In 42nd season at J-M, Curtis gets final victory lap
JEFFERSON – Much has changed since John Curtis started coaching high school baseball.
There were no pitch counts for coaches to worry about, players wore stirrup socks, there were just two classifications in the WPIAL and only section champions qualified for the postseason.
That was back in 1981.
“And baseballs cost $35 a dozen when I started coaching. Now, they cost $85,” Curtis said. “We used to have a green duffle bag that we would carry around with 15 bats inside. Now, every kid has his own bat.”
What hasn’t changed through the years is Curtis is still producing fundamentally sound and highly competitive teams. That was proven Monday afternoon when Jefferson-Morgan defeated Jeannette 6-1 to clinch a WPIAL Class A playoff berth.
The game had some added significance. It was Curtis’ 423rd career victory, giving him one more than than former Peters Township coach Joe Maize. Curtis, 74, is believed to be the winningest high school baseball coach in the local area.
The other significant milestone is it was the final home game for Curtis. One of the most liked and respected coaches in the WPIAL, Curtis is retiring at season’s end.
There were many former J-M players who attended the game; some were there just to say thank you to Curtis for being a coach, friend and mentor. Some people even came bearing gifts.
“This is better than Christmas,” Curtis quipped.
Dave Bates was a former player under Curtis at Jefferson-Morgan and later was the head coach at Carmichaels, the Rockets’ arch-rival. That never got in the way of Bates’ respect for Curtis.
“John’s my best friend,” Bates said. “What stood out about John as a coach was, if you made a mistake he would never get mad at you. He would simply explain what you did wrong. He never made it personal. … You played hard for the guy because you wanted to get his approval.
“I remember the first time he spoke to me. It was my sophomore year in high school and I passed him in the hall at school sometime before baseball season. He said, “Hey, Bates, you better get that first baseman’s mitt oiled up.’ I thought, if John Curtis knows who I am, then I must be somebody. I felt 10 feet tall. John’s one of those guys who made you feel special as a player.”
Curtis was never an assistant coach at the high school level. He became a head coach in 1981 and has been at Jefferson-Morgan’s for all but three years since. He took a three-year hiatus to coach as an assistant at Penn State Fayette from 2004-06 but returned to Jefferson-Morgan in 2007. This is his 45th season as a coach at the high school or college level. The 2020 season was canceled because of the pandemic.
His 1986 team was J-M’s best. The Rockets finished third in the WPIAL in that year and qualified for the PIAA Class 2A playoffs, finishing fifth in the state. In the postseason, the Rockets defeated Charleroi, Beaver Falls and Riverside before losing to Fort Cherry, 5-4. Jefferson-Morgan rebounded to defeat Portage in the first round of the PIAA playoffs before losing to Ford City, 3-2.
Jefferson-Morgan was fourth in the WPIAL in 1995, 2001 and 2017.
“The key is we’ve had good kids, good parents, a good administration and I’ve had good assistant coaches,” Curtis explained. “And we always seemed to be competitive and win some games. We never had an 0-for season. I look back and remember coaching my kids here and their friends, and their friends now have kids who have come up through the system. It’s a cycle.”
A Carmichaels (1970) and Penn State University (1975) graduate, Curtis also coached golf at Jefferson-Morgan since 1990. He found success on the links, retiring from that job after this past season. He had multiple golfers qualify for the PIAA Championships and guided the Rockets to more than 200 match victories.
He also had a stint as the Rockets’ boys basketball coach and was an assistant football coach. For years he has helped at football games by being on the crew that operates the first-down chains.
Curtis retired as a teacher in 2012. He taught physical education and health. He also was Jefferson-Morgan’s athletic director for 10 years.
“Baseball is his love,” said Scot Moore, 62, the retired Jefferson-Morgan athletic director who played in baseball and basketball games against Curtis-coached J-M teams.
“John is old school, but the players toe the line for him,” Moore explained. “They come to practice and they listen to him. And believe me, John likes to talk, and teach and explain the game of baseball to them. They get it. He’s big-time old school, and he’ll never want to change that.”
The Rockets’ win over Jeannette came in vintage Curtis style. Jefferson-Morgan received a well-pitched game by John Woodward, who struck out nine over six innings. The defense caught two baserunners stealing, one on a pickoff at first base, and perfectly executed a rundown between home plate and third base. The Rockets also had a bunt single and stole five bases, then put an exclamation point on the win when Deakyn DeHoet hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning.
After the win, Curtis made good on a promise to his team. He ran a victory lap with them around the perimeter of the field.
“I’m just going to miss coming up here to the field,” Curtis admitted. “Some days we might not have practice but I’m here. I’ll sweep out the dugout, clean up things, I’ll paint the bases. Now, I’ll just have to go play golf.”