(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
(Photo/Beaver County Radio Files)

“You don’t name a football field after somebody if they don’t do a lot of things right, and it was a no-brainer for Western Beaver to name its football field in Rich’s honor.”

Rich Niedbala was the long-time head coach at Western Beaver from 1971 until 2001; winning three WPIAL titles in 1976, 1983, and 1994, and earning enshrinement into the Beaver County Sports Hall Of Fame in 1998. He was laid to rest on Tuesday following his passing at the age of 80 on July 8, leaving behind his name and legacy to football and education not just at Western Beaver…but all throughout Beaver County.

Bob Barrickman, Beaver County Radio sports director and fellow member of the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame (2008) reflected on the legacy of one of Beaver County’s best all-time coaches on the July 12 edition of A.M. Beaver County, and spoke to Matt Drzik about how Coach Niedbala’s persistence made Western Beaver such a successful program: “He just had a lot of solid football players, and he made them get better as time went along…he was the straw that stirred the drink at Western Beaver for many, many years.”

Western Beaver reached the pinnacle of Western Pennsylvania football achievement with three WPIAL titles in three decades, an achievement amplified by the ever-changing rosters of high school teams and–as the Golden Beavers would experience throughout the remainder of the 1980s–cold streaks that could demand changes from the school and community. “Basically the numbers were down and the cupboard was bare–there just weren’t enough good football players,” Barrickman remembers. “But then he (Niedbala) was able to revive the program…and once the 1990s kicked in, Western Beaver became a football powerhouse again.” The Golden Beavers won their third championship under Niedbala in 1994, and Barrickman feels that “if Rich would have stayed on board, it would not have shocked me if he would had won four WPIAL championships in four decades.”

Niedbala was honored permanently when the Golden Beavers named their football gridiron Rich Niedbala Field in Industry after him, a name that remains on the stadium to this day.

“For as long as high school football goes on in Beaver County, his name will certainly come up in the first sentence as far as all-time great coaches,” Barrickman added. “We’ve been blessed, but Rich Niedbala certainly deserves his name in that conversation. The guy was a true legend, and his record brought that out.”

To listen to the full conversation reflecting on the achievements and legacy of Coach Rich Niedbala, click on the player below.