More than gifts, cigars and golf, Father’s Day weekend is a time to reflect on cherished lessons and memories with dads.
For current Bradford High School Athletic Director Dave “Pug” Fuhrman, many of those vivid memories with his father begin on the basketball court.
Pug’s father, Dave Fuhrman, was one of the most successful basketball coaches in this area’s history, posting a 340-171 record that included 11 District 9 championships.
For four of Dave’s 20 years as the head coach of the Bradford Owls, he had the unique experience of coaching his son. And not only did the two form a dynamic duo on the court — Bradford won three D-9 titles in those four years — but it also created an even more unique bond off the court for the pair.
“One thing he always told me and something that I learned very quickly is that he was always going to be harder on me than any other person,” said Pug, who also had his father as a teacher. “At the time, you probably don’t realize it and cherish it, but when that time passes you realize he’s doing it for the best for you.”
Pug, not surprisingly, has plenty of behind-the-scenes stories from the time spent with his father on the sidelines. Although he admits plenty of those tales aren’t fit to print, Pug shared some of the ones that still make him laugh all these years later and have had an impact on him.
“He used to always write on his board and instead of erasing it with a paper towel or a marker he would do it with his hand,” Pug said with a grin. “Throughout the game, he’d touch his face and he’d have black stuff all over. That was always funny for the rest of us.”
Pug said that his father always had a method to some of his coaching madness on the court.
“He would get so intense sometimes that his face would get so red and his veins would be popping. I was a three-point guy and stood behind the line quite a bit, and I missed a three and the ball went out of bounds and I think for the entire 30-second timeout he was in my face. But, the one line he said was ‘You know, if you go inside the three-point line you won’t get electrocuted,’” Pug said.
Dave’s practices included three tough hours of conditioning and defense. He also made each member of his team memorize an inspirational quote before the beginning of practice. If they couldn’t remember some of Dave’s favorites such as “Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb, that’s where the fruit is” or “The dogs may bark but the caravan moves on,” the entire team had to run.
And despite a grueling stretch each year, it wasn’t just Pug who embraced his father’s coaching style — it was his teammates, as well. When Dave retired from his post in 2010, his former players came back in droves to support their head coach.
“They had a retirement party for my dad up in the (Bradford library) and a lot of his former players came back for it. It was really cool to hear some of their stories, some of which I hadn’t even heard,” Pug said. “He was intense but he cared so much about what his kids were doing after basketball. I learned so many lifelong lessons, not even basketball lessons. It’s been great.”
Pug made sure to point out that his father got plenty of lessons from his own dad, Phillip. According to Pug, his grandfather was much more laid back than the fiery Dave, but had the same love of basketball and family as his son.
“(My grandpa) would usually slip my dad some money to buy the kids pizzas after the games for practice the next day,” Pug said of Phillip who travelled close to three hours to attend nearly every BHS game. “So, sure enough, after a Saturday morning practice we would eat pizza in the locker room. Bradford basketball was a commitment for my entire family.”
It wasn’t just the winter that the Fuhrmans shared a sideline together, either. Dave was also Pug’s AAU coach in the spring and also helped the younger Fuhrman to follow in his dad’s coaching footsteps.
Although Pug decided not to pursue a collegiate basketball career, he was never too far away from the sport. While attending Robert Morris University, he spent two years working with a local high school athletic director in his office and on the sidelines. Once Pug returned to Bradford, he joined Brian Hobbs’ staff as an assistant basketball coach while he was substitute teaching and completing a master’s degree.
“My dad always told me that there is always someone working harder than you,” Pug remembered. “When you think you’re working hard, someone else is working just as hard. He also always talked about adversity and how to deal with and overcome it. That was a big lesson of his.”
While Pug admits that there were plenty of quiet dinners and car rides home following games, he says that he’s thankful for all of those experiences and moments shared with his father.
“Looking back, I’m so thankful he was able to push me to my limits to help me reach my potential,” he said. “(My dad) used to always say to me ‘If I’m not yelling or trying to teach you something then you should be worried. I’m yelling because I care about you.’”
