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Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University
John Papa Interview
April 27, 2023
Bailey Library, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
Interviewed by Megan John
Transcribed by Lydia Snyder
Proofread and edited by Sara Dickensheets and Judy Silva
MJ: Alright, it is April 27th, 2023, and I am doing a Rock Voice's Oral History interview with
John Papa. Hi!
JP: Hello!
MJ: Now, first of all, could I get some biographical information, which is like your full name,
date of birth, where you're from, things like that.
JP: Okay. John Patrick Papa. I'm from--originally from Monroeville, Pennsylvania; graduated
Gateway High School [in] 1975. And then was a freshman here at The Rock in 1975; graduated
here in 1979. Came back for [a] graduate assistantship in 1984; was hired here to coach track and
field part time in 1985, and then over the next couple of years became head of men's and
women's track and cross country here at The Rock.
MJ: All right. And . . . let's see, what was your degree in originally?
JP: Good question. Elementary Education. I taught elementary school for four and a half years.
Yep.
MJ: And let’s see, so you were here--so it seems like you were here during the state college era
when you were a student?
JP: Right.
MJ: And the university era when you were a coach. So how did that change?
JP: Yeah, I don't know that, you know, from the outside it made any difference. I mean, I guess
internally there were some differences, but I never really saw them, or it never affected me
really.
MJ: And did the department you were hired into change while you were here. And if so, how?
JP: Yeah, when I first started--actually, I worked half time in Admissions and the other half
coaching. Because coaching wasn't considered a full time job. Kind of like in high school where
you have the teacher that coaches after school. That's kinda how Athletics was here at The Rock.
But it started changing in the mid-80s where, you know, with the unionization of the coaches and
everything, soon after gradually all coaches were just coaches, but there were still a few that
coached and taught some. But I think right now, I don't think there's any coaches that are
teachers as well.
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MJ: How long did you work in Admissions?
JP: I think about a year? Dave Collins was the director. Eliott Baker, you might have heard that
name, Eliott was in the office with me there. So, it was--it was fun.
MJ: All right. And then the rest, you were just coaching?
JP: That’s right.
MJ: All right. And what buildings did you work out of?
JP: The Morrow Field House is where all the athletic activity for me took place.
MJ: Okay. And so, your first impressions, what was it like here when you arrived as a student?
JP: Well, you know, I didn't know anything about college when I got here, so this was the only
thing I knew. So, I didn't have anything to compare it to. But as I, you know--after graduation
and getting to know more about other schools and other opportunities that other people had, and
the people that I knew, obviously, mostly were Slippery Rock people, but it seemed like Slippery
Rock had that pride to it. People were proud of having been here, having come to school here, of,
you know---most people thought it was a great place and a great place to be. And I didn't get the
same vibe, or I didn't get the same feeling when other people talked about their universities, they,
you know--it was just a university, just a place. But Slippery Rock was always more than just a
place. It was kind of a special place for the people that came here.
MJ: What was it like coming back to coach?
JP: Yeah, it was exciting! I remember as a teacher, knowing that I was going to take that
graduate assistantship, I was very excited to get back because I always loved Slippery Rock and
just being here felt like home. And people always say this, “People are real friendly at Slippery
Rock,” and it's true. You just walk around campus and you'll see there's always someone there
that’s going to say “Hi” to you or, you know, you drop something, someone's going to help you
pick it up, all that kind of stuff. So, I was excited about coming back, and I coached high school
track and taught elementary school and then having the opportunity, you know, my graduate
assistantship, part of it was track coach and part of it was also in the Athletic--or the Physical
Education Department. So being back in this atmosphere was exciting and I was happy to be
here.
MJ: All right. And what changes have you witnessed in that time? And are they for the better or
worse?
JP: Well, I mean, you know, every university kind of reflects society, right? Wouldn't you say?
And there are some things that have happened over the decades that are for--not necessarily for
the better. But I would say--and I always tell everybody that, you know, that ever asks me about
Slippery Rock, we changed quite a bit over the years, but we--in my opinion, we just got better
and better and better. You know, so many great things happened here. There were changes. But I
would say almost in every instance, it was for the better. The university grew. And I mean, right
now we're very strong. And it wasn't an accident. It was planned. It was, you know, good people
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made it happen. So, yeah, I think we've changed for the better and hopefully we continue to do
so.
MJ: Any specific changes for the better you can think of?
JP: Well, I mean, the new majors. I mean, the Engineering, you know, the health fields. Like
with the graduate stuff with the Physical Therapy, Physician's Assistant and then Athletic
Training and everything. You know, those fields have set us apart, in my opinion. Because I
know in recruiting, I was talking to the people, and I could see who wanted what and what was
most popular. 'Cause I talked to a lot of people, you know? I would recruit over a hundred people
a year or, talk to anyway, to try to convince them to come to Slippery Rock. And whenever we
instituted Physical Therapy, Physician's Assistant, Engineering, people--the students were--the
high school students were excited about those majors. And that, I think, set us apart. Even during
all that, we still kept our strong majors like our education areas and, you know, Physical
Education and Elementary Ed. And the Business Management, Marketing, Financing. And, you
know, just all the other majors as well. You know, we were--it was an easy sell. Slippery Rock is
an easy sell, for sure.
MJ: I agree. Now, what other campus activities did you participate in? Like if you were in
committees, things like that?
JP: Well, I'll tell you what, due to the fact that I was, you know, our teams were competing all
year long--cross-country, indoor, outdoor track--we were very busy. I mean, I honestly didn't
have time, you know, unlike some of the other coaches [who] would compete in only two to
three months a year, and then the rest of the year was for whatever. We were competing all year
long. We didn't have that down time for other stuff. So, you know . . . in order to keep my sanity,
I didn't extend myself in other areas that I would've had I had the time. So, the very long answer
is there wasn't much else other than track and cross country that I got involved in when I was
coaching.
MJ: All right. That's fair. Now, what would you consider your accomplishments at Slippery
Rock? Both as a student and as a coach. Because I've seen old Rockets from when you were a
student-JP: Yeah, yeah.
MJ: Decathlons and things like that.
JP: Running. Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, you know, we all measure success differently. I know
that I had a lot of success in terms of being a conference champion, All-American as an athlete
and all that kind of stuff. And then, you know, as a coach winning a whole bunch of
championships and whatever . . . that's one way to measure it. But I always had a different
opinion of that. ‘Cause I've seen people win and do great things in that regard without putting in
the effort, without doing the work. So, I always thought, you know, the hard work, working hard,
developing those habits, those life skills was definitely more important. It's hard to see that when
you're right on top of it. But fortunately . . . for myself I was able to realize that.
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Papa, John 4
And I know when I graduated from Slippery Rock University, as a teacher, I mean, I used all the
skills that I learned as an athlete, you know, hard work, endless hours. An I can do it attitude,
and all the other things that make you successful in anything you do. I learned in Athletics. And
then as a coach, I tried to teach that to the athletes so that . . . we won, yeah, that was great. But I
think many of the athletes carried a lot of those life skills to this day and have helped them be
successful in other endeavors other than track.
MJ: All right, quick aside, what does it mean to be an All-American athlete? I saw that term
thrown around a lot.
JP: Yeah, in our sport: track and field . . . when I was an athlete, the top six that qualify for the
national championships, you go there, and you finish in top six [then] you were named AllAmerican. Okay? So, it was hard. It was, you know, it was a narrow [laughs] narrow thing.
There weren't many All-Americans, over the years. And over the years in society as well as, you
know, through the NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association] and everything, even
though the NCAA doesn't actually award All-Americans, it's the coaches associations in each
sport that actually does it. So there is no [such] thing as an NCAA All-American, even though
people will tie those two together, there is not such a thing.
So, the coaches over the years, like now for example, the top eight are first team All-American
and then the next four are considered second team All-American. So, it's twelve now where it
used to be six. You have twelve people now that can claim to be All-American, whereas it used
to be six. So, in a reflection of society, there's a lot more awards now than there used to be.
There's a lot more like, for example, our Sports Promotion Department, okay, or Athletic
Communications they’re called, you know, if you look at the websites and the constant accolades
and the constant positive news that rolls out of those offices, it was never like that before.
And also when I first started coaching, there was no Coach of the Year Award. Okay? And then
when the PSAC [Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference] first instituted it, you know, the track
coaches said, “Nah, we're not in it for awards.” So for a long time, the track coaches were the last
coaches to get involved with the Coach of the Year Award. As a matter of fact, the PSAC
mandated that there will be a Coach of the Year Award for track, and initially there wasn't for
several years.
MJ: When did that get instituted?
JP: I--you know, I don’t know. I'd be guessing so I'd rather not do that. (12:36)
MJ: All right. Now, what were your best and worst moments as a student athlete?
JP: As a student athlete? I mean, you know, we won the national championships my senior year.
I finished second, myself, in the decathlon at that championships. And that was great. I mean,
that was neat. But since at the national championships, there were only about a dozen of us--our
team—there . . . our conference championships that we won as a team when there'd be forty, fifty
guys at the meet, it was more of a team thing rather than just a handful of guys. So, I always
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liked the conference championships. We called it the state championships when I was an athlete,
but that was always our highlight.
As far as the bad times, I don't--I really can't pinpoint anything in particular. I know--well, for
me, I know as the years went on, you know, I'm not really . . . I don't do really well with
technology. So [laughs] every year there was more and more that I was expected to do on a
computer. And every year there was another layer of something I didn't really understand what it
was or how to do it. Fortunately, my assistant, Bill Jordan and then Meghan Shattuck when she
was with me and then just lately, in the last couple of years, Tabitha Bemis, they would pitch in
and set me up and get me going. But I do recall quite a bit of frustration with trying to get those
things done and just not knowing how to do it, or not remembering, or couldn't figure it out or
whatever. I was not one--I learned how to type on a typewriter. Tick, tick, tick. You know, it
wasn't even electric, it was just a little hand thing. So things changed quite a bit. And I wasn't, for
whatever reason, able to keep up with it.
MJ: As a student, didn’t you get bits of pole vault stuck in your arm at a meet once?
JP: I did! I don’t know--how did you know that?
MJ: The Rocket.
JP: Oh, was it in The Rocket? I didn't know that. I guess I didn't read it. But yeah, my . . .
freshman year at PSAC Championships, I was pole vaulting as part of the decathlon and my pole
broke and pieces of the fiberglass went into my elbow, you know, and just various--in here
[points to arm]. And this was at Bloomsburg University and the Bloomsburg hospital is, you
know, right there, I mean, it was probably less than a mile from campus. So I remember going-one of the coaches took me or one of the . . . somebody took me, might have been the manager or
whatever. Went there, they took out the, you know, those pieces and bandaged me up and
everything. And I went back to the meet and I . . . the event after the pole vault is the javelin. So
I threw the javelin because it was--I'm left-handed--it was my right elbow that was messed up.
And then ran the 1500, which was the last event, and I ended up third that day.
MJ: Oh. [Laughs].
JP: So, it was pretty neat. But hey, one thing that you asked about what was different, when I
was on the track team, the men's and women's track teams were totally separate. There were
different coaches; we practiced at different times. We didn't--I know today pretty much all-many track teams, or most, they're combined. They have a lot of the same coaches, they practice
at the same times, they travel to the meets together, they go to the same meets or whatever. But
back then we didn't. We didn't--and it wasn't just us. It was just--that was the way it was in track.
When we had our conference championships, it was just men. There were no women there and
all of our meets were men only. Even the NCAA National Championships. It was men only. I
don't believe there was an NCAA Women's Track Championship in 1979. I didn't know what
that year was when they started NCAA championships for women. But I was before all that.
MJ: All right. And then what were your best and worst moments as a coach?
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Papa, John 6
JP: You know, coaches obviously winning is great and fun and getting--watching athletes do
having their personal best. We call them p-r’s, personal records. Having athletes set the high
goals and work hard to reach them and everything like that. And, you know we were, I mean, I
got a lot of enjoyment and a lot of pride and [was] proud of the athletes that were able to
accomplish things.
And worst? Again, it's [pause] I tried to always focus on the positive and the good stuff, so I can't
really think of a worst. But if I do, I'll tell you.
MJ: All right. Awesome. So when you came to campus as a coach who were like the leaders
there? The people who've been there forever?
JP: Well, Bill Lennox was the Director of Athletics. And Bill Lennox, when I was an athlete here
was the track coach. So he was track coach and then a few years later became Director of
Athletics. So he's the reason I came back. He invited me, “Hey, we have this graduate
assistantship. I want you to consider coming back and taking it.” And he said that Hopefully as
the years go on, we could work you into the coaching staff and all that. So, I thought that was a
good idea and--but I, as an elementary ed. teacher, I really enjoyed that, too. It was a great
challenge, and I had a lot of fun doing it. But coaching was like, Yeah, that would be awesome.
So Bill Lennox was the guy. He was my main influence here at the Rock.
MJ: All right, and then other people who influenced you and were significant, and why?
JP: While here at Slippery Rock?
MJ: Yes.
JP: Well . . . that's a good question.
MJ: Also, if you had any interactions with like deans, administration, things like that.
JP: Yeah, okay. Good question. [Pause] President Smith. . . .
MJ: Which one?
JP: Which one? They both had the same first name, right?
MJ: I think it was G. Warren and then Robert.
JP: Oh Robert! Yeah, sorry, Robert.
MJ: You’re good.
JP: But yeah, Robert, you know, he was around in the mid-80s, I believe, right? Yeah. And he
was pro-athletics, and he was a guy that was around a lot. You got to know who he was. I know
some of the presidents while I was here, I never really got to know, or got to see.
Well Dr. Aebersold when he was president, way back in the day. He was another--boy, he used
to--he was [pause] he was a referee for football, I believe. And a coach here, I believe he was a
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Papa, John 7
coach here and a Physical Education instructor back in the day. And I knew him. He was a really
good guy, and you could count on him.
So yeah, there were a lot of other--Bob Watson. Do you remember the name? You know who
Bob Watson is? They named the Watson Hall after him. He was a dean while I was here. Very
supportive of me. You know, I’d see him quite a bit. And he wrote a couple [of] books about
Slippery Rock. Right? Have you seen those?
MJ: Yeah.
JP: And I took some pictures--some of my pictures are in his book. If you take a look through it,
not his first book but his second book. A lot of the athletic pictures I took and gave to him.
MJ: All right. And then any other people like you who were students at first and then came back
as faculty?
JP: Yeah! Yeah. Ursula Payne, you know, Ursula from [the] Dance Department? She was on our
team back in the day. Okay. There's a guy named Seth Jenny. He's with . . . Physical Therapy--or
no, Exercise Science. I'm sorry Seth. But Seth is--was one of my athletes as well from back in
the day. Kim Keeley! You know who Kim is? She's in the graduate level--well, actually, Athletic
Training, it's only graduate level at this point. She's in Athletic Training and she was on the team
as well back in, way back in the day. (21:55)
MJ: Yeah. All right, and then major events or activities that happened while you were here. I
know--didn't you organize a decathlon or something like that with Bill Lennox?
JP: Well, we did. I mean, we've hosted the National Cross-Country Championships four times.
MJ: That’s what I was thinking of.
JP: Twice here on our property . . . and then once at Cooper’s Lake, and then once we were part
of this like Olympic-style festival thing that was held in Pittsburgh. We hosted the cross-country
championships down in Pittsburgh as part of Slippery Rock University. So we did that--we
hosted the WPIAL [Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League] Cross-Country
Championships for decades. And now with Bill Jordan, who's currently the coach, you know, a
lot of the reason we got that event here about five years ago was because of his workings, and his
communication, and his hard work.
We have the District Ten, which is up there in Erie and all that--all those schools, and the
Slippery Rock High School is District Ten. But we host District Ten, track, and District Seven,
which is what people track at our facility. Over the decades we've hosted, oh jeez, I don’t want to
say thousands, but I'll say very comfortably, say hundreds of indoor events at [Morrow] Field
House, outdoor events at the Stadium [Mihalik-Thompson Stadium], Junior Olympic things and
everything—camps, and everything. We've brought many, many thousands of people to Slippery
Rock that had never been here before through the events that we have.
MJ: Nice. What about national events with local impact, or building projects? Because I know
the campus kind of sprung up between the 70s and the 90s . . . . Anything that impacted you?
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JP: Well, I mean, the rec center [Robert N. Aebersold Student Recreation Center] was one more
reason for people to come here. In recruiting, we walk students around. And after we got that rec
center, that was one of the first places we took them, “Hey, check this out.” And everyone,
“Yeah, yeah.” So I can't say this for sure, but . . . I'll bet you could find out a lot of students came
here because of our rec center, for sure.
MJ: All right. And then other memorable events that you can think of . . . just throughout your
time here?
JP: Well, I remember the rock group Kansas. Have you heard of them before? Maybe?
MJ: I think so?
JP: Well, they were very popular. They were one of the great bands, you know, back in the 70s
when I was a student here. And I remember that they weren't scheduled to come here, except a
couple of days before they had a cancelation, or something happened somewhere. And all of a
sudden there were all these signs everywhere, “Kansas is coming” and the concert was done at
the University Union, and we all went there.
And the neat thing about that is, the next album that--or record back then (we had records)--the
next album that Kansas put out one of the guys in the band was wearing a Slippery Rock shirt in
the, you know, where you put the record into the sleeve and then stick it into the album cover. So
when you pull the sleeve out, you'll see the guys--their pictures. The one guy has a Slippery
Rock shirt on.
MJ: Nice.
JP: So that was pretty cool. We were kind of--that made us a little bit more famous than we
already were.
MJ: Yeah. How long has it been since you retired from here?
JP: I retired this past summer.
MJ: Okay, so what so far do you miss about being at Slip?
JP: Well, on my way here, I bet I saw five track athletes and . . . I just miss seeing the kids every
day, because it's always fun. You know, we kept a positive environment, and we did the best we
could to make it enjoyable. And so, I miss the athletes, just seeing them, talking to them and that
kind of thing.
And I've been helping the track coaches. We have hosted a couple of outdoor track meets this
spring, and I've been helping to set up and prepare the facility for the events and then working
the events too. We are hosting--Slippery Rock Track and Field is hosting the PSAC
Championships, second weekend of May. Coming up in less than a month. So, I'll be helping out
with that and helping prepare for it. And then when the event's here, I'll be helping with whatever
the coaches need me to do. I'll be here to do what I can.
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I kind of--I see the coaches often and talk to them: text, and email, and all that kind of stuff. I'm
still connected a little bit, but I'm not, you know, I don't try to impose my ideas or any of my
stuff. They're running free. And they're doing great, by the way. Track’s in a great place, and
some great things are happening, and the future looks really bright for them.
MJ: All right. And last question, any words of wisdom for current or future people at the Rock?
JP: Well, I'll tell you what, time goes by quickly. I mean, the older you get, the more you realize
that all those years went flying by and you don't remember how or why it happened. It's just--so
enjoy your time here. . . . Because your college days, for a lot of people, they'll say those were
the days that you had the most freedom and you . . . those kind of things. So enjoy your time here
and get the most out of it. Ask questions, develop relationships, and . . . all those kind of things.
MJ: All right. And then--oh! I lied there is one more here. How would you like to be
remembered?
JP: Well, I mean--I’d like to be remembered as, you know, a guy that worked hard. I mean--I
gave my best, for decades. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices. . . . And so, working hard and giving my
best effort. It didn't always work out 100%, but I always did my best.
MJ: All right. That's all I have for questions. Thank you very much.
JP: You got it.
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
John Papa Interview
April 27, 2023
Bailey Library, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
Interviewed by Megan John
Transcribed by Lydia Snyder
Proofread and edited by Sara Dickensheets and Judy Silva
MJ: Alright, it is April 27th, 2023, and I am doing a Rock Voice's Oral History interview with
John Papa. Hi!
JP: Hello!
MJ: Now, first of all, could I get some biographical information, which is like your full name,
date of birth, where you're from, things like that.
JP: Okay. John Patrick Papa. I'm from--originally from Monroeville, Pennsylvania; graduated
Gateway High School [in] 1975. And then was a freshman here at The Rock in 1975; graduated
here in 1979. Came back for [a] graduate assistantship in 1984; was hired here to coach track and
field part time in 1985, and then over the next couple of years became head of men's and
women's track and cross country here at The Rock.
MJ: All right. And . . . let's see, what was your degree in originally?
JP: Good question. Elementary Education. I taught elementary school for four and a half years.
Yep.
MJ: And let’s see, so you were here--so it seems like you were here during the state college era
when you were a student?
JP: Right.
MJ: And the university era when you were a coach. So how did that change?
JP: Yeah, I don't know that, you know, from the outside it made any difference. I mean, I guess
internally there were some differences, but I never really saw them, or it never affected me
really.
MJ: And did the department you were hired into change while you were here. And if so, how?
JP: Yeah, when I first started--actually, I worked half time in Admissions and the other half
coaching. Because coaching wasn't considered a full time job. Kind of like in high school where
you have the teacher that coaches after school. That's kinda how Athletics was here at The Rock.
But it started changing in the mid-80s where, you know, with the unionization of the coaches and
everything, soon after gradually all coaches were just coaches, but there were still a few that
coached and taught some. But I think right now, I don't think there's any coaches that are
teachers as well.
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MJ: How long did you work in Admissions?
JP: I think about a year? Dave Collins was the director. Eliott Baker, you might have heard that
name, Eliott was in the office with me there. So, it was--it was fun.
MJ: All right. And then the rest, you were just coaching?
JP: That’s right.
MJ: All right. And what buildings did you work out of?
JP: The Morrow Field House is where all the athletic activity for me took place.
MJ: Okay. And so, your first impressions, what was it like here when you arrived as a student?
JP: Well, you know, I didn't know anything about college when I got here, so this was the only
thing I knew. So, I didn't have anything to compare it to. But as I, you know--after graduation
and getting to know more about other schools and other opportunities that other people had, and
the people that I knew, obviously, mostly were Slippery Rock people, but it seemed like Slippery
Rock had that pride to it. People were proud of having been here, having come to school here, of,
you know---most people thought it was a great place and a great place to be. And I didn't get the
same vibe, or I didn't get the same feeling when other people talked about their universities, they,
you know--it was just a university, just a place. But Slippery Rock was always more than just a
place. It was kind of a special place for the people that came here.
MJ: What was it like coming back to coach?
JP: Yeah, it was exciting! I remember as a teacher, knowing that I was going to take that
graduate assistantship, I was very excited to get back because I always loved Slippery Rock and
just being here felt like home. And people always say this, “People are real friendly at Slippery
Rock,” and it's true. You just walk around campus and you'll see there's always someone there
that’s going to say “Hi” to you or, you know, you drop something, someone's going to help you
pick it up, all that kind of stuff. So, I was excited about coming back, and I coached high school
track and taught elementary school and then having the opportunity, you know, my graduate
assistantship, part of it was track coach and part of it was also in the Athletic--or the Physical
Education Department. So being back in this atmosphere was exciting and I was happy to be
here.
MJ: All right. And what changes have you witnessed in that time? And are they for the better or
worse?
JP: Well, I mean, you know, every university kind of reflects society, right? Wouldn't you say?
And there are some things that have happened over the decades that are for--not necessarily for
the better. But I would say--and I always tell everybody that, you know, that ever asks me about
Slippery Rock, we changed quite a bit over the years, but we--in my opinion, we just got better
and better and better. You know, so many great things happened here. There were changes. But I
would say almost in every instance, it was for the better. The university grew. And I mean, right
now we're very strong. And it wasn't an accident. It was planned. It was, you know, good people
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made it happen. So, yeah, I think we've changed for the better and hopefully we continue to do
so.
MJ: Any specific changes for the better you can think of?
JP: Well, I mean, the new majors. I mean, the Engineering, you know, the health fields. Like
with the graduate stuff with the Physical Therapy, Physician's Assistant and then Athletic
Training and everything. You know, those fields have set us apart, in my opinion. Because I
know in recruiting, I was talking to the people, and I could see who wanted what and what was
most popular. 'Cause I talked to a lot of people, you know? I would recruit over a hundred people
a year or, talk to anyway, to try to convince them to come to Slippery Rock. And whenever we
instituted Physical Therapy, Physician's Assistant, Engineering, people--the students were--the
high school students were excited about those majors. And that, I think, set us apart. Even during
all that, we still kept our strong majors like our education areas and, you know, Physical
Education and Elementary Ed. And the Business Management, Marketing, Financing. And, you
know, just all the other majors as well. You know, we were--it was an easy sell. Slippery Rock is
an easy sell, for sure.
MJ: I agree. Now, what other campus activities did you participate in? Like if you were in
committees, things like that?
JP: Well, I'll tell you what, due to the fact that I was, you know, our teams were competing all
year long--cross-country, indoor, outdoor track--we were very busy. I mean, I honestly didn't
have time, you know, unlike some of the other coaches [who] would compete in only two to
three months a year, and then the rest of the year was for whatever. We were competing all year
long. We didn't have that down time for other stuff. So, you know . . . in order to keep my sanity,
I didn't extend myself in other areas that I would've had I had the time. So, the very long answer
is there wasn't much else other than track and cross country that I got involved in when I was
coaching.
MJ: All right. That's fair. Now, what would you consider your accomplishments at Slippery
Rock? Both as a student and as a coach. Because I've seen old Rockets from when you were a
student-JP: Yeah, yeah.
MJ: Decathlons and things like that.
JP: Running. Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, you know, we all measure success differently. I know
that I had a lot of success in terms of being a conference champion, All-American as an athlete
and all that kind of stuff. And then, you know, as a coach winning a whole bunch of
championships and whatever . . . that's one way to measure it. But I always had a different
opinion of that. ‘Cause I've seen people win and do great things in that regard without putting in
the effort, without doing the work. So, I always thought, you know, the hard work, working hard,
developing those habits, those life skills was definitely more important. It's hard to see that when
you're right on top of it. But fortunately . . . for myself I was able to realize that.
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And I know when I graduated from Slippery Rock University, as a teacher, I mean, I used all the
skills that I learned as an athlete, you know, hard work, endless hours. An I can do it attitude,
and all the other things that make you successful in anything you do. I learned in Athletics. And
then as a coach, I tried to teach that to the athletes so that . . . we won, yeah, that was great. But I
think many of the athletes carried a lot of those life skills to this day and have helped them be
successful in other endeavors other than track.
MJ: All right, quick aside, what does it mean to be an All-American athlete? I saw that term
thrown around a lot.
JP: Yeah, in our sport: track and field . . . when I was an athlete, the top six that qualify for the
national championships, you go there, and you finish in top six [then] you were named AllAmerican. Okay? So, it was hard. It was, you know, it was a narrow [laughs] narrow thing.
There weren't many All-Americans, over the years. And over the years in society as well as, you
know, through the NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association] and everything, even
though the NCAA doesn't actually award All-Americans, it's the coaches associations in each
sport that actually does it. So there is no [such] thing as an NCAA All-American, even though
people will tie those two together, there is not such a thing.
So, the coaches over the years, like now for example, the top eight are first team All-American
and then the next four are considered second team All-American. So, it's twelve now where it
used to be six. You have twelve people now that can claim to be All-American, whereas it used
to be six. So, in a reflection of society, there's a lot more awards now than there used to be.
There's a lot more like, for example, our Sports Promotion Department, okay, or Athletic
Communications they’re called, you know, if you look at the websites and the constant accolades
and the constant positive news that rolls out of those offices, it was never like that before.
And also when I first started coaching, there was no Coach of the Year Award. Okay? And then
when the PSAC [Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference] first instituted it, you know, the track
coaches said, “Nah, we're not in it for awards.” So for a long time, the track coaches were the last
coaches to get involved with the Coach of the Year Award. As a matter of fact, the PSAC
mandated that there will be a Coach of the Year Award for track, and initially there wasn't for
several years.
MJ: When did that get instituted?
JP: I--you know, I don’t know. I'd be guessing so I'd rather not do that. (12:36)
MJ: All right. Now, what were your best and worst moments as a student athlete?
JP: As a student athlete? I mean, you know, we won the national championships my senior year.
I finished second, myself, in the decathlon at that championships. And that was great. I mean,
that was neat. But since at the national championships, there were only about a dozen of us--our
team—there . . . our conference championships that we won as a team when there'd be forty, fifty
guys at the meet, it was more of a team thing rather than just a handful of guys. So, I always
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liked the conference championships. We called it the state championships when I was an athlete,
but that was always our highlight.
As far as the bad times, I don't--I really can't pinpoint anything in particular. I know--well, for
me, I know as the years went on, you know, I'm not really . . . I don't do really well with
technology. So [laughs] every year there was more and more that I was expected to do on a
computer. And every year there was another layer of something I didn't really understand what it
was or how to do it. Fortunately, my assistant, Bill Jordan and then Meghan Shattuck when she
was with me and then just lately, in the last couple of years, Tabitha Bemis, they would pitch in
and set me up and get me going. But I do recall quite a bit of frustration with trying to get those
things done and just not knowing how to do it, or not remembering, or couldn't figure it out or
whatever. I was not one--I learned how to type on a typewriter. Tick, tick, tick. You know, it
wasn't even electric, it was just a little hand thing. So things changed quite a bit. And I wasn't, for
whatever reason, able to keep up with it.
MJ: As a student, didn’t you get bits of pole vault stuck in your arm at a meet once?
JP: I did! I don’t know--how did you know that?
MJ: The Rocket.
JP: Oh, was it in The Rocket? I didn't know that. I guess I didn't read it. But yeah, my . . .
freshman year at PSAC Championships, I was pole vaulting as part of the decathlon and my pole
broke and pieces of the fiberglass went into my elbow, you know, and just various--in here
[points to arm]. And this was at Bloomsburg University and the Bloomsburg hospital is, you
know, right there, I mean, it was probably less than a mile from campus. So I remember going-one of the coaches took me or one of the . . . somebody took me, might have been the manager or
whatever. Went there, they took out the, you know, those pieces and bandaged me up and
everything. And I went back to the meet and I . . . the event after the pole vault is the javelin. So
I threw the javelin because it was--I'm left-handed--it was my right elbow that was messed up.
And then ran the 1500, which was the last event, and I ended up third that day.
MJ: Oh. [Laughs].
JP: So, it was pretty neat. But hey, one thing that you asked about what was different, when I
was on the track team, the men's and women's track teams were totally separate. There were
different coaches; we practiced at different times. We didn't--I know today pretty much all-many track teams, or most, they're combined. They have a lot of the same coaches, they practice
at the same times, they travel to the meets together, they go to the same meets or whatever. But
back then we didn't. We didn't--and it wasn't just us. It was just--that was the way it was in track.
When we had our conference championships, it was just men. There were no women there and
all of our meets were men only. Even the NCAA National Championships. It was men only. I
don't believe there was an NCAA Women's Track Championship in 1979. I didn't know what
that year was when they started NCAA championships for women. But I was before all that.
MJ: All right. And then what were your best and worst moments as a coach?
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JP: You know, coaches obviously winning is great and fun and getting--watching athletes do
having their personal best. We call them p-r’s, personal records. Having athletes set the high
goals and work hard to reach them and everything like that. And, you know we were, I mean, I
got a lot of enjoyment and a lot of pride and [was] proud of the athletes that were able to
accomplish things.
And worst? Again, it's [pause] I tried to always focus on the positive and the good stuff, so I can't
really think of a worst. But if I do, I'll tell you.
MJ: All right. Awesome. So when you came to campus as a coach who were like the leaders
there? The people who've been there forever?
JP: Well, Bill Lennox was the Director of Athletics. And Bill Lennox, when I was an athlete here
was the track coach. So he was track coach and then a few years later became Director of
Athletics. So he's the reason I came back. He invited me, “Hey, we have this graduate
assistantship. I want you to consider coming back and taking it.” And he said that Hopefully as
the years go on, we could work you into the coaching staff and all that. So, I thought that was a
good idea and--but I, as an elementary ed. teacher, I really enjoyed that, too. It was a great
challenge, and I had a lot of fun doing it. But coaching was like, Yeah, that would be awesome.
So Bill Lennox was the guy. He was my main influence here at the Rock.
MJ: All right, and then other people who influenced you and were significant, and why?
JP: While here at Slippery Rock?
MJ: Yes.
JP: Well . . . that's a good question.
MJ: Also, if you had any interactions with like deans, administration, things like that.
JP: Yeah, okay. Good question. [Pause] President Smith. . . .
MJ: Which one?
JP: Which one? They both had the same first name, right?
MJ: I think it was G. Warren and then Robert.
JP: Oh Robert! Yeah, sorry, Robert.
MJ: You’re good.
JP: But yeah, Robert, you know, he was around in the mid-80s, I believe, right? Yeah. And he
was pro-athletics, and he was a guy that was around a lot. You got to know who he was. I know
some of the presidents while I was here, I never really got to know, or got to see.
Well Dr. Aebersold when he was president, way back in the day. He was another--boy, he used
to--he was [pause] he was a referee for football, I believe. And a coach here, I believe he was a
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coach here and a Physical Education instructor back in the day. And I knew him. He was a really
good guy, and you could count on him.
So yeah, there were a lot of other--Bob Watson. Do you remember the name? You know who
Bob Watson is? They named the Watson Hall after him. He was a dean while I was here. Very
supportive of me. You know, I’d see him quite a bit. And he wrote a couple [of] books about
Slippery Rock. Right? Have you seen those?
MJ: Yeah.
JP: And I took some pictures--some of my pictures are in his book. If you take a look through it,
not his first book but his second book. A lot of the athletic pictures I took and gave to him.
MJ: All right. And then any other people like you who were students at first and then came back
as faculty?
JP: Yeah! Yeah. Ursula Payne, you know, Ursula from [the] Dance Department? She was on our
team back in the day. Okay. There's a guy named Seth Jenny. He's with . . . Physical Therapy--or
no, Exercise Science. I'm sorry Seth. But Seth is--was one of my athletes as well from back in
the day. Kim Keeley! You know who Kim is? She's in the graduate level--well, actually, Athletic
Training, it's only graduate level at this point. She's in Athletic Training and she was on the team
as well back in, way back in the day. (21:55)
MJ: Yeah. All right, and then major events or activities that happened while you were here. I
know--didn't you organize a decathlon or something like that with Bill Lennox?
JP: Well, we did. I mean, we've hosted the National Cross-Country Championships four times.
MJ: That’s what I was thinking of.
JP: Twice here on our property . . . and then once at Cooper’s Lake, and then once we were part
of this like Olympic-style festival thing that was held in Pittsburgh. We hosted the cross-country
championships down in Pittsburgh as part of Slippery Rock University. So we did that--we
hosted the WPIAL [Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League] Cross-Country
Championships for decades. And now with Bill Jordan, who's currently the coach, you know, a
lot of the reason we got that event here about five years ago was because of his workings, and his
communication, and his hard work.
We have the District Ten, which is up there in Erie and all that--all those schools, and the
Slippery Rock High School is District Ten. But we host District Ten, track, and District Seven,
which is what people track at our facility. Over the decades we've hosted, oh jeez, I don’t want to
say thousands, but I'll say very comfortably, say hundreds of indoor events at [Morrow] Field
House, outdoor events at the Stadium [Mihalik-Thompson Stadium], Junior Olympic things and
everything—camps, and everything. We've brought many, many thousands of people to Slippery
Rock that had never been here before through the events that we have.
MJ: Nice. What about national events with local impact, or building projects? Because I know
the campus kind of sprung up between the 70s and the 90s . . . . Anything that impacted you?
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JP: Well, I mean, the rec center [Robert N. Aebersold Student Recreation Center] was one more
reason for people to come here. In recruiting, we walk students around. And after we got that rec
center, that was one of the first places we took them, “Hey, check this out.” And everyone,
“Yeah, yeah.” So I can't say this for sure, but . . . I'll bet you could find out a lot of students came
here because of our rec center, for sure.
MJ: All right. And then other memorable events that you can think of . . . just throughout your
time here?
JP: Well, I remember the rock group Kansas. Have you heard of them before? Maybe?
MJ: I think so?
JP: Well, they were very popular. They were one of the great bands, you know, back in the 70s
when I was a student here. And I remember that they weren't scheduled to come here, except a
couple of days before they had a cancelation, or something happened somewhere. And all of a
sudden there were all these signs everywhere, “Kansas is coming” and the concert was done at
the University Union, and we all went there.
And the neat thing about that is, the next album that--or record back then (we had records)--the
next album that Kansas put out one of the guys in the band was wearing a Slippery Rock shirt in
the, you know, where you put the record into the sleeve and then stick it into the album cover. So
when you pull the sleeve out, you'll see the guys--their pictures. The one guy has a Slippery
Rock shirt on.
MJ: Nice.
JP: So that was pretty cool. We were kind of--that made us a little bit more famous than we
already were.
MJ: Yeah. How long has it been since you retired from here?
JP: I retired this past summer.
MJ: Okay, so what so far do you miss about being at Slip?
JP: Well, on my way here, I bet I saw five track athletes and . . . I just miss seeing the kids every
day, because it's always fun. You know, we kept a positive environment, and we did the best we
could to make it enjoyable. And so, I miss the athletes, just seeing them, talking to them and that
kind of thing.
And I've been helping the track coaches. We have hosted a couple of outdoor track meets this
spring, and I've been helping to set up and prepare the facility for the events and then working
the events too. We are hosting--Slippery Rock Track and Field is hosting the PSAC
Championships, second weekend of May. Coming up in less than a month. So, I'll be helping out
with that and helping prepare for it. And then when the event's here, I'll be helping with whatever
the coaches need me to do. I'll be here to do what I can.
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I kind of--I see the coaches often and talk to them: text, and email, and all that kind of stuff. I'm
still connected a little bit, but I'm not, you know, I don't try to impose my ideas or any of my
stuff. They're running free. And they're doing great, by the way. Track’s in a great place, and
some great things are happening, and the future looks really bright for them.
MJ: All right. And last question, any words of wisdom for current or future people at the Rock?
JP: Well, I'll tell you what, time goes by quickly. I mean, the older you get, the more you realize
that all those years went flying by and you don't remember how or why it happened. It's just--so
enjoy your time here. . . . Because your college days, for a lot of people, they'll say those were
the days that you had the most freedom and you . . . those kind of things. So enjoy your time here
and get the most out of it. Ask questions, develop relationships, and . . . all those kind of things.
MJ: All right. And then--oh! I lied there is one more here. How would you like to be
remembered?
JP: Well, I mean--I’d like to be remembered as, you know, a guy that worked hard. I mean--I
gave my best, for decades. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices. . . . And so, working hard and giving my
best effort. It didn't always work out 100%, but I always did my best.
MJ: All right. That's all I have for questions. Thank you very much.
JP: You got it.
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