I (was) relentless for results being a convenience, mass, grocery, club and drug COT consumer package goods expert,” Breisinger said.

At GlaxoSmithKline, he was responsible the entire GSK C-store portfolio worth more $60 million in annual retails sales.

Breisinger exceeded profitability goals annually and increased TUMs rolls distribution by 15%, winning the HBC New Item of the Year Award in the process.

Beyond his professional achievements, his passion for TJ, especially its sports teams, has been a constant. His highlight films — co-produced by his friend, Steve Colditz — capture not only the plays but also the vibrant pageantry of Friday nights at Jaguar Stadium and beyond.

As the founder of Jaguar Nation Films, Breisinger has expanded his repertoire to include basketball, cheerleading and even a drone tour of TJ and prominent landmarks. These films can be found on YouTube.

“One of my greatest joys has been creating the annual football highlight tape,” Breisinger said. “It’s more than clips; it’s the spirit of TJ in motion. The feedback from coaches, players and parents has reminded me that storytelling through film can preserve history just as powerfully as words. These moments I captured are now part of TJ’s legacy, and I’m proud to play a part in making sure they live on.

“I’m proud to have played a role in preserving the history of TJ through the different videos I have made over the years and just always supporting the academics, the arts and, of course, the sports. In 1988, I went into the high school and interviewed all the TJ teachers. Thirty years later, I pulled out that video and created a highlight tape. That one was fun to make. I’ve simply tried to give back to a community that gave so much to my family and me.”

Another of Breisinger’s crowning achievements has been carrying on the much-coveted Breisinger Award for TJ football.

The award was established in 1979 and named after former Pleasant Hills police officer Albert Breisinger. It is presented annually to a TJ senior gridder for hard work, community involvement and academics.

It is not the team MVP but goes to the player who best exemplifies the “character, courage, leadership and sacrifice demonstrated in the life and eternal spirit” of Albert Breisinger, whose high school football uniform number — 62 — is the only one retired at TJ.

“I did not start the award,” Breisinger said. “It was actually started by a person named Howard Miller, who owned Miller’s Hardware Store in Pleasant Hills. He had an award that was given out at TJ in the early 70’s and asked that it be changed to Alby’s name.

“I’m proud to be able to help carry on my brother’s legacy through the Breisinger Award, but I have to give credit to coach (Bill) Cherpak who has really made the award bigger than we could have ever imagined.”

LaFrankie is a 1970 TJ graduate who was captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams in high school.

LaFrankie’s leadership roles continued as he went into business after college, moving up rapidly in each company where he worked. By 1977, he was a partner in a major car dealership and continued to manage and own businesses until 2022. Over the years, LaFrankie owned more than 13 local businesses and employed more than 600 people.

“I was surprised I was selected as there have been so many great students, businesspeople and athletes as well as teams that have come out of the WJHSD,” LaFrankie said. “It’s been 55 years since I graduated, so I felt very lucky to be included. I’m presently running our 55th class reunion, so TJ was on my mind. Funny, when you’re class president in high school, you end up running reunions for years. Again, I felt quite honored after such a long time. It also was nice as my entire family and grandchildren were able to attend the dinner and hear some old stories about their grandfather.

“West Jefferson Hills School District was a very positive influence on me and has pretty much been the same all these years. For my kids and now with 10 of my grandchildren in the school district, it continues on. A great All-American type community with excellent traditions and fantastic standards that also is becoming even more diverse as we have many new residents from all over joining in. It’s just going to get better and better.”

LaFrankie, who is a cancer survivor, could be categorized as being “well rounded” as a student-athlete at TJ.

“I was very lucky to do all of the things I did in high school, but I also worked really hard,” he said. “I knew I needed to get good grades in order to get a scholarship as well as work really hard at athletics and participate in school activities, so I pretty much went full bore.

“Student council, class officer, football, baseball, basketball, even the dance band for several years, as well as local borough youth programs. I was into it all and had so many good friends along the way.”

In the community, LaFrankie’s most important charitable venture was the Benson Lincoln “Driven to Give” program.

LaFrankie participated in more than 80 events and donated more than $1 million to schools and groups. There were more than 20 events held in West Jefferson Hills with more than $200,000 in donations.

“My friends (at TJ) pretty much were other students that were nice and good human beings and liked helping others,” LaFrankie said. “We did some youth programs in Pleasant Hills that were the first of their kind in the community.

“I also worked hard with great friends and co-workers and was able to contribute to many local charities, schools, hospitals, fire departments, libraries and other good places through my businesses and through personal involvement with them.”

LaFrankie received several prestigious awards during his football career at TJ. He was named all-state and was the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year. He landed more than a dozen college offers for football before opting for Temple.

His most revered honor may have been his selection into the National Football League Foundation Student Hall of Fame.

“It was a student-athlete program that was the highest honor you could achieve at the time,” LaFrankie said. “They held it at the all-new Three Rivers Stadium Event Center with many political leaders in attendance, as well as John Galbreath, owner of the Pirates, and Art Rooney, owner of the Steelers. It was a big night, and coach (Bap) Manzini gave a nice little speech about my leadership, so it was a real honor.

“Some of my other really good memories include winning football championships all three years. But the biggest memory is still with me. I met my wife (Nancy Puckett) at TJ. She moved to Pittsburgh from Louisville as a junior and we’ve been together ever since. Four years of dating — even attending different universities — 53 years of marriage, four great kids with nice spouses and 13 grandkids, all within two miles. That is the best memory of all.”

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