Remembering Sal Mercadante
Submitted photo
Uniontown graduate Sal Mercadante is shown during his playing days at Juniata College.
Uniontown coach Leon Kaltenbach (left) talks with Sal Mercadante during a Red Raiders football game.
The Fayette County sports community was deeply saddened by the recent death of former Uniontown High School football standout Sal Mecadante.
A link to the Red Raiders glory days in football, Merc蘑菇视频 passing hit former teammates hard.
鈥淗e was a good player and he hustled,鈥� former Red Raider John Hull said. 鈥淗e wasn鈥檛 the biggest person in the world. For his size he did a tremendous job. Sal worked his tail off and he will be missed. He was an avid Uniontown fan his whole life. It蘑菇视频 a shame to lose all the great people that we are losing.鈥�
鈥淗e always gave a hundred percent,鈥� former Raider standout Ray Gillian pointed out. 鈥淗e had tremendous enthusiasm. He was such a hard worker and he would out work others to get time on the field. He always had a smile and a joke and was a lot of fun to be around.鈥�
鈥淗e was a hard-nosed player,鈥� former Red Raider Tom Holliday said. 鈥淚 only played with him for one year. He was tough!鈥�
Merc, as he was affectionately known, was profiled in Memory Lane in 2010. Here are some excerpts from that article.
Mercadante played on some outstanding Uniontown football squads during the 鈥淕olden Age鈥� of Uniontown athletics.
鈥淒uring that period you were bequeathed your position,鈥� Mercdante recalled. 鈥淵ou took over for the guy before you and you were expected to win and when I left they took over for me and I expected them to win, so the pressure was always there.
鈥淏ill Broda and Bob Fee developed so many players at the seventh, eighth and ninth grade levels that were ready to step in and play at Uniontown in their sophomore year,鈥� Mercadante said. 鈥淚t is not a coincidence that the program has dropped off since Broda has retired. If you look at the records you will see that Uniontown was competitive outside the county, which we are not any more. The key thing for Uniontown athletics back then was the system and it started with the playgrounds and the tradition of going through junior high school to high school. You inherited the tradition and if you didn鈥檛 embrace the tradition it was a tough place to live because you had pressure.鈥�
Mercadante saw action starting for the JV squad and as a varsity reserve as a sophomore at guard on perhaps the greatest football team in Uniontown history. Uniontown蘑菇视频 mighty 1965 WPIAL AA champions earned the highest numerical index ever in Dr. Roger B. Saylor蘑菇视频 Pennsylvania scholastic football ratings. The Red Raiders played and defeated many of the WPIAL蘑菇视频 strongest teams in the regular season, then came from behind to conquer an outstanding Butler team 14-7 in a great AA title game at Pitt Stadium.
鈥淚 was an oddity getting to play as a sophomore,鈥� Mercadante pointed out. 鈥淩ich Constantine was the starting guard the year before I got there and there were two seniors on that team 鈥� Gene Huey and Constantine. When Constantine graduated the left guard position was open and the team had a couple of heir apparent who were seniors. Joe Croftcheck started the games, Croftcheck also played nose guard, but I got playing time. Croftcheck and Jim Zimcosky were the starters at guard.鈥�
In 1966 the Raiders slipped to a 6-3 mark and then in Mercadante蘑菇视频 senior year the Red Raiders entered the season as the second ranked team in the state. Uniontown had a solid season finishing 8-2. The two losses were to Canon-McMillan and Mt. Lebanon.
Mercadante went both ways with the Raiders as a junior and a senior at guard and linebacker. Mercadante garnered second All-Western Conference honors as a senior and then sifted through some scholarship offers before deciding to play college football at Juniata.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think about honors,鈥� Mercadante said. 鈥淚 almost didn鈥檛 go to the All -banquet because I had something else that I wanted to do.
鈥淚 was supposed to visit Marshall. I think I could have played Division-1 football but I was only about 5-7 and 170 pounds. Juniata coach Fred Prender came to the house and talked to mom, dad and my brother before he went to the high school to see me. When I came home my mom said I was going to visit Juniata. I was scheduled to visit Marshall. I went up to Juniata and I signed. A side note is that Marshall had the tragic plane crash in 1970 and if I had gone to Marshall I would have been on that plane.鈥�
Mercadante became a four-year starter at Juniata. He started every game at Juniata excepted for the last two games of his freshman campaign when he was out with a knee injury.
Juniata posted records of 7-2 in 1968, 5-3 in 1969, 2-6-1 in 1970 and 3-4-2 in Mercadante蘑菇视频 senior season in 1971.
A big change occurred in his sophomore season when Fred Prender left to become head coach at Bucknell and was replaced by Walt Nadzak.
Mercadante played some outstanding football during his career at Juniata.
鈥淪ome of the highlights were the 1968 game against Westminster when we won 35-27, when I was playing the monster man on the defense,鈥� Mercadante said. 鈥淚 played at middle guard my last three years. I had a fantastic four years up there. I made numerous All-East weekly football teams. In a 10-10 tie against Susquehanna I had an outstanding game prompting Susquehanna coach Jim Hazlett to say I 鈥榓te his center alive.'鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e never seen him play a poor ball game in three years,鈥� was how Nadzak described Mercadante, who was named to the AP Little All-America Team and also was named to the ECAC All-East team his senior year.
鈥淗e was very, very quick,鈥� former Juniata linebacker Frank DiMatteo recalled. 鈥淗e was a very quick ballplayer, the ball would be snapped and he would be past the guy the center and they would be like where did he go?
鈥淲e were lifelong friends and the core that we played with meet once or twice a year. The group met in July, guys like David Fleck, Harry Gicking, James Hartland, Peter Straup and Jim Guenthoer. Sal will be missed.鈥�
鈥淲e were roommates my junior and senior year,鈥� Guenthoer recalled. 鈥淗e was the best football player that I鈥檝e ever played with. He started every game starting with the first game of his freshman year. If he had been six feet tall he would have been playing Division-1 football. He was unbelievably quick and strong. He was solid. He was great, He was the best player I鈥檝e ever played with.鈥�
After graduating from Juniata in 1972 Mercadante went to work for Hershey蘑菇视频 and stayed with the company until 1987 when got married. He then started the Merc蘑菇视频 sub shops that he ran for 23 years.
Mercadante passed away on New Year蘑菇视频 Eve and was found on his couch New Year蘑菇视频 morning, He was 70 years old.
Grieving older brother Tony paid tribute to his younger brother.
鈥淧ound for pound,鈥� the elder Mercadante said, 鈥淪al was one of the toughest football players to come out of Uniontown. I can鈥檛 believe he is gone.鈥�
George Von Benko蘑菇视频 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 蘑菇视频. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.