Contz saw many firsts in his career
The athletic career of former Belle Vernon star Bill Contz is filled with firsts. In high school he was a member of the Leopards first conference championship football team, and first WPIAL championship basketball team. In college, he was on Penn State鈥檚 first national championship football squad. He was also part of the first winning season in New Orleans Saints history.
鈥淏elieve me I still pinch myself sometimes,鈥� Contz said. 鈥淗ow fortunate am I to be part of teams that had the right combination of talent, skill set, work ethic, luck. A lot of things factor into that, to this day I find that very hard to believe that I was fortunate enough to be part of those great teams.鈥�
Contz was an outstanding two-way tackle for the Leps football team. He played on teams that went 8-2 in 1976, 6-4 in 1977 and 10-0 with a Big Ten Conference title in 1978. Belle Vernon beat Jeannette, 15-14, in the WPIAL playoffs before falling to Blackhawk, 13-7.
鈥淛eff Petrucci had succeeded Dick Fields as head coach in 1978,鈥� Contz, who was co-captain in 1978, recalled. 鈥淧etrucci鈥檚 influence and the way he ran the program, the expectations. It really changed the culture of Belle Vernon football.
鈥淭he first thing that jumps out about that championship team is work ethic. I cannot recall the coaching staff pushing any of the three teams I was part of there any harder. We didn鈥檛 have a lot of size, in fact I was the only player over 200 pounds, but that team was extremely hard working and tenacious and I think the statistics bear that out. I believe we tossed six shutouts that year. It was a very scrappy defense, not a lot of size, but a great deal of heart.鈥�
Contz says the WPIAL playoffs were an eye opener for the Leopards.
鈥淥ur first ever venture into the playoffs, so this was uncharted territory for any Belle Vernon team,鈥� Contz remembered. 鈥淲e were the No. 1 ranked team in Triple A and I鈥檒l tell you what it was a wake up call to play Jeannette. Coach Joe Mucci in 1978 had a very talented quarterback by the name of Adam Bostick, and it was such a one-sided affair, we escaped with a one-point victor. We had a 102-yard interception return by Dave Bashada.
鈥淎gainst Blackhawk it was our first time on Astroturf and we had the Riddell shoes, it was a cold rainy night. Coach Joe Hamilton brought a team in that was a very big team. They jumped up on us, 13-0, we weren鈥檛 used to giving up any points. Jeannette scored 14 and Blackhawk scored 13 and we just ran out of gas I think in the playoffs.鈥�
Contz was also a solid performer for coach Don Asmonga on the hardwood. He was part of Leps squads that posted records of 7-13 in 1976-77. In 1977-78 after a slow start, the Leopards finished with a 26-5 record and captured the school鈥檚 first WPIAL title.
The Leopards made a run to the WPIAL championship beating Hempfield, 53-32, Wilkinsburg, 63-62, New Castle, 59-48, and downing Norwin, 62-58, in the WPIAL final. The Leopards beat Erie Academy in the PIAA playoffs, 54-46, before being ousted by Erie Cathedral Prep, 65-55. In Contz鈥檚 senior campaign, Belle Vernon posted a record of 15-11.
鈥淢y sophomore year it was great to get some unexpected playing time,鈥� Contz stated. 鈥淏y no means were we a cohesive unit, and I think throughout that summer we went to a couple of camps. Playing in those camps helped develop continuity. We had great senior leadership, the big difference from my sophomore to junior year was we had guys like Randy Giannini, John Russell and Tom Parks. Three exceptional leaders, guys that had a great work ethic and had an attitude. That played a great part in being able to have the success we had in that season.鈥�
A solid rebounder, Contz saw limited action in 1976-77, finishing with 31 points. In 1977-78 he tallied 246 points and during his senior season notched 436 points, averaging 17.4 points per game.
Contz had great respect for Asmonga.
鈥淗e had great influence on many athletes, myself included,鈥� Contz said. 鈥淐oach Asmonga was very positive influence on my life and I know many of his former players feel that same way. I felt very privileged to not only have played for him, but also be along side some teammates who shared the same passion for competition that I did. I was very fortunate in that regard.鈥�
When Contz graduated from Belle Vernon in 1979 he sifted through a lot of college scholarship offers.
鈥淚 was fortunate that the success the team had got schools attention and I had quite a number of scholarship offers,鈥� Contz explained. 鈥淚 took all six recruiting visits and in the end the combination of the academics and the athletics which Joe Paterno stood for, the whole grand experiment, staying close to home where my parents could watch me play. I was fortunate enough to be offered a scholarship to Penn State and accepted it.鈥�
Contz was a part of some great teams at Penn State, he didn鈥檛 play his freshman year when the Nittany Lions went 8-4 and beat Tulane in the Liberty Bowl. He got a little playing time in 1980 when PSU finished 10-2 and beat Ohio State, 31-19, in the Fiesta Bowl.
Contz was starting at offensive tackle in 1981 when the Nittany Lions posted a record of 10-2 and downed USC, 26-10, in the Fiesta Bowl. Contz helped the Lions capture their first National Championship in 1982 when they finished 11-1 with a 27-23 win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
鈥淲e were fortunate with the 1982 team, we were healthy,鈥� Contz stated. 鈥淭he same five guys that started the season on the offensive line, started the game against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.鈥�
Contz was 2-2 in the great rivalry with Pitt. Contz remembered the talent on the field in the 1980 Pitt-Penn State game.
鈥淭hirty-two Pitt players and 41 Penn State players that dressed for the game were selected in the NFL Draft,鈥� Contz said. 鈥淎 total of fourteen (14) future first-round NFL draft picks were on the field that day, five players would go on to be elected to the CFB Hall of Fame (Covert, Green, Marino, May, Warner) and four players (Jackson, Grimm, Marino, Munchak) would be elected to the pro football Hall of Fame.鈥�
Contz was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the 1983 NFL Draft. He played six seasons in the National Football League with the Cleveland Browns (1983-1986) and New Orleans Saints (1986-1988).
鈥淚 got to play in the NFL,鈥� Contz said. 鈥淥nce again I was so very fortunate to be a part of successful teams at the high school, college and pro level. I wouldn鈥檛 trade it for a minute and I count my blessings each and every day.鈥�
Contz, 54, resides in the Cranberry area with his wife of 29 years, Melanie. After football he worked for Federated Investors and then worked in medical device sales and he continues to work in that field today.
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.