Connellsville’s Lynn starred in Fayette County’s ‘Golden Age’
Connellsville鈥檚 Don Lynn was another outstanding performer from the 鈥淕olden Age鈥� of Fayette County athletics.
Lynn excelled in football and track for the Cokers in the late 1950鈥檚. He was on the Connellsville 11鈥檚 that posted records of 4-6 in 1954, 7-2-1 in 1955 and 6-3 in 1956.
鈥淲e were competitive and we played some good football teams,鈥� Lynn stated. 鈥淯niontown was our big foe, that was the big game. We also had big games with Brownsville and Washington. In my senior year, we had six kids that went on to play college football.
鈥淎s a sophomore I did not letter,鈥� Lynn said. 鈥淲e had talented players with Jim Cunningham, Bob Baker and Mike Johnson.鈥�
Lynn went both ways, playing center on offense and linebacker on defense. Don Galbraith was Connellsville鈥檚 head coach when Lynn was a sophomore and junior. When Galbraith took the coaching job at Bethel Park, Roger Speidel was the head coach in Lynn鈥檚 senior season.
Looking back, Lynn has high praise for his old mentor, coach Galbraith.
鈥淐oach Galbraith was a great man.鈥� Lynn offered. 鈥淚 drove down to Bethel Park and there were five of us that went down to a game to see him coach. He was an assistant at Connellsville. Joe Nicolletti that was very good.鈥�
Lynn pulled down some hardware during his career at Connellsville. He was All-Fayette County, All-WPIAL and an honorable mention All-State selection. He also represented Fayette County in the Fayette-Washington County All-Star football game. Lynn had an interception as Fayette County won the game, 27-20.
鈥淭he honors mean more as you look back now,鈥� Lynn said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e done something and you remember it. A lot of it you forget, but you remember the highlights I guess.
鈥淭he interception in the All-Star game was more luck than talent I think. They threw the ball right at me.鈥�
Lynn also threw the shot put and discus on the Connellsville track team.
鈥淲e went out to the Mansfield Relays in Ohio and we came in second out there,鈥� Lynn recalled. 鈥淲e had one of the best mile relay teams in the state. We had outstanding performers like Mike Johnson and Wilber Scott. When Johnson ran the backstretch it was like his feet didn鈥檛 touch the ground, he was outstanding. Track was a lot of fun. I went out for track because if I came home I had to work on the farm and help milk. I did it to get out of doing chores on the farm.鈥�
When Lynn graduated from Connellsville in 1957, he looked at some scholarship offers.
鈥淚 went to Penn State and I didn鈥檛 get offered a scholarship,鈥� Lynn said. 鈥淭here were a couple of small schools. A coach came to our house from Duke and my mother and dad were very impressed with him. The school was such a good school and I decided to go there.
鈥淭hat was probably the biggest mistake of my life going there. Now, you have guidance counselors who know what you have to take to graduate. There were no guidance counselors, academically it was a mistake to go to Duke, you had to have 24 hours of a foreign language and I had a hard time just passing Spanish in high school.鈥�
Lynn played freshman football at Duke and then the coaching staff placed him at Louisburg Junior College in North Carolina to get straightened out academically.
鈥淐oach Bill Murray at Duke called me and wanted me to come back to Duke,鈥� Lynn explained. 鈥淚 graduated from Louisburg Junior College and I came back to Connellsville and I ran into George Milby and he said do you still want to go to school and play football? I wanted to and he sent out some tape on me and within a week I had full ride offers from Ohio U., Bowling Green and Baldwin Wallace. The only reason I went to Baldwin Wallace was I had two aunts who lived in Cleveland. I knew I could go there on a Sunday and get a good meal and get my clothes washed.鈥�
Lynn played two seasons at Baldwin Wallace on teams that went 5-3-1 in 1960 and 9-0 in 1961. He played center and was also middle guard on a defense that only surrendered 55 points in 1961.
鈥淚 was co-captain in 1961 and that is the only undefeated season that Baldwin Wallace has ever had,鈥� Lynn stated. 鈥淭he head coach was Lee Tressel, and that was Jim Tressel鈥檚 father. I later coached Jim when he was at Berea High School.鈥�
After graduating from Baldwin Wallace, Lynn became a teacher and coach at Berea High School for five years. He was an assistant football coach and head baseball coach and he helped out with the swimming team.
鈥淢y dad was on the farm and he needed help,鈥� Lynn said. 鈥淚 came back to Connellsville and I got a teaching job at Connellsville Junior High West. I taught there for 34 years.鈥�
Lynn coached football and wrestling at Junior High West. He was on the varsity staff at Connellsville when Tom Sankovich was coach. He later was an assistant coach at Geibel High School.
鈥淚 was at Geibel for about ten years,鈥� Lynn stated. 鈥淲e had some good teams when I was there. I am proud of the coaching career, it was a lot of fun.鈥�
Lynn, 75, retired from teaching in 2002. He and his wife of 25 years, Indy, reside on a farm in Vanderbilt, they have three children.
George Von Benko鈥檚 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Monday editions of the 缅北禁地. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.