Longtime teacher, athletic director Tom Evans named 2024 Ferrante Award winner

By: Paul Schofield
Sunday, April 28, 2024 | 10:33 AM

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Tom Evans retired as a teacher and athletic director from the Yough School District in 2020.

But he really hasn’t stepped away completely from the high school sports scene.

Evans has been an event coordinator at Hempfield and remains on the WPIAL board of directors, most recently as the junior high representative.

Evans also has been a PIAA official for more than 38 years and has served on various committees with the WPIAL.

At Tuesday’s 68th annual Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete banquet at Ferrante’s Lakeview, Evans will receive the Michael and John Ferrante Memorial Award for his work promoting the sport and student-athletes.

“It’s an honor to be selected,” Evans said. “There are a lot of great people that have received this award, and to be mentioned with them is a privilege.

“I was just trying to do my best to help promote high school athletes and teams. I’d like to thank Yough, Hempfield and the WPIAL for providing me that opportunity.”

Evans called the late Paul Zolak his mentor. Zolak, who recently passed away, was an athletic director at Belle Vernon, Ringgold and Bethel Park.

Evans was the 2016 WPIAL Athletic Director of the Year and was given the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Distinguished Sport of Merit at the State Athletic Directors Conference in 2019.

“I didn’t consider being an athletic director as a job,” Evans said. “I felt it was a privilege.”

Evans has been a golf steering committee member, financial tournament manager of the wrestling committee, liaison for the football and soccer championships at Acrisure Stadium and Highmark Stadium, a member of the WPIAL Hall of Fame committee and member of the WPIAL board of directors.

He is a past president of the WPIAL Athletic Directors Association.

Evans also taught middle school civics for 36 years.

“I’m leaving with great memories at Yough,” Evans said. “I had two great secretaries in Ellen Kearns and Francine Huss, and I worked with a lot of great coaches at the school.”

Some of those memories included the softball team winning a WPIAL title in 2011 and PIAA championship in 2016 and the basketball team making the WPIAL championship game in 2005.

Evans, a Donora native, graduated from Ringgold High School and Cal (Pa.).

KDKA sportscaster Josh Taylor will be the guest speaker at Monday’s banquet, which also will recognize the Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete Excellence Award nominees.

The sponsors are Excela Health, Drs. Geoff and Greg Bisignani and Ferrante’s Lakeview.

JOHN AND MICHAEL FERRANTE MEMORIAL AWARD WINNERS

1984: Frank Buscanics

1985: James Weir

1986: Robert Rodebaugh

1987: John Bacha

1988: Donald Hall

1989: Henry Funk

1990: Lawrence Dalla Betta

1991: Frank “Patsy” Malpezzi

1992: Oliver “Ollie” Molter

1993: Howard “Huddie” Kaufman

1994: Gary Garrison

1995: Robert Van Atta

1996: Ralph W. Snyder

1997: Ronald Peduzzi

1998: Joseph Mucci

1999: Judge Charles E. Marker

2000: William “Bill” Abraham

2001: Joseph E. Pellis

2002: Bob “Spike” Melago

2003: Ralph R. Conde

2004: Bob Trautwine

2005: William “Bill” Priatko

2006: James “Jim” Farrell

2007: Dave P. McNichol

2008: Ron Firment

2009: Gerald Page

2010: Patrick Ratesic

2011: Raymond Zsolcsak

2012: Tom Traynor

2013: Bob Murphy

2014: Carl Davis

2015: Art Tragesser

2016: Paul Schofield

2017: John Sullivan

2018: Bob Kalp

2019: Lynn Jobe

2020: Ron Colland

2021: Chuck Tursky

2022: Roy Hall

2023: LaRoyal Wilson

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Hempfield, Yough