“Ed was one of the best.”
That’s how former Bradford High varsity football coach John Durham described Ed Pomroy, who died on Dec. 26 at the age of 71.
Pomroy was an assistant varsity coach under Durham from 1969 to 1975.
“He came to us in 1967 from then-Slippery Rock State College where he was a very good player,” Durham said. “He got a teaching job in the physical education department at Bradford High and was the freshman coach for two years. After that, he was a varsity assistant coach.”
Durham said fundamentals were Pomroy’s forte.
“Ed was an outstanding fundamentalist,” Durham recalled. “That was really his strength. He was a good coach in many, many ways — particularly with offensive backs.
“We ground out the ball. With the kind of team we had we couldn’t afford many mistakes. We couldn’t have many penalties or fumbles. His backs were exemplary. They rarely fumbled and rarely made pre-snap errors. He was a phenomenal offensive backfield coach.”
Additionally, Pomroy was a defensive backfield coach.
“His kids tackled well,” Durham stated. “It’s most important to teach the fundamentals — I don’t care at what level. If you let them get careless with fundamentals they don’t do as well.
“Ed was a mentor and he appeared very demanding. The kids were in awe of him and a little afraid of him. Ed always had their best interests at heart. He wanted to see those kids succeed in what they wanted to do in life.”
In addition, Pomroy served as the Owls’ varsity trainer.
“He took what he did very very seriously,” Durham added. “He was an excellent trainer. He took course work in the summer and was always working to increase his knowledge of athletic training in addition to coaching.”
Durham praised Pomroy for his loyalty.
“Ed was a very loyal assistant coach,” Durham said. “You couldn’t ask for someone with more loyalty. Ed was a good person and an outstanding coach.”
In his later years in the Bradford school system, Pomroy served as athletic director and vice principal, retiring in 2002.
“No one can repay someone like that for all the good things he did,” Durham said.
Several years ago, Pomroy suffered a stroke.
“I spoke to him a couple times on the phone and wrote him some letters,” Durham concluded. “I knew the stroke was serious.”
Pomroy, a Ridgway High School graduate, was an assistant track and field coach at BAHS under Tom Tessena.
“I first met Ed Pomroy at the end of August in 1969,” Tessena recalled. “I had just been hired as a teacher and head cross country and track coach. Right away I noticed Ed was into helping the students at Bradford High School. He also offered to help me coach track and field that coming spring.
“He could see that I needed a lot of help. He helped me immensely that first spring. We developed a friendship that lasted up to the day he passed away. He always did a great job as a teacher and coach in football and track. He was always there for me if I had a problem with coaching or outside of school.
“He made a lasting impression on the students he taught and inspired. His finest hours came as athletic director. He went out of his way to ensure that all the sports were given attention – not just football and basketball.
“He made a difference for the kids. He made a big impression on myself and many, many people in Bradford. Ed was as tough as they come but he had a heart of gold.”
Pomroy was the athletic director when Dave Fuhrman coached the Owls’ basketball team.
“If I had to characterize Mr. Pomroy both as a teacher and as an athletic director, I would say he was firm, fair and consistent in all that he did. These are important qualities to have as a coach and are equally important to have as an athletic director overseeing the entire sports program.
“We had a mutual respect for one another and the way we did our jobs.
“I really can only remember us ‘butting heads’ on one occasion. It was the 1999-2000 season when our team finished slightly below .500 at 11-13, I believe. We finished the season on a three-game winning streak including wins over DuBois and a strong Jamestown, N.Y., team.
“I thought we should enter the open playoffs based on the fact we ended the season playing our best basketball and had been competitive in most games throughout the season. Ed and I had had some earlier discussions about whether we should go to the playoffs before the final week of the season and he told me we needed to have a winning record. Ed was adamant about us not going since we did not finish the season with a winning record.
“Needless to say, I lost the argument and we did not enter the playoffs that season. As I look back on it, he had told me and I communicated to the team as the season was nearing its end the parameters we needed to meet to make the playoffs. Things were always ‘black and white’ with Ed and you always knew where he stood and who was boss. As I look back on his tenure in our dealings I can appreciate that.”
Added Fuhrman, “He expected both coaches and athletes to give their best effort in all that they did both on the court and playing fields and in the classroom and to represent Bradford High with class and sportsmanship.
“It really was a shame the hand he was dealt suffering the stroke and spending the final seven or eight years of his life at the (Pavilion at BRMC).
“I used to see him quite often when visiting my in-laws in the same facility. He always knew who I was even though he could barely talk. When I told him about Pug (Fuhrman’s son) becoming the athletic director he gave me a thumbs up and said ‘that’s good,’ which in turn made me feel good that he approved.”
(Joe Vinelli is the Era associate editor for production).
