Toy cannon: Belle Vernon’s Bashada was small player who had big impact
Submitted photo
Dave Bashada is shown during his football playing days at Belle Vernon.
Submitted photo
Dave Bashada poses with Pittsburgh Pirates star Willie Stargell in 1977.
Sometimes dynamite comes in small packages. Case in point: former Belle Vernon football and baseball standout Dave Bashada.
The diminutive Bashada cast a big shadow for the Leopards in the late 1970s. He got an early start in athletics.
鈥淚 played baseball and football in the Midget Leagues in Belle Vernon,鈥� Bashada recalled. 鈥淚 played up at old Brewer Stadium whenever we had the local teams. We had the Belle Vernon Vikings and the Washington Township Redskins and the Lynnwood Eagles and I played for the Bellmar Middle School after that and then up to the high school.鈥�
Bashada played three varsity seasons for Belle Vernon football coach Jeff Petrucci. The Leopards posted a record of 5-4 during his sophomore campaign in 1977. Bashada was All-Big 10 as a junior as an end and defensive back. The Leopards were Big 10 champs and finished with a 11-1 record and recorded 6 shutouts.
鈥淚t was a really good season,鈥� Bashada said. 鈥淲e played great defense and we were one of the smaller teams. We had a bunch of guys that played with a lot of heart, we were fast, we were quick. We had great camaraderie on the team.鈥�
The 1978 squad beat Jeannette 15-14 in the playoffs, Bashada had a 102-yard interception return in that game.
鈥淚 had the 102 yard interception return and I had the two-point conversion to give us the edge in that 15-14 victory,鈥� Bashada stated. 鈥淭he interception was an out pattern right at the goal line and I stepped in front of the guy and went down the sideline for the score. It was a really good win. I don鈥檛 know if we were expected to win. We got a couple of breaks during the game and the interception and the two-point conversion. It was a great win.鈥�
Belle Vernon then fell to Blackhawk 13-7 in a very tough ballgame.
鈥淚 remember Blackhawk was big.鈥� Bashada offered. 鈥淏ut we hung with them, losing a tight game. We weren鈥檛 supposed to do much against them, but we hung in there the whole game.鈥�
Bashada was All-Big 10 as a senior as a fullback/linebacker. Belle Vernon went 8-0-1 and again was Big 10 champions.
鈥淲e tied Elizabeth Forward that season 0-0,鈥� Bashada said. 鈥淲e had a couple of really good years. Coach Petrruci was a very good coach, a very offensive-minded coach, and we also stressed the defensive part of it everyday in practice. We worked hard at it and, like I said, we weren鈥檛 the biggest team but we had a lot of heart and we were quick.鈥�
Bashada had a knack for making the big play. In addition to the 102-yard interception return against Jeannette he also returned an interception 94 yards against Laurel Highlands for a TD.
鈥淚 also had a punt return against Laurel Highlands for a touchdown,鈥� Bashada remembered. 鈥淚 also had a punt return for a touchdown against Charleroi.鈥�
Petrucci had this assessment of the 5-foot-7, 160-pound Bashada.
鈥淒ave was as good an athlete as we had,鈥� Petrucci noted. 鈥淗e played offense, defense and returned kicks. He was definitely a top-10 player in all the kids I coached. He was very good in all he did. Definite Hall of Famer!鈥�
鈥淚 appreciate his comments,鈥� Bashada said. 鈥淗e always said if I was 6-foot-2 I could go wherever I wanted to go, but I was 5-foot-7. I didn鈥檛 have the size, but I had the heart and the speed.鈥�
Bashada played baseball for the late Don Asmonga on Leopard teams that went 4-10 his junior season and 5-5 when he was a senior.
鈥淚 played second base,鈥� Bashada stated. 鈥淚 liked football because of what was going on with the record. Football was big at Belle Vernon at the time and we were building a foundation for the future.鈥�
Bashada is proud of what he accomplished.
鈥淢y interception record got broken by Devin Whitlock last year,鈥� Bashada said. 鈥淔or all those years that record stood. I own a restaurant in Belle Vernon and I work for the school district. I see a lot of people and a year never goes by that somebody doesn鈥檛 talk about football and somebody doesn鈥檛 talk about the plays I had, the interceptions and the punt returns. That really makes me feel good that they remember.鈥�
Bashada was recruited when he graduated from BVA for both football and baseball.
鈥淚 was recruited by Division-II and Division-III schools for football,鈥� Bashada explained. 鈥淭he size was a factor for me and I ended up going to California University of Pennsylvania and I ended up playing baseball for one year.
鈥淐al was a good baseball school. I was a scrappy second baseman. I tried out for both the Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds. I didn鈥檛 play much my freshman year. I was playing behind an All-American, Bill Fowkes from Charleroi. Coach Petrucci took the football job at Cal and he got me to play football. After a year layoff I played football for one year.
鈥淚 was going to school, working and playing football, and I had to get on with my life and work. It was a decision I made with my dad. He had a business and I was working for him. I was going to school and wanted to make sure I graduated. So I went in another direction. I graduated from Cal in 1985.鈥�
Bashada worked for his father蘑菇视频 landscaping business. He then managed a bar in California, McMonagle蘑菇视频, for five years. Bashada bought the Foster House bar and grille in Belle Vernon. Bashada has been in business for 32 years at the Foster House. He also has been the Director of Transportation for the Belle Vernon School District for 17 years. He is also now Director of Food Service.
Sports was still a part of Bashada蘑菇视频 life. He played softball for several teams in the valley, Foster House, Monessen PNA, and McMonagle蘑菇视频, for about 10 years.
Bashada, 60, resides in Belle Vernon with his wife Theresa, they married in 1990. They have two daughters, Haley and Natalie, who both played softball in college.
In 2002 Bashada was inducted into the Belle Vernon Area Football Hall of Fame.
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.