West Virginia U’s three-way football star of the 1960s left his mark.
Your angle on Ron Pobolish’s life depended on when and how you came to know him- personally or by reputation. For me, it was Pobolish a stellar defensive back on the Peach Bowl-winning 1969 West Virginia Mountaineers. He and defensive backfield partner Terry Snively each made a nifty second-half pass interception to seal the win against the South Carolina Gamecocks, the Mountaineers’ tenth of the year.
But even then, riveted on that Peach Bowl win, I had paid attention to only a portion of what and who Ron Pobolish was as a college football player.
Arriving in Morgantown out of Dillonville, OH, Pobolish was a three-year football starter–and just as importantly–a three-way player.
Versatile, you say? You bet. Pobolish even played baseball for the Mountaineers in 1970.
After graduating, even those who knew him before saw Pobolish’s new role, “Coach.” He returned to where he came from—the Ohio Valley—and embarked on a 40-year career as a high school football coach. An educator at heart, Pobolish won big almost everywhere he coached—Cadiz, John Marshall, Harrison Central, Buckeye Southwest, and Buckeye Local—and the quality of those engagements took him right into membership of the Ohio Valley Football Coaches Hall of Fame.
In all he did, what struck you was who he was–a person with presence, integrity, passion, and persistence. He cared, and it showed as a family member, teammate, peer, neighbor, and friend.
Pobolish was the type of person you wanted to have around (needed to have around) because you’d be a better person, even if only a bit of him rubbed off on you.
#22
His was a life lived well and full—Ohio Valley and WVU icon Ron Pobolish (1948-2024).
