RIP Jerry Roberts: Classy, knowledgeable, intelligent, and a great guy

Repost from August 17, 2017

 ... a wonderful friend during those six years 

Over the course of the past 45 years of my professional life, I have met some very classy people. Whether it was in education, coaching, journalism, public life, sports, or volunteer activities, many people have impressed me during this time. However, I truly believe that Jerry Roberts was the classiest person of them all, along with being the most knowledgeable about defensive football.  In addition, he taught me more about football than anyone in my life. He was so intelligent, so competent, and yet so humble. 

Golfing in the morning

Life can sometimes be so fleeting. Jerry played golf with his former teaching friends in Cresson on Thursday morning, and then in the afternoon, fell victim to what appeared to be a cardiac event. Life was not fleeting for Jerry, who accomplished some great things in his life.  A great husband to Barb and father to Scott, grandfather to Scott's sons, and a friend to so many. He was a dedicated teacher who truly cared about teaching and about what he taught and how he taught. I coached with Jerry from 1974 to 1979 at St. Francis College. There I learned what a genuine person he was, a caring, dedicated individual who was truly one of the best people I ever knew. So many who knew Jerry are sad today, but he had a great, productive life. 

The long bus trips

Jerry and I were both assistant coaches to Art Martynuska during those six years. He called the defense, I called the offense. One thing about Art, when he delegated a task to you, he did not want to be bothered with the details. So, we were given a great deal of free rein. On the buses on long, interminable road trips to places like Albany, N.Y. or White Plains, N.Y, Jerry and I would usually sit together. While we would talk, we often got down to specifics about offense and defense. Jerry would show me various schemes that he liked to use, depending upon his personnel. I would try to counter with offenses that could take advantage of it. I knew offense pretty well in those days, though I was still learning, but I really needed to know more about the defensive schemes. Jerry showed me so much of that. 

Jerry's concept helped Blacklick Valley defense

Nothing in football is ever completely unique. On one of those road trips, Jerry showed me a concept that I later demonstrated to another coach. After leaving St. Francis, I coached with Paul Shandor at Blacklick Valley. In the first year, we struggled, and he was trying to come up with a defensive scheme that would work. I looked at what he had on the blackboard, and then told him about the concept that Jerry had learned from a coach at Lock Haven. In short, you draw a line through the middle of the offense. On the strong side, you run what amounts to a 6-2. On the weak side, you run a 4-4. It looked like a 5-man front, but it was different from any 5 that other teams were using. Coach was great at adapting that at BV and we had some great success. So, Jerry's concept actually helped a high school team who never heard of him before this. 

The Teacher

I also taught with Jerry for four years. I saw his dedication and desire to improve young people. He taught physical education and health, but this was not the old fashioned, "throw them the ball and let them play." He believed that phys ed should be fun, but it was also supposed to be education. He tried to design activities that were not just enjoyable but also things that perhaps the students did not know. Ultimately, my education and coaching careers moved to another school, and so I did not have the contact with Jerry after those years. However, I never forgot him. He was a very good guy. 

Sympathy

I have to express my sympathy to the Roberts family, especially wife Barb. They did  so much with one another in addition to teaching together at Penn Cambria. Scott earned his Ph.D. at Penn State and now works for British Petroleum. He and his wife have two children. Jerry was the son of former County Commissioner Joe Roberts and Edith (Hite) Roberts. Not sure if I can remember all of the children, but his brothers were Jeff, Justin, Jay, Joe and sisters Josette and June. 

Hall of Fame and Reunion

Three years ago, I was approached by one of our players from the 1970s, Dave Shedlock, who was interested in having a reunion of the teams from the Art Martynuska years. I mentioned that Jerry had just been inducted into the Lock Haven Football Hall of Fame a few years earlier, so maybe we could have a reunion that would also honor Jerry. We did and it was great. The reunions are continuing, but one special assistant coach will be missing this year, though not in spirit. 

RIP Jerry, my old friend.