Jun 3, 2015 4 min read

Few athletic programs in the WPIAL are looked upon with as much envy as Monessen boys basketball.

Since Joe Salvino took over the program 31 years ago, the black and white has been synonymous with winning, and the pride of the once-thriving steel town that rests on the Monongahela River.

With five WPIAL championships, almost 600 career victories and two state titles, Salvino’s accolades at the small school speak for themselves. His reputation as a stern disciplinarian and a positive role model for his players carries weight with opposing coaches and district administrators, as well.

That reputation made him an ideal candidate once the Monessen School Board opened the varsity football coaching job in mid-April. When the discussion began regarding potential replacements, Dr. Leanne Spazak immediately thought of Salvino.

Spazak, along with a few board members, approached Salvino to gauge his interest. As soon as he heard that they approved of him coaching both sports, Salvino applied.

Salvino, who played high school football at Monessen and spent 26 years as an assistant football coach in the district, was approved as the Greyhounds’ next football coach at Tuesday night’s board meeting by a 7-1 vote.

“I’m sure there are people who are surprised, and to be honest with you I’m one of them,” Salvino joked. “It happened so sudden. I started to get concerned with who might get this job. I didn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands and that it wouldn’t go in the right direction.

They assured me that I could coach both sports and they felt the way I run my basketball program is the way they wanted the football program to be run.”

The 64-year-old replaces Andy Pacak, whose job was opened after 11 seasons and five conference titles. Monessen missed the WPIAL playoffs last fall with a 4-5 record and was forced to forfeit those four wins in March when it was discovered the Greyhounds used two ineligible players.

There was a time when Salvino was not sure if he would even coach basketball again. In the spring of 2013, he was diagnosed with cancer.

Treatment and rest paved way for a clean diagnosis. Now, he only has to visit the doctor once every six months. Before deciding to apply, Salvino needed to make sure he had a strong, veteran coaching staff in place and that his wife, Toni Lynn, approved.

Former Belle Vernon, Yough and Hempfield head coach Gary Dongilli agreed to serve as offensive coordinator, and will help Salvino begin off-season conditioning as soon as Monday. Former Monessen and Belle Vernon assistant Tom Thompson was another key addition.

“I thought they would definitely good people to be around me,” Salvino said. “I feel that a head coach needs the best possible people around them to be successful. If those people weren’t going to be on board then I wouldn’t be involved.”

Heat acclimation for WPIAL football will begin Aug. 10 with the Greyhounds’ first practice one week later. They will kick off the 2015 season Sept 4 at home against Greensburg Central Catholic. There is little time to prepare, but Salvino is confident that with a veteran staff, success is reachable for Monessen football.

“My philosophy is going to be the same. We’re going to have to have discipline about ourselves on and off the field,” Salvino said. “We’re going to have to do what we have to do in school to be eligible and we’re going to work as hard as we possibly can. The kids are going to have to be respectable. None of that will change.”

Winning the program’s first WPIAL championship since 1961 tops the list of goals. Yet, Salvino simply wants to guide Monessen in the right direction.

How long his tenure will last is undecided, but a potential replacement is in the building. Salvino retained assistant coach Mike Blainfield, who was one of 10 applicants for the position. Blainfield worked under Pacak and is seen as a future head coach among his peers.

“I think Mike could be a very big positive thing for Monessen,” Salvino said. “He’ll be working with a lot of talented coaches and I think he can learn from that. Hopefully I can take him under my wing and show him some things, and help him become a head coach someday.”